Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• Mother’s Day is the perfect time to give a gift of a living plant. Roses, hydrangeas, colorful hanging baskets and beautiful house plants are sure to please her.

• Flower seeds can be sown directly in the garden now. Cosmos, marigolds and zinnias will give you beautiful flowers all summer.

• Gladiolus make wonderful cut flowers throughout the summer. Plant some every two weeks for continuous blooms.

• Plant the vegetable garden this month, but remember that late frosts can still nip tender young plants.

• Beautiful African Violets will decorate your indoor spaces with their masses of flowers in all shades of purple, blue and pink.

Growing Gorgeous Roses

Roses attract us for many reasons: for their color, their fragrance, the beauty of each flower and their stunning display in the landscape. They are probably the most loved flower the world over, both in the garden and for flower arranging.

Roses can be grown by almost anyone. The key to success depends primarily on finding a good site in which to grow them. Look for a spot that receives plenty of sunshine, is sheltered from prevailing winds, has good air circulation and water drainage, and enough space for the varieties you want to plant.

Most roses need at least six hours of sunshine per day during the flowering season to bloom to their full potential. If sunlight is scarce in your planting area, try a white painted surface as a backdrop for your plants. Reflected light can help turn a less-than-sunny site into a bright spot for roses.

Strong winds can be hard on roses. Roses are thirsty plants, needing large quantities of water to fill their abundant blossoms. They may suffer from dehydration if exposed to constant wind. If you live where there are strong summer winds, choose a site with some protection for your roses.

Good air circulation, however, is very beneficial to roses. Air movement through the plants keeps the canes and foliage dry, which cuts down on disease problems. A slope is ideal, allowing for good air flow, maximum sunlight and good water drainage.

Soil that drains well is very important for roses. If you have only heavy soil, add generous amounts of compost when you plant. To test how well your soil drains, dig a large hole, fill it with water and see how long it takes to drain. If it takes more than two hours to drain away, consider building raised beds.

Each type of rose has different space requirements and individual growing habits. Some roses spread more than others, and relying on severe pruning to keep a rose in bounds, is no substitute for giving it the space it deserves.

Roses need a lot of sunshine, moisture and nutrition to produce all those big, beautiful flowers. They don’t do well with competition from trees, large bushes or other heavy feeders. So give them plenty of room to perform their best.

Plant roses where they can be enjoyed the most along walkways, near entryways or next to a deck or patio. Consider the views from inside the house and plant roses where they can be enjoyed from there as well. A fragrant rose near an open window will perfume the whole room.

Roses are beginning their first flowering now, so it is a good time to look for the ones you like best. Turn your garden into a place of charm and beauty, by planting a bed of colorful and fragrant roses.

• Mother’s Day is the perfect time to give a gift of a living plant. Roses, hydrangeas, colorful hanging baskets and beautiful house plants are sure to please her.

• Flower seeds can be sown directly in the garden now. Cosmos, marigolds and zinnias will give you beautiful flowers all summer.

• Gladiolus make wonderful cut flowers throughout the summer. Plant some every two weeks for continuous blooms.

• Plant the vegetable garden this month, but remember that late frosts can still nip tender young plants.

• Beautiful African Violets will decorate your indoor spaces with their masses of flowers in all shades of purple, blue and pink.

Growing Gorgeous Roses

Roses attract us for many reasons: for their color, their fragrance, the beauty of each flower and their stunning display in the landscape. They are probably the most loved flower the world over, both in the garden and for flower arranging.

Roses can be grown by almost anyone. The key to success depends primarily on finding a good site in which to grow them. Look for a spot that receives plenty of sunshine, is sheltered from prevailing winds, has good air circulation and water drainage, and enough space for the varieties you want to plant.

Most roses need at least six hours of sunshine per day during the flowering season to bloom to their full potential. If sunlight is scarce in your planting area, try a white painted surface as a backdrop for your plants. Reflected light can help turn a less-than-sunny site into a bright spot for roses.

Strong winds can be hard on roses. Roses are thirsty plants, needing large quantities of water to fill their abundant blossoms. They may suffer from dehydration if exposed to constant wind. If you live where there are strong summer winds, choose a site with some protection for your roses.

Good air circulation, however, is very beneficial to roses. Air movement through the plants keeps the canes and foliage dry, which cuts down on disease problems. A slope is ideal, allowing for good air flow, maximum sunlight and good water drainage.

