Tag Archives: roses

Winter Rose Protection

Each winter in our area is different.  What works for winter protection one year may not work the next. Winter protection begins with proper selection, proper planting and healthy bushes.  A weak bush will not have the proper reserves to take it through our cold winters. Roses are woody perennials.  They need to go dormant in our climate.  Don’tContinue reading “Winter Rose Protection”

October Rose Doctor

October Checklist for the Rose Garden. With the sunlight bringing shorter days it’s time to start thinking about our winter protection of our rose gardens. You should have stopped your fertilizing by now but is a good time to adjust your soil. I just had my soil tested and found that my PH was 7.2Continue reading “October Rose Doctor”

Thrips in the Rose Garden

When we talk about “thrip damage” in southeast Wisconsin, most individuals are referring to the brown discoloration seen on lighter colored rose petals.  Move the petals around and you may also see tiny insects darting among the petals. Most likely, you are seeing the adult Western Flower Thrip, a member of the order Thysanoptera, that containsContinue reading “Thrips in the Rose Garden”

Japanese Beetles

by Diane Sommers, Master Rosarian No series on rose bugs would be complete without a discussion on Japanese Beetles. Japanese beetles have been a significant problem in our rose gardens for years. I first saw these pests while on an Indiana garden tour during an ARS National Convention. I was so glad they were notContinue reading “Japanese Beetles”

Selecting Roses for Your Garden

By Diane Sommers, Master Rosarian At a recent morning Pilates class, soothing music was playing and our instructor suggested we think of spring flowers popping out of the earth.  We were experiencing one of the warmest winters in history, with February temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s.  Almost as an afterthought, perhaps knowing I was the roseContinue reading “Selecting Roses for Your Garden”

Exhibit Like A Winner!

by Lynda H. Fleming This is the third article about the fun and benefits of exhibiting your roses.  Below you will find some easy tips and examples that will enable any of you to “Exhibit Like A Winner”!   Disclaimers: I am not a Judge.  The opinions are mine, based on more than 25 years of exhibiting.  Winning Some!  Losing Many!!  HavingContinue reading “Exhibit Like A Winner!”