Our town, is in an area heavily forested with pine trees, but my two lots and others to the north and south are what would be called a clearing in most forests. The reason, the soil too thin over an impervious underlayer for trees to grow, save one and its the problem in my story.
I have always been an enthusiastic gardener but I shied away from roses. They were more trouble than their worth, pruning, spraying, etc. After moving to Oregon I acquired by purchase a house, two lots and a few scraggly rose bushes. All I knew to do for them was to give them water (not enough though I later learned).
After a long period of neglect they responded so slowly that I said in disgust, "Im going to dig'em up and plant a lawn." Next spring came and they suddenly took off and I found myself a rose grower.
Not many of the original planting remain. I learned by trial and error which would and would not grow (for me, let us say). White and most of the red varieties are best left alone.
I have purchased, planted, dug up and thrown away so many that I am immune to the blandishments of the rose catalogs; A few varieties are the exception. The pink and yellow roses do well.
I do not use a mulch. While the rest of the country is having 100 heat, here the summer fog ghosts through the trees leaving mildew, rust and other ills in its wake.
Last summer I was almost licked. After giving them their weekly spraying with my supposedly all-purpose spray as well as some liquid fertilizer, I viewed the results with a jaundiced eye and on impulse picked up some sulfur, which is not from a certain liquid fertilizer and dusted them. From then on things were better.
All my beds have to be raised for reasons mentioned earlier. We will now go back to that pine tree; because it stands alone it not only grew tall but wide. Being to the south it casts a shadow which blankets my yard from September to March.
Through the years I have learned just where the sunshine will be and for how long. Thats where the roses are planted, seemingly without rhyme or reason. I have about 50 plants and would have room for a few more, if I could persuade my neighbor to prune that pine tree.
That I have achieved a measure of success may be illustrated by this incident which gave me much pleasure. Some out of town friends were trying to find our place for the first time, they asked a man, unknown, where Lobos St. was. The reply, "thats the street the roses are on" and proceeded to direct them.
I read the news of others not so fortunate to enjoy roses and the landscape and consider myself fortunate indeed. As usual, my roses lead the pack. It is my favorite group of plants because they bloom in bursts all summer, ending with a final burst in October.
I root feed only once and then foliar feed as I spray (once a week including a foliar feeding every two weeks). I do not know why I felt impelled to share this unless it gave me an excuse to put on paper the great enjoyment I get in the growing of roses.
I have always been an enthusiastic gardener but I shied away from roses. They were more trouble than their worth, pruning, spraying, etc. After moving to Oregon I acquired by purchase a house, two lots and a few scraggly rose bushes. All I knew to do for them was to give them water (not enough though I later learned).
After a long period of neglect they responded so slowly that I said in disgust, "Im going to dig'em up and plant a lawn." Next spring came and they suddenly took off and I found myself a rose grower.
Not many of the original planting remain. I learned by trial and error which would and would not grow (for me, let us say). White and most of the red varieties are best left alone.
I have purchased, planted, dug up and thrown away so many that I am immune to the blandishments of the rose catalogs; A few varieties are the exception. The pink and yellow roses do well.
I do not use a mulch. While the rest of the country is having 100 heat, here the summer fog ghosts through the trees leaving mildew, rust and other ills in its wake.
Last summer I was almost licked. After giving them their weekly spraying with my supposedly all-purpose spray as well as some liquid fertilizer, I viewed the results with a jaundiced eye and on impulse picked up some sulfur, which is not from a certain liquid fertilizer and dusted them. From then on things were better.
All my beds have to be raised for reasons mentioned earlier. We will now go back to that pine tree; because it stands alone it not only grew tall but wide. Being to the south it casts a shadow which blankets my yard from September to March.
Through the years I have learned just where the sunshine will be and for how long. Thats where the roses are planted, seemingly without rhyme or reason. I have about 50 plants and would have room for a few more, if I could persuade my neighbor to prune that pine tree.
That I have achieved a measure of success may be illustrated by this incident which gave me much pleasure. Some out of town friends were trying to find our place for the first time, they asked a man, unknown, where Lobos St. was. The reply, "thats the street the roses are on" and proceeded to direct them.
I read the news of others not so fortunate to enjoy roses and the landscape and consider myself fortunate indeed. As usual, my roses lead the pack. It is my favorite group of plants because they bloom in bursts all summer, ending with a final burst in October.
I root feed only once and then foliar feed as I spray (once a week including a foliar feeding every two weeks). I do not know why I felt impelled to share this unless it gave me an excuse to put on paper the great enjoyment I get in the growing of roses.
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