Garden Gate
THE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO HOME GARDENDING AND DESIGN® GARDENGATEMAGAZINE.COM
THE MODERN RE-DESIGN ISSUE
what’s inside 04
Ten Clay-Loving Plants
10
Growing Orchids
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What’s New
20
Rose-Pruning
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TOP TEN CLAY-LOVING PLANTS C
lay. The soil that can strike dread into the hearts of gardeners everywhere. Most will tell you they prefer any type of soil, even sand, to clay. Why? It takes the most work to change clay into something that you can grow plants in. But if you have clay, why go to the trouble of trying to change it? Grow plants that thrive in clay soil — you’ll have a beautiful garden and keep a healthy back! Often you can adjust the soil for a smaller plant like a perennial or a bulb if you have to. But what about large trees and shrubs? You can’t possibly mix enough organic matter into an area that will accommodate the root system of a shade tree. And you can’t build a raised bed big enough to hold it. In this case it’s definitely better to fit the plant to the soil rather than change the soil. In fact, when you dig a hole to plant in clay, it’s not a good idea to amend the soil with compost or peat in just that spot. You’ll need to do the entire area.Why? When the roots reach the clay wall, they’ll turn back. And roots need to push out into the surrounding soil to brace the plant upright and to gather nutrients to keep the plant healthy and
growing. How do you know if you have clay? The easiest way is to pick up a handful of your soil when it’s moist, but not too wet. Squeeze it in your hand as hard as you can. After you release your grip, gently tap the ball of soil with your fingers. Does it break apart easily? Or does it stay in a firm ball? If it stays in a ball, you have clay. But there are different kinds of clay. Rub some between your thumb and fingers. If it feels gritty, there is some sand in it. Try to form a ribbon of soil as you rub. If it falls apart before it’s an inch or two long, you have a fair amount of organic matter in it. Both of those types of clay will allow some plant roots to penetrate. But if your soil forms a 3-inch ribbon, you have sticky clay that will be hard for most plants to push their roots through. All the plants I’ve listed here will tolerate any clay. Of course the better the drainage, the better they’ll grow. And sure, perennials and bulbs will benefit if you work organic matter in to the entire bed to help the soil hold more oxygen and drain better. But save your back and see how beautifully these 10 plants will grow in the soil you already have.
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Quamash
Camassia leichtlinii
This North American native typically grows in the moist meadows of the Cascade and Sierra mountain ranges. Plant the bulbs in fall in groups of 15 or more to get the best visual effect. Set them 6 inches deep (to the bottom of the bulb) and 6 to 8 inches apart. Once they’re established, don’t disturb the bulbs. Clumps will expand slowly over time. You can start quamash from seeds, but it’ll be three or four years before you get any blooms. The star-shaped flowers open along the stem from the bottom up. Each stem is sturdy, and rarely will fall over on a wet or windy day. Flower colors range from clear or creamy white to blue and purple.
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Martagon Lily
Lilium martagon Martagon lilies also bloom just fine in shade. Individual flowers are about 2 inches in diameter, but the tall spires can have 50 buds on one stem, taking several weeks to bloom from bottom to top. Colors range from crisp white to range to an almost-black burgundyred. Some of them have a spicy fragrance. You can plant potted plants anytime; bulbs are best planted in the fall. These slowgrowing plants can live in the same spot for years, eventually forming large clumps. If you do have to move or divide them, they may not come up the first year, especially if you divide in the spring. Be patient and they’ll be back.
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Joe-Pye weed
Eupatorium purpureum maculatum If you’re looking for a focal point or a background plant for your late-season garden, look no further. Joe-Pye weed is an excellent choice. First, the foliage is large and striking — sometimes leaves grow 12 inches long. The stiff, sturdy stems, which rarely need staking, hold 12- to 18-inch-diameter domes of pink to mauve flowers in late summer. After the flowers fade, this stately plant still has one more feature to offer — attractive, fuzzy seedheads that last well into winter. I don’t cut mine down to the ground until spring cleanup time. ‘Gateway’ in the photo is one of the most easy-to find cultivars.
