Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Ah Spring! Warmer temperatures, sunshine, and no bugs (yet)! Well, as wonderful as Spring is, it brings with it a few gardening chores to be done! If you just can’t wait to get started, check out Spring Chores Checklist Part 1 for a list of items to do now, but read on for those basic things that need to be done once the last bit of snow finally melts…

□ Clean Up Those Beds!

After the last chance for frost has passed, remove all the old mulch from your garden beds, and replace with a brand new batch! Don’t just throw your old mulch out! Recycle it, by placing it into your compost pile!

□ Plant Away!

Spring is the time to plant blueberries, raspberries, grapes, rhubarb, asparagus, irises, peonies, hydrangeas, lilacs, and more!

□ Prepare Those Beds!

Add a bit of compost or organic fertilizer to your beds to help give your plants a great nutrient boost!

□ Pull Weeds!

Spring is the perfect time to pull any weeds that pop up because the ground is so wet that you can usually get the weed, root and all very easily!

□ Prune Prune Prune!

Roses, apple and plum trees need to be pruned in the Spring, but DON’T prune those lilacs, hydrangeas, Spring flowering clematis or old garden roses! For these the rule is simple! Prune after bloom!

□ Divide and Transplant!

Divide and transplant any perennials that need it, such as daylilies and hostas. You can also transplant roses if they need a new spot this year!

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks, ideas, and inspiration on cold climate gardening from the Daily Weeder!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Today we’re going to take a look at a few of my favorite climbing roses for zone 5. If you’re interested in climbing roses for zones 3 and 4, please check out previous posts Part 1 and Part 2. However, note that you can plant zone 5 roses in zones 3 and 4 as long as you provide them with winter protection. A little more work, but a lot more selection!

Albertine

An old fashioned pale pink beauty, Albertine is noted for it’s “delicious fragrance.” Now, this rose is listed as growing between 15 and 18 feet, but if you live in a colder climate it will likely not grow that high, but you should get at least a good 5 to 7 ft of growth! Albertine blooms once in late Spring/Early Summer.

American Beauty

This stunningly pink/purple rose, American Beauty is fragrant. It is listed to grow between 12 and 15 ft, but again, it is more likely to grow between 7 and 8 feet in colder climates! American Beauty blooms only once, but produces a spectacular display!

Constance Spry

This is one of my absolute favorites from my own garden! Constance Spry grows between 6 and 8 feet and is extremely fragrant! Again, Constance Spry blooms only once, but oh what a show it gives!

You may have noticed that these three roses each bloom only once. I just wanted to mention, that you cannot consider this a fault because the bloom time for “once bloomers” is typically 6 weeks or more! You really get a spectacular show, and you get to enjoy it for a long time!

Please stay tuned for more tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration on cold climate gardening from the Daily Weeder!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

As far as I’m concerned, roses are a must have for any garden! Many feel that roses are difficult to grow, or don’t grow in our cold climates. Wrong! The proof is in the pictures of my own rose gardens above, and as you can see, there are lots of beautiful rose options for cold climates!

Today we’re going to continue our look at cold climate climbers! Make sure to check out The Best Climbing Roses for Cold Climates Part 1!

John Davis

John Davis features pretty pale/medium pink double blooms, a slight fragrance, and grows 6-7 ft tall! It is hardy to zone 3 with no winter dieback, and blooms from late June on.

New Dawn

New Dawn features lovely pale pink blooms, is moderately fragrant, and grows up to 6 -10 ft. It’s hardy to zone 4, but the feature that really sets this wonderful rose apart is how often it blooms…according to Heirloom Roses, New Dawn is “always in bloom!”

Alchymist

Alchymist features old fashioned blooms that fade from a pale coral to a pale yellow. It grows up to 12 ft, blooms only once (but it’s long lasting), and is hardy to zone 4. One of the characteristics that really makes this climber stand out is it’s strong fragrance!

I’ve personally owned all three of these gorgeous roses for several years now, and they’ve all done really well in my garden. Each of them have a unique feature that sets it apart! Climbing roses are some of my favorite roses because they can really make a statement in your garden! However, if you don’t have a special place to let them climb, you can also grow many climbers as shrub roses!

Stay tuned for more cold climate climbers!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne