The reasons for requiring to transplant roses are numerous. It could be because you favor to allow it greater sunlight or it could be that you are simply switching things around a bit in your garden. But, whatever the cause, there are various matters that you will need to recognise before you begin plucking your plant out of the ground.

First things first; organize the ground where you are preparing to set your roses. The last thing you want to do is to let the root ball to be exposed to the hot sunshine or release any of its moisture. If your plant must travel by vehicle to get to its new location, make sure that you cover the roots with a moist piece of burlap.

A great tip to remember is to water your plant well the day before you plan to move it. Water is the secret of a victorious transplant. The chances of transplanting a dry, wilting plant successfully are low.

When purchasing roses you have an option of buying a potted rose or a bareroot rose. So which one is right for you? Here we will discuss bareroot roses and why this may be the best choice for your garden.

When you go shopping for a bareroot rose you will likely find it to be less impressive to look at. It typically comes bagged or boxed and when you look at it, it will appear pretty plain. You will likely see some roots and stems and some sort of moisture retaining material around the roots to keep them moist.

This appearance is nothing to be concerned about. The bareroot rose is a dormant plant so it is not likely to resemble the beautiful roses you may have been envisioning.

Buying a dormant rose has it’s advantages. The roots typically have not been tightly clustered together so they are likely to be in better condition than the roots of a potted rose. This means they will likely be ready to go directly into the ground.

Dog days are here the days when the heat closes in, when dogs and gardeners are supposed to be especially likely to go mad.

And reasons aplenty! Conditions are as near perfect as at any time during the year for the spreading of fungus diseases. Black spot, mildew, rust, brown patch, dollar spot and the various and sundry wilts all propagate and spread like a prairie fire unless the gardener is alert to their presence and acts quickly to combat them. Fortunately this danger period is relatively short. Many fungicides are readily available, easy and economical to use, Captan is favored by many gardeners Certain sucking insects, prey on shrubs at this time, namely spider mites (red spiders) and lace wing bugs. Both of these can be controlled by spraying with malathion.

Annuals and Perennials

Every gardener knows that keeping old faded blooms removed will stimulate more bloom. With petunias, alyssum, verbenas and snapdragons a severe pinching back will result in a very rewarding, new crop of flowers for the late garden. Short day annuals like zinnias, tithonias and marigolds can be planted from seed now to give satisfactory returns as late summer flowers.

Planting Process

In preparing the soil for the flats to grow carnations, use two parts fresh garden soil to each one part of coarse sand and one part humus or compost. Carnations are one of the few plants which should not be potted firmly. The soil should be shaken down, but not pressed. A good method of scattering the small seeds is to use a salt shaker; then after the seeds are in place, a kitchen sifter may be used to shake just enough soil to hide the seeds. This soil should be pressed lightly. Then the pots or flats may be placed in a container of warm water for several minutes, just enough to soak the soil well, but not to run over the edge of the flat.

Plastic bags make good coverings for the flats. This provides warmth as well as proper humidity for the seedlings. If the bags do not contain holes for ventilation, punch several openings before covering the flats.

Do you remember the slogan of a popular soft drink… “The pause that refreshes.” Well, here it is - May - the season between the seasons. Weve got the first early rush of planting work done, now trying to catch our breath, and get started on the next round. Maybe some of you feel that you are entitled to a little pause between rounds.

I planned for my rest several years ago. Our cultivated strips of ground are about 20 feet wide and 100 feet long, with grass paths between. When we first moved here, it looked awfully bleak around the end of the rows, and I visualized how hot it would be when one reached the north end of the garden.

My solution was to plant a pin oak. It is now large enough to furnish shade. With a comfortable yard chair it is ideal to sit in the tree’s shade and muse over the gardening problems. Maybe I should have planted two such trees far enough apart to swing a hammock between them.

If you love plants, consider greenhouse gardening. By using a greenhouse, you can choose some of the most beautiful plants available to home gardeners. You may think that you do not have enough space for a greenhouse, but actually, you only need a small space that you can adapt for greenhouse gardening. If you are a successful backyard gardener, you can use these skills to successfully grow plants in a greenhouse. By using a greenhouse, you can control the temperature for special plants and projects. A greenhouse can be used to grow many different types of plants depending on your desires.

Greenhouses are used for many projects, including growing plants and flowers during the wintertime, when they would die or stop blooming outdoors. The winter season is typically rather dreary and colorless, so use your greenhouse flowers to brighten up everyone’s mood. Grow pink roses or beautiful purple orchids during the winter months. You can also set your plants in a greenhouse to protect them from the weather, so that you can use them in your garden again the next year. That way, you’ll have a great start for a beautiful garden in the spring.

This spring many ardent gladiolus fans will be turning increasingly to the exotic hybrid double-flowering varieties. These unusual glads bring fresh sparkle, distinctive quality, and an extra late-summer beauty to their gardens.

When these new flowers were placed before the public, they reacted cautiously, inquired solicitously, and purchased confidently from the varieties then available. As the summer progressed, interesting reports began to come in from across the country. Never before such tremendous results with gladiolus, my friends dont really believe they’re glads,” what are the newest varieties?”

Requests for corms have come from as far away as India and Australia. Hobby-gardeners found the bulbs suitable for all sorts of soil and climatic conditions. With proper mulching and watering they stood up well even during long dry spells. With the usual dusting procedure and precautions against thrips and fusarium disease they remained healthy and strong.

Some novice glad fans, probably not thoroughly aware of the race of gladiolus they were growing, mistook seedling bloom to be freaks.” Arrangements using double glads found their way into flower shows. The unique floret form and appealing beauty drew attention from judges and the public.

What does the home gardener in the North do during March? Very little can be done outdoors other than to uncover the beds where the spring flowering bulbs are growing. that is, remove the protective winter mulches. Usually, this can and must be done by the middle of March, unless spring is very late.

Tulips, narcissus and the other bulbs often start sprouting early and they become badly crippled as they grow, twist and turn their way through the layer of leaves, hay or straw that was placed over them for winter protection. Many gardeners do not realize that they are starting to grow, also they are concerned about freezing temperatures and their effect upon exposed, sprouting bulbs.

Bulbs that sprout in spring are not injured by low temperatures but they will be damaged if they are not uncovered. Bulbs located in sun-trap positions such as the south and east sides of buildings, walls, fences, hedges or other protected places start growing much earlier than those in other places. Consequently, the gardener should be alert to this fact and be sure that they are not hindered in their growth. just a week’s delay in uncovering could be disastrous. Bulbous plants do not recover completely after they have grown weak, wan and distorted under leaves or hay.

Try to keep a list of garden jobs on a card to do during March, and hang it where you don’t lose it so you’ll be sure to get the jobs done when time and weather permits in the East.

The bed south of our sun porch is a problem; it is in the heavy shade of a shellbark hickory, also shaded by a huge honeysuckle. It is not only shaded, but it’s dry. I find that even with watering it is rather hard to keep primroses alive in this spot so I am going to use it as a place to try out some of the named varieties of lily turf that I got last fall. I have ‘Majestic,’ ‘Lilac Beauty,’ ‘Monroi White,’ and Silver Ribbon. These are all varieties of liriope. They can take shade, rather dry growing conditions, and also the birds. The planting is just under the hanging bird feeder and the birds, especially sparrows, going after the food they throw out, are rough on tender plants like primroses.

Lighting

Indoor house plants prefer an environment where they can get sunlight in a doorway, archway or other location. Direct sunshine for a portion of the day will happily tolerated by plants as long as it is not direct sunlight for long periods of time. Morning or filtered sunshine is ideal and bright light coming through colored or frosted glass panes makes a pretty background for a group of potted palms and can be highly beneficial to their growth. Such glass as this however, can transmit heat and this makes the plant need more frequent watering and attention to humidity needs to be added if needed. Solar films can be applied to windows to reduce heat and glare can be very important to house plants.

Humidity Needs

An indoor environment generally has low humidity and will fluctuate with considerable changes in the outdoor environment, heating and cooling. Plants do not tend to do well with low humidity though there is a wide range of responses within any given group of plants. Some species will not be tolerable of low and varying humidity and will lose their luster and seem dull and can become the victim of a pest attack such as by spider mites or mealy bugs.