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Swordleaf inula
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Inula ensifolia The mounds of small swordlike leaves are almost covered with 1-inch-diameter goldenyellow flowers in midsummer. Swordleaf inula is easy to start indoors from seed. Barely cover them with potting mix. Keep them moist with the temperature at 65 to 70 degrees, and they will sprout in about 3 weeks. Move the seedlings to your garden after the danger of frost has passed. Since it is a low grower, use swordleaf inula as a border for taller perennials and shrubs. Don’t let plants stay wet, especially in the winter, or they will rot. Set the crown on a mound at least an inch or two higher than the rest of your garden.
Bugleweed
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Ajuga reptans This fast-growing evergreen creeper makes a wonderful ground cover or edging plant. It spreads by stolons, but not so fast that it gets out of hand, especially in clay soil. Colors range from white-flowered ‘Alba’ to ‘Pink Elf’, but are most often beautiful shades of blue, like small-leafed ‘Chocolate Chip’ in the photo above. Flowers aren’t the only colorful feature of bugleweed. ‘Catlin’s Giant’ has large bronze leaves. You’ll have small, variegated gray-green-and-cream leaves with ‘Vanilla Chip’. ‘Multicolor’ grows darkbronze leaves marked with pink and cream. Many of the species have rich dark-green foliage.
Obedient plant
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Physostegia virginiana Obedient plant can spread much too quickly and will get away from you in a hurry in enriched garden soil. However, clay will slow it down. Fertile soil grows lush foliage and floppy stems. If your obedient plant grows too tall, even in clay, cut it back in early spring to promote shorter and stockier stems. White ‘Miss Manners’ stays in a clump no matter where you plant it. Spreading white cultivars are ‘Alba’ and ‘Summer Snow’. If you prefer the rich color in the photo, plant brightpurplepink ‘Vivid’. ‘Variegata’ has pink flowers and gray-green leaves edged with white.
Flowering quince
Chaenomeles japonica As the weather warms in spring, flowering quince begins to bloom. You’ll find bright-redorange, soft pastel pinks and whiteflowered cultivars tochoose from. Some even have double flowers. Plant a flowering quince or two in a perennial border. The flowers will be gone before most perennials bloom, so they won’t compete. And the flowering quince foliage will make a good background and wind protection. But this shrub is more than just an ornamental. Because of its twisting branches, flowering quince grows into an almost impenetrable hedge. It blooms on old wood, so prune it right after the flowers fade.
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Slender deutzia
Deutzia crenata nakiana The graceful and arching branches of deutzia are covered with clusters of white flowers for 10 to 14 days each spring. Later, the summer foliage is a clean medium green. ‘Nikko’, in the photo above, grows 2 feet tall and makes a good edging plant or ground cover. Plus, it has foliage that turns red-purple in autumn. Plant several of them where they can grow together into a dense 2-foottall mass for a spectacular spring show. Space the plants about 2 feet apart to get the best effect. If ‘Nikko’ deutzia is marginally cold-hardy in your zone, plant it among taller shrubs or against a structure for a bit of extra winter protection.
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White ash
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Fraxinus americana More than just a fastgrowing tree (1 to 2 feet per year), white ash has a lot of other things going for it: Flexible and strong wood that won’t break easily in a storm; thin leaves that break down quickly if you don’t get them raked, and finally, leaves that drop early to let lots of autumn sunlight into your windows. But I think the fall color, like Autumn Purple™ in the photo above, is enough to recommend this tree. Other colorful cultivars are ‘Rosehill’, ‘Autumn Blaze’ and Windy City™.All four of these white ashes are male trees, so you don’t have to worry about seeds. That means that later there won’t be white ash trees sprouting everywhere.
Flowering currant
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Ribes sanguineum April or May, depending where you live, brings clusters of flowers hanging from the branches of this shade-loving shrub. The leaves have not yet fully expanded, so the flowers stand out clearly on this loose, informal-looking shrub. ‘King Edward VII’ in the photo above is the darkest red of the group. Other cultivars are pink ‘Claremont’ and crisp White Icicle (‘Ubric’). All three of these flowering currants produce edible fruit. They’re colorful but not very tasty. By July they change from green to bright red before finally turning blue-black. They’ll hang on the branches until you pick them or they’re carried away by hungry birds.
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GROWING ORCHIDS BY PAUL A. THOMAS, EXTENSION HORTICULTURIST-FLORICULTURE
O
rchids belong to the most diverse family of plants known to man. There are over 880 genera, 28,000 species and well over 300,000 registered cultivars currently documented. These numbers only begin to tell the true story behind the evolutionary success of modern day orchids. Orchids are the most rapidly (genetically) changing group of plants on earth and more new species have been discovered over the last few thousand years than any other plant group known. Orchids are also one of the most adaptable plant groups on earth. Some Australian orchids grow entirely underground, and many tropical jungle orchids grow in the upper branches of trees. Tundra, rainforest, mountain, grassy plain, desert and swamp environments contain numerous orchid species. Orchids produce seed pods with literally hundreds of thousands of seed that are released and scattered by the wind. Orchid seeds must establish a symbiotic relationship with a special fungus to survive its first year of life. The fungi gathers water and minerals for itself and the seedling, and the seedling shares its sugars from photosynthesis with the fungus. Only one or two orchid seeds will ever germinate and survive on that perfect crevice or depression that is both moist and has the fungus present. Even then, its chances to survive in the wild long enough to bloom are slim. To avoid this problem, greenhouse growers sow orchid seeds on moist, sugar-rich, sterile agar, or they cut out growing clumps of orchid cells and place them on the agar. These techniques allow many hundreds of orchid plants to survive to maturity. New and improved hybrids can be mass produced rapidly. This is important as orchids are very slow growing. Many orchids take five to seven years to mature to flowering. You can see why breeding three or four orchid generations could span a person’s lifetime just to get one new hybrid propagated sufficiently for sale.
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GROWING ORCHIDS
Classification
Orchid Cultural Requirements
All orchids belong to the Orchid Family, Orchidaceae (or-Kid-ACE-ee-ee). Orchids are divided into two basic growth types: monopodial and sympodial. Monopodial orchids have a central stem which grows continuously from the tip. Flowers are produced from the stem between the leaves, usually alternately from side to side. Phalaenopsis orchids are a good example. Sympodial orchids, such as cattleyas, laelias and paphiopedilums, possess a rhizome which sends out a shoot. This develops into a stem and leaves and eventually produces flowers. In time, from the base of this growth, a new shoot develops and so on in a continuous cycle. The buds are often, though not always, protected by a sheath. The mid section of stems of sympodial orchids are often expanded into water-storage organs called pseudobulbs. These vary greatly in size and shape, ranging from tall and pencil-thin to bulbous and onion-like. The leaves vary too, some being soft and folded like a fan, others thick and leathery. The roots of epiphytic orchids have an outer layer or corky cells called velamen, which protects the thin, living cortex within. These adaptations allow orchids to absorb water and nutrients rapidly from raindrops, but protect roots, stems and leaves from water loss during dry periods. Most orchids are adapted to conserve water and should be cared for as such.
Growing Medium
There are many different types of orchid potting medium used in orchid culture. The overall consideration is to provide structural support for the orchid roots, but also to provide lots of air spaces between medium particles. Many orchid plants are grown in osmunda fiber. This fiber comes from the roots of the Osmunda fern that is native to Australia and the Pacific. The tough, wiry fibers break down very slowly and is an ideal potting medium, then the plant is set in the pot with its roots spread out. The growing tip either centered (monopodials) or placed two fingers from the pot rim (sympodial). Then additional media is packed tightly around the plant to hold it in place. You should be able to turn the pot upside down without the orchid or medium falling out. Practice will insure successful repotting. When the plant outgrows the pot by extending the new shoots over the edge, usually about every two years, it is time to repot.
Light
The ideal place in the home for growing orchids is a bright window, free from drafts, where your plants receive indirect sunlight both morning and afternoon. (A south window is best.) In winter, give orchids all the light possible. Light intensity should be between 1500 and 2000 foot candles the equivalent to a bright south-facing window. With extra large windows or especially intense sunlight, the light may be adjusted downward by moving plants 18 to 36 inches from the window. Plants in the home require a greater light intensity because they receive light from only one direction, while in a greenhouse they receive light from many sides. Many orchids can be grown in a greenhouse or outdoors. All will require partial shade. Therefore, it is best to shade the section of the greenhouse you intend using or else grow them in an area that you have already shaded for foliage plants or African violets. Dendrobium Oncidium and Vanda will grow best in 20-30% of normal outdoor light, whereas Phalaenopsis-type orchids require only 10- 15 % of normal light.
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Artificial Light
If you have neither a greenhouse nor the proper windowsill conditions, fluorescent lighting provides good results. You can grow and flower many types of orchids in the darkest basement or shadiest apartment with the addition of just one shop light. Most orchid hobbyists find having at least four 36� or 48� fluorescent tubes provides excellent light levels. Each group of orchids (primarily those with low to medium light requirements) will need a minimum of two forty-watt fluorescent light tubes hung six inches above the plants.
Humidity
Potted orchid plants may be set on decorative pebbles in a water-filled tray, saucer, or other container. Evaporation of water from pebbles provides humidity. Pebbles also make the growing area more attractive, while assuring good drainage. Mist your plants with distilled water because tap water can lead to salt deposits on the leaves. A plant which is kept soaking wet invites attack by bacteria and fungal diseases. If you are able to enclose an area like a greenhouse, you will find it easier to maintain a proper humidity.
Keep lights on for a minimum of 12 hours per day in order to provide the minimal amount of light necessary for proper growth and flowering. If you are able to place your fluorescent light setup near a sunny window, your orchid flowering chances will increase. The best type of fluorescent tubes seem to be those designed specifically for plants.
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GROWING ORCHIDS
Temperature
Orchids are not as delicate and temperature sensitive plants as most people think. Most will adapt readily to conditions offered by any home or greenhouse. For growing purposes, we group orchids into three temperature classes: The medium temperature class is represented by many Cattleyas, Epidendrums, Oncidiums, and Laelias, and most other commercially available orchids. The ideal minimum temperature is 60 degrees F nights and high 70s during the days. An occasional deviation will have no harmful effect. This group will do very well with the air, temperature, and light facilities found in the average home. The cool class includes Cymbidiums, Cypripediums, Odontoglossums and Miltonias, and should be grown 5 degrees to 10 degrees F cooler than the medium class. These plants also require high light, so imagine cool, sunny October mornings as an example of the light and temperature that this class needs. Warm class orchids are represented by Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilums, Vandas, Rhynchostylus and Dendrohiums. These plants should be grown 5 degrees F warmer than those in the Medium Class. They do well in high humidity and can be grown outdoors in Georgia from late spring to early fall if shaded and protected from rain. Never expose orchids of this class to less than 45ยบ F. During cold, freezing night temperatures, all orchid plants should be moved away from the window to provide a protective airspace against freezing. Air temperature can be 15 to 20 degrees F cooler near the windows than the room temperature.
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Watering
Watering is the most important factor in orchid culture. A good rule of thumb is to water whenever the medium (osmunda fiber or bark mix) is dry. If you grow the plants in pots suspended in the air, they will dry out more rapidly than bench grown plants and will need watering more frequently. Orchids potted in bark require more frequent waterings than those in most other potting media, just as plants in clay pots require more frequent watering than those in plastic pots. Orchids may be grouped into three categories according to their moisture requirements.
Low Water Use. Cattleyas, Laeliocattleyas, Brassolaeliocattleyas, Oncidiums, Miltonias, and Odontoglossums are ephiphytes or “air rooted” orchids, with built-in “water tanks” or pseudobulbs. They should be allowed to dry out slightly between waterings so air can circulate between the epiphytic roots. Water every five days or so. In the heat of mid-summer, water may be needed every three or four days. During the short, cool days of winter, increase the time between waterings to 10 to 14 days. If you do err in watering, make sure it is on the dry side. Moderate Water Use. Phalaenopsis, while also epiphytic are monopodial and do not have built-in tanks for water storage, but store some water in their leaves. They require watering similiar to ordinary house plants, but more frequent waterings than orchids with pseudobulbs. Water enough to keep the potting medium from becoming dry for more than a day or two. High Water Use. Paphiopedilums and Haemeria orchids are semi-terrestrials or terrestrials (meaning “earth-rooted”). Unlike the preceding groups, they do not mind “wet feet.” They like an abundance of moisture and the soil can remain damp for many days without any negative effects. Many terrestrial orchids are potted in peat based media which will naturally hold more water than the bark mixes. Outdoor Conditions. Cymhidiums and many other orchids, such as cattleyas, can be grown outdoors during frost-free months in Georgia. They also like an abundance of moisture - but with good drainage and plentiful root aeration. However, do not plant tropical/ greenhouse orchids outdoors in your garden soil. The soils are too dense to allow the roots to survive.
Fertilization
For best results, fertilize orchids with soluble plant food. When fertilizing plants growing in osmunda, bark or peat/bark mixes, use a complete liquid fertilizer with a 20-20-20 analysis, or a 30-10-10 orchid-special fertilizer. Don’t fertilize more than once a month. Apply the fertilizer in place of a normal water application. It is always best to use fertilizer at 1/2 the recommended rate. Orchids are adapted to environments where nutritional levels of the soil or bark are very low. More orchids are killed because of over-fertilization and over-watering than by any other cause.
Ventilation
In greenhouses, a small fan should be run continuously to circulate the air. A window left ajar in all but the coldest of weather may also be adequate to provide proper ventilation indoors. Airconditioning may harm orchids because the air is much too cold coming out of the unit. Keep orchid plants out of cold drafts and away from heating vents.
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Orchid Pests & Diseases
Orchids have few insect pests or diseases if properly cared for. It is important to have a problem identified before attempting control. Take a sample to your county Extension agent and follow recommended treatments suggested. Many disease prevention tips are provided in an orchid disease guide published by the American Orchid Society. Wiping leaves with a warm, soapy, wet cloth is sufficient to eradicate insects like mealy bugs if you have but a few plants in the house. Be careful because many insecticides can damage your orchids. Read the label to see if the pesticide can be safely used on orchids specifically. If you have questions, ask your county Extension agent.
GROWING ORCHIDS
Orchids for Hobby Growers
One of the most frequently asked Questions from the hobby grower is, “What type or variety of orchid should I grow?” Usually when you mention the word “orchid” most people immediately think of the purpleflowered Cattleyas, and rightly so as they have long been the most popular in the trade. However, the genus Cattleya contains a mere 50 species of the 28,000 known. Many, many other orchids do wonderfully in the home. Hobby growers should try growing hybrids of Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum, Dendrobium, Oncidium, Vanda and Epidendrum. Phalaenopsis orchids are excellent for beginners. They may produce up to 15 or more flowers per spike. The flowers measure up to four inches across. Flowers may remain open for six weeks or longer. Frequently when a spike is cut, a secondary spike will develop on the old stalk below the original flower head, thus extending the blooming season. Phalaenopsis plants are very easy to grow. Dendrobium hybrids are some of the better corsage type orchids. Lavender or white flowers are borne in profusion on a well-grown plant and are long lasting. They are a prolific group in that offset plantlets are frequently produced on the cane. When each offiet has produced several aerial roots, it can be cut from the parent plant and will frequently flower after one year of growth.
