Happy New Year! The thumbnail photo for this month is New Year.



This is a busy time for some of us, who will spend this month pruning, and a time of respite for others, who can snuggle inside and wait for warmer weather before venturing out into their gardens. I had hoped to be snuggling with the cats inside by now, but a lingering backache benched me for two weeks in December, so I'm rushing to finish my pruning now.

New bare-root roses will start arriving soon. My first shipment from Rosemania is due next week.

A lovely photo of New Year! Mine is still blooming now, but she doesn't look that glamorous. I suppose I should be pruning now, but I rarely can bring myself to cut off healthy growth. Fortunately my old garden roses are fine with that, but a walkway I need to use daily is becoming badly obstructed, so I am afraid I am going to have to do something this year.

Walkway obstruction is my problem too. If I had the room, I'd never prune anything.

Shockingly since it is January, I have roses blooming. What a strange year as far as temps are concerned.

You're having California weather, and we're having New York weather. No snow, but very, very cold for January. The high today was 49 degrees. Last year and the year before, we were blessed with such warm weather that everyone was calling the month "June-uary."

zuzu said:You're having California weather, and we're having New York weather. No snow, but very, very cold for January. The high today was 49 degrees. Last year and the year before, we were blessed with such warm weather that everyone was calling the month "June-uary."

And last year we had a horrid winter. Cold and lots and lots of snow. No roses blooming last January that's for sure.

The doe hard pruned all of my roses except for the few in deer cages out in front of the house. I am only going to have to do some shaping for the deer-pruned roses when the time comes for pruning.

I am seeing winter die back for the first time in this garden. I think that's because all of the roses are totally naked. Night temps have been around 20F, but there was no die back in the years when it was even colder.

Right now, there is snow on the ground, so I am ignoring the whole garden. At least we have gotten enough rain that I don't have to worry about going out to water them this winter.

I'm so happy about the rain, Lyn. Having to water the garden in winter is awful. I did have to water a couple of beds today, but that was because I planted two roses.

The rain has softened up the soil so nicely that it took me about 3 seconds to dig each hole.

I'll never be able to dig a planting hole that quickly, Zuzu, even with my "improved" soil.

I don't know if you remember my posting about having to go out and water the garden while there was a foot of snow on the ground during the second winter of the drought. I really, really don't want to do that again ...

I am glad I don't have to do it this year. Seeing the deer damage is bad enough.

I do remember that account of watering in the snow. I shudder when I think of it. Of course, I shudder when I think of snow in general. I don't ever want to be back in it again. For one thing, I'd need a whole new wardrobe. Around here I can get by with sandals in summer and tennis shoes in winter. I don't ever want another pair of boots on my feet.

I agree. Actually, we don't get much snow at my elevation and, generally, it doesn't stick around. It's been a bit different during these drought years.

I don't mind the snow and cold of winter as much as I do the heat of summer. If there is a season I truly dislike, it's summer.

Here on Long Island I have had various roses blooming over the last month - Bonica, Plum Perfect, Easy Does It, Over the Moon, South Africa and Cherry Parfait. Each bush is producing one to two flowers. I also have an azalea blooming, as well as irises.
Wishing all of you a Happy New Year filled with joy, good health and great cheer.
Margie, from snowless NY

MargieNY said:Here on Long Island I have had various roses blooming over the last month - Bonica, Plum Perfect, Easy Does It, Over the Moon, South Africa and Cherry Parfait. Each bush is producing one to two flowers. I also have an azalea blooming, as well as irises.
Wishing all of you a Happy New Year filled with joy, good health and great cheer.
Margie, from snowless NY

It is this exceptionally warm December we have been having. I guess the roses really liked it. I know I liked it.

I walk my little dog 3 miles each day. Sometimes more. So the nice weather has worked out. If it was frigid and snowy I couldn't do much walking.

Years ago I always threw a banana peel and an egg into the bottom of the planting hole when I planted a rose. I eat a banana every day, and banana prices haven't risen appreciably, so I still give each new rose a banana peel or two. When egg prices started to soar, however, I dropped that part of the ritual. Now my neighbor's chickens have developed the perverse habit of hiding their eggs. They lay them in all parts of her garden. By the time she finds them, she doesn't know how old they are, so she passes them on to me. Once again, my roses are getting a grand start with banana peels and eggs. Hooray for crazy chickens!

Is said egg removed from it's shell or thrown in whole ???
I've done the banana peel ritual, but the egg thing is a new one to me.

I've heard of using the egg whole. An article I read hypothesized the sulfur release as the egg decomposes could discourage fungal diseases.

Neal ....

What fungal diseases ? If the article was referring to black spot or mildew ... no, the sulfur in the root zone will not prevent foliage diseases.

Sulfur is often used to discourage fungal disease as a spray on foliage, but the leaves have to be completely covered for the spray to work and it needs to be re-applied after rains.

I use eggshells in with my mulch because as they decompose, the provide calcium to the root zone.

I stopped putting chopped up banana peels out in the garden because they drew skunks. YUK! I don't think it would be a problem putting them into a planting hole.

It was vague and I was unconvinced. Even if it did help I think it would be subtle and short term at best.

It's magic, Neal, and it might not require a logical explanation.

Maybe it's just a simple rapport-building gesture. I show the rose that I care enough about it to add special ingredients and take special steps when I plant it. Who knows the purpose? It makes me feel more conscientious and it doesn't hurt the rose.

Often I do feel I'm adding some amendment or another more for my own peace of mind that for the plant, LOL.