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June 16-25
- THE ROSES ARE IN BLOOM. They are very early due to the heavy snow cover this winter, abundant ground moisture this spring and a good deal of sunshine. They will continue to bloom though October. There are over 125 varieties of roses here so the bloom times are staggered - there will always be color throughout the summer. Come visit!
JUNE 7-13 The roses are budded and are beginning to show color. This is very early for the first rose bloom, mostly due to good winter survivorship and good Spring soil moisture. MAY 21 - Now is the time to begin moving tender potted plants and annuals outside for planting and display. Danger of frost is past after the last full moon in May. Before planting annuals, prep your soil by first taking a ph test. These tests are inexpensive and are very useful for the gardener. When the ph levels drop, nitrogen and other nutrients are locked up in the soil. New England soil is rather on the acidic side, so if necessary, apply a dolomitic limestone in order to decrease acidity.
Mid to late APRIL -We are now PLANTING NEW ROSES. Bare-root roses are perhaps the best form to plant, as there is no soil introduced that will contaminate the beds. Begin by soaking the rose bush overnight in a bucket of water. Dig a wide hole, prepped with a few tablespoons of bone meal and plant, covering the graft union by an inch. Water thoroughly. PRUNING ROSES - In the Fall, we leave the canes and the rose hips to harden off and to also supply the plant with a source of water as the temps drop. We simply tie the canes together so the wind does not damage them. To begin pruning, look for a bud or bud scar where the cane is green and make a cut approx. 1/4" to 1/2" above it. Remove crossing canes and canes thinner than a pencil, unless the bush has only produced canes that small, then leave them all. Every bush, depending on its growing habit may require different degree of pruning. Bush roses and antique roses have more and thinner canes than hybrid teas. Clean up all leaves and other debris from the beds and water if the soil begins to dry.
EARLY APRIL. We have removed the salt marsh hay on all the perennial and rose beds. As soon as the crocus begin to open, this is a sign that the soil in warming up enough to safely remove hay or other insulation from the beds. You may find ice under the hay, so just remove what comes off easily and wait a few days and remove the remainder. You may now begin to remove the soil from the rose beds, being careful to cover up any white buds that get exposed.
Late season snow has been called 'poor farmers' fertilizer', this is because as snow falls, it picks up trace nutrients in the air. When the snow melts, these nutrients are left in the soil.
Please contact us if we can help you with any Gardening questions and will post the the answers on this page!
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