Vandas are becoming popular among orchid growers. The wide range of colors which includes some fairly good blues and browns and long lived flowers has added greatly to their popularity. Vandas may grow to be very large plants, sometimes 10 to 12 feet high, but they grow very slowly. A plant two feet tall may be seven or eight years old. Vandas are often grown outdoors in hanging baskets during the summer months. A tough group of orchids is the Epidendrums. Epidendrum hybrids are becoming popular plants. These are undoubtedly one of the easiest orchids to grow and one of the most prolific groups. The tall, thin, reed-like growths constantly put forth new plantlets. It is relatively simple to take tip cuttings having a few aerial roots. Although the flowers are small, about one inch in size, they are produced in great profusion. Paphiopedilums are one of the best orchid groups to grow under artificial lighting. There are many spectacular hybrids available, and quite a number of species. They are not fragrant, but have very interesting and colorful “lady slipper” shaped flowers. Due to import regulations and conservation considerations, we recommend you grow only orchid hybrids so as not to promote the collecting of species from the wild.
Oncidiums, commonly, referred to as dancing girls, are also easy to grow. These dainty yellow and brown or white and brown flowers are suitable if used alone or in combination with other orchids. Large flowered Oncidium sdhacelatum - with their yellow and brown color combination can be made into a corsage. These hardy plants flower well even under adverse growing conditions.
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What’s New
Container Gardening
This new book by Paul Williams could change your perspective on containers. A quick flip through the pages shows you plants and plant combinations you may never have thought of. For example, what do you think about ‘Plum Pudding’ coral bells with cape daisies? Or burgundy flowering maple, licorice plant and white petunias? You’ll find these, long with many other combinations, in the pages of Container Gardening. The practical details aren’t neglected, either. There’s a plant directory with brief care instructions and how-tos on designing combinations, choosing containers and growing plants in pots. Container Gardening by Paul Williams is published by Dorling Kindersley and is available at your local or online bookstore. You can also buy it online at www.GardenGateStore.com. Retail price is $25.
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Floating rain gauge
Simple but elegant, this copper rain gauge ages to a classy looking patina, but that’s not all it has going for it. It holds a cobalt-blue, plastic measuring tube calibrated in ¼-inch increments with easy-toread bright-white numbers. The cobalt tube hides inside the copper until raindrops start falling. Then it slowly floats up as the rain accumulates. A decorative iron stake wraps around the copper tube to hold it off the ground and is coated so it won’t rust. Buy the floating rain gauge from T.M. Hoff Handmade at 845-255-0197 or check out www.GardenGateStore.com Suggested retail is $37.
‘Fragrant Angel’ Coneflower
‘Fragrant Angel‘coneflower Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are known for hardiness and long bloom time. Now you can add fragrance to the list. ‘Fragrant Angel’ coneflower has a sweet fragrance and large, 5-inch white flowers. Plants are a sturdy 20 inches tall by 24 inches wide. It needs full sun in moist, well-drained soil. It’s cold-hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9; its heat tolerance is not yet rated. Get ‘Fragrant Angel’ from Busse Gardens at www.bussegardens.com or call 800-544-3192.
did you know? Deer-resistant plants Although deer will eat anything when food is in short supply, knowing what they usually pass by can help keep your garden looking good. Now there’s a list that rates more than 500 common garden plants on how attractive they are to deer. Using input from nursery and landscape profes-sionals, Master Gardeners and the extension staff, Rutgers University Extension has developed a list you can check out online at www.rce.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/ default.asp.
Natural alternatives to deet
Firefly™ solar light
Add a distinctive look to your garden with this new solar light. It has a crackle glass globe that makes an interesting pattern of light on anything nearby. The height is adjustable from just over 5 feet tall to 42 inches. Since the Firefly is solar, it doesn’t need any wiring and is easy to move. A sunny day keeps your Firefly glowing for 8 hours. Get Firefly from Rittenhouse at www. rittenhouse.ca or call 877488-1914. Or visit www.GardenGateStore.com. Suggested retail price is $36.99 each.