Soil that drains well is very important for roses. If you have only heavy soil, add generous amounts of compost when you plant. To test how well your soil drains, dig a large hole, fill it with water and see how long it takes to drain. If it takes more than two hours to drain away, consider building raised beds.

Each type of rose has different space requirements and individual growing habits. Some roses spread more than others, and relying on severe pruning to keep a rose in bounds, is no substitute for giving it the space it deserves.

Roses need a lot of sunshine, moisture and nutrition to produce all those big, beautiful flowers. They don’t do well with competition from trees, large bushes or other heavy feeders. So give them plenty of room to perform their best.

Plant roses where they can be enjoyed the most along walkways, near entryways or next to a deck or patio. Consider the views from inside the house and plant roses where they can be enjoyed from there as well. A fragrant rose near an open window will perfume the whole room.

Roses are beginning their first flowering now, so it is a good time to look for the ones you like best. Turn your garden into a place of charm and beauty, by planting a bed of colorful and fragrant roses.

• Spring vegetables can be planted now from nursery starts. Begin your garden with broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, chard and onions. It pays to grow your own!

• Potatoes can be planted this month. Plant red, white, yellow and russet for a variety of uses and flavors.

• Plant bright and cheery primroses to brighten your flower beds and boxes.

• Pluots are a cross between plums and apricots. Their meaty fruit has a wonderful flavor. Bare root trees can be planted now.

• Prune wisteria trees and vines by cutting out unwanted long runners and removing old seed pods. Don’t damage flower buds that are clustered at the end of short branches.

Marvelous New Roses

Although the All-America Rose Selection (AARS) program has been discontinued, as of 2014, there are still many fine new rose introductions each year. Weeks Roses is one of the primary rose breeders today and each year they introduce several fine roses.

Happy Go Luckyâ„¢ is one of the new roses this year from Weeks Roses, and this rose has it all. The big, fragrant, pure yellow blossoms have all the charm of an old-fashioned English rose. Add to that excellent disease resistance and rich green foliage that sets off the 6-inch flowers, and you have one winning rose. This grandiflora will delight you with flowers all season long.

Miss Congenialityâ„¢ is another beautiful grandiflora rose. After 14 years of research, the experts at Weeks got this rose just right! Perfectly shaped buds cover this extremely disease-resistant plant all season. When they open, you’ll be treated to clusters of large, breathtaking blooms with strong pink edging. It is quick to rebloom and has a pleasing fragrance.

Pretty Lady Roseâ„¢ is one of the Downton Abbey® hybrid tea roses. As vibrant as her namesake, this rose has a high petal count that creates big, showy, ruffled blooms with a sweet fragrance. The rich, rose-pink flowers retain their large size even in summer’s heat. This rose is extremely disease-resistant and easy to care for. It is one of a new group of roses called ‘landscape roses’, which are exceptionally long-blooming and carefree.

The fiery redddish-orange, 3 to 4 inch blooms of Smokin’ Hotâ„¢ hybrid tea rose have a white reverse, a smoky purple overlay and a wonderful fragrance that hints of tea and spice. The young foliage emerges burgundy maturing to a deep lustrous green with hints of red burning at the edges. Produced singly on long stems, cut them for the vase any you’ll have an outstanding arrangement.

Tuscan Sun is a tidy floribunda growing 3-4 feet tall. Its clusters of deep apricot buds open into spectacular high-centered bronze blossoms that mature to lovely coppery pink flowers. The strong straight stems are 12”-14” long, and the spice-scented flowers last exceptionally well in the vase. This generous bloomer is a wonderful garden plant with a fine, well-branched habit and highly disease resistant foliage.

Roses need at least 6 hours of sun each day. Select a location that is free from tree roots and has good drainage. New roses should be watered twice a week, making sure the roots don’t dry out. Established roses only need deep watering once a week to moisten the soil 5 inches deep.

Fertilize new roses with a liquid fertilizer beginning when the growth is about six inches long and repeating every two or three weeks. For established plants, once every three months is sufficient, or use according to instructions on the package.

Like all living plants, roses may be attacked by insects and fungus diseases. Neem oil is a both a fungicide and an insecticide, and should be sprayed on susceptible roses every 10 days through wet spring weather. The newer, highly disease-resistant roses should only need spraying if you see a problem developing.

Take good care of your roses and they will reward you with abundant blooms all season long.