Every year in the early spring we head out to the back rose garden at the nursery to see how the plants have wintered over. This last winter was pretty warm by most standards, and they are now just starting to leaf out and form new buds. We planted most of these bushes from leftovers that we had the first fall we owned the nursery, October of 2000. We have added a few 
over the years and most of the bushes are getting pretty well developed by this point. Last year we did a major "hacking" on a few of them that had been neglected the year before. We used our annual rose pruning class in the spring to show everyone that you could really do some drastic cutting and everything would not only be just fine, but that they would thrive the following year. While I do advocate that you tend to your garden properly every year, you and I both know that some years it just kinda gets away from you. This is one of the things I so enjoy about gardening. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how thick the weeds are, no matter how much clean-up and pruning is to be done...after a few hours it all seems to fall into place.
over the years and most of the bushes are getting pretty well developed by this point. Last year we did a major "hacking" on a few of them that had been neglected the year before. We used our annual rose pruning class in the spring to show everyone that you could really do some drastic cutting and everything would not only be just fine, but that they would thrive the following year. While I do advocate that you tend to your garden properly every year, you and I both know that some years it just kinda gets away from you. This is one of the things I so enjoy about gardening. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how thick the weeds are, no matter how much clean-up and pruning is to be done...after a few hours it all seems to fall into place.This year we have a few rose pruning classes scheduled. The first is coming up on Saturday, April 5th, and then again the following Saturday, April 12th, and Sunday, April 13th. Times and more information can be found on our main website. What I hope you will enjoy about the classes is the relaxed nature of the presentation. We will go over the basics of rose care, but the majority of the time is spent "down & dirty" where you can get a hands-on experience pruning on our plants with us. If there is enough interest we will also set a class for during the week for the parents of school age children. Just let us know.
Roses are one of the easiest and most reliable flowering bushes that you can grow in our area. With minimal maintenance you will enjoy years and years of beauty in your garden, and with all the organic methods available to you, it is much easier to have a no-fuss mentality regarding their care. We have over 1400 of the most beautiful plants coming in the later part of next month. Grown specifically for us by Jackson & Perkins and Weeks, you are sure to enjoy wandering through the Rose Garden once they all come in. Relax, stop, and yes....take time to smell the roses. Till next time, Susan.