Currently, deet is the most effective mosquito and tick repellent. However, there may be some natural alternatives available in the future. Studies at National Taiwan University have shown that cinnamon oil may be an effective pesticide for use against mosquito larvae. Testing for use as a repellent is coming soon. In another study, scientists at North Carolina State University are working on an insect repellent that taps into the natural compound tomatoes use to keep insects at bay.
Wheelbarrow recall Ames® True Temper® has recalled a wheelbarrow that was sold under a variety of names between 1993 and 2000. In some circumstances, the wheel assembly has been known to cause injury by shattering while being inflated. Check for a wheel 14 inches in diameter with a black plastic rim divided into 16 pie-shaped wedges. For more details, go to www.ames.com. To get your free replacement wheel, call 866-239-2281.
Join the beetle brigade The viburnum leaf beetle has been munching its way through viburnums in Canada and the Eastern United States for years. Adults and larvae feast on the leaves of this hardy shrub —sometimes even defoliating an entire plant. Help keep an eye on this pest’s migration by becoming a citizen scientist for Cornell University. Learn about the beetle’s life cycle, document sightings and keep track of damage to help researchers try to contain this pest. Go to www.hort.cornell.edu/vlb/ to learn more. In Canada, contact the Ministry of Agriculture and Food at www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/ english/crops/facts/vlb.htm.
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Simple tips & guidelines
WÂ
a nt your roses to have gorgeous flowers, a nice shape and healthy foliage? Believe it or not, pruning
is one of the key factors, even though rosescan be pretty forgiving. Pruning is one of the best things you can do for your roses. You’re opening up the center of the plant to increase air circulation, leading to healthier foliage. And you’re removing dead and diseased wood. Last, but definitely not least, pruning encourages new growth and more and bigger flowers.
Deadheading keeps reblooming roses going strong all summer. You’ll want to make deadheading cuts right above five-leaflet leaves that face outward. That’s where the strong new shoot emerges. I’ll snip off everything above that as I’m deadheading this rose.
Let’s get started! Before you make that first cut, you’ll need to have a few things on hand. First, protect your skin with long sleeves and heavy gloves that reach well past your wrists. I leave my favorite thin goatskin gloves inside and wear thicker pigskin ones when I work on my roses. Another essential is a sharp pair of bypass pruners.
Outward-facing bud
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Make pruning cuts at a 45-degree angle about ¼ in. above an outward-facing bud. Choosing buds that are headed away from the center of the plant will keep your rose open in the middle, improving air circulation among the leaves.
Why bypass? They work like scissors, with the blades slicing past each other. Anvil pruners have one sharp blade and a flat surface, which will crush the rose stems instead of making a clean cut. If you’ve never sharpened your pruners yourself, check out our Online Extra, where we’ll show you how.
Cane borer damage healthy pith
To avoid spreading disease, disinfect your pruners as you work. A mixture of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water is a good disinfectant — dip your pruners into it between cuts, and especially between plants.
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The cane on the left is healthy while the one on the right is hollow, a sign of cane borers. Old stems may be hollow all the way to the ground, so go ahead and cut them back to the base. As you’re pruning off winter damage, cut down to healthy pith.
You’ll also need something to seal the canes to keep rose cane borers out. There are lots of commercial sealers available, but a couple of drops of good old Elmer’s Glue-All® work just fine. In these photos I’ll show you a few basic pruning techniques. They’ll come in handy whether you’re doing a full-scale spring pruning or just deadheading.
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It’s a good idea to seal cuts on bigger canes to keep out insects that bore into rose canes. You don’t have to seal every tiny deadheading snip, but if the cane is wider than about 1/8 in., seal it with glue.
Dear Fellow Gardener,
Garden Gate®
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Steven Nordmeyer Editor