I am a gardening moron...Please answer some questions for me!?

Question

Okay...My husband saids I have a black thumb. I just bought a house with a huge yard and several well established gardens. There are rose bushes, Huge hydrengias, Forshithias, and lots of thing I cant Identify. I wanted to know if I should cut any of these back before the snow starts flying. I am determained to maintain these gardens when the spring comes and I dont want to kill anything. What should I do with all these plants to protect them from the winter? Thanks in advance for the help.

Answer 1

#1, You're not a moron. You are smart enough to ask how to do something instead of just plowing through without information. There are excellent reference books for specific questions. I've been gardening for over 40 years, and I am still learning. I assume that you have standard cold winters and are in Zone 7 or lower, where you get snow. I have grown the three plants you mentioned with much success. Roses can be pruned in late fall or in spring prior to leafing, but after bud break when you can differentiate between dead and live wood. Roses are divided into ramblers (very long, free-growing canes), climbers (smaller versions of same), hybrid teas, and variations of same, which includes confusing names such as grandifloras, multifloras, etc., depending on the country you are in. That is why the generic (genus) names of plants are used because it is a universal name given to a plant so that it is the same name everywhere on Earth, instead of relying on common names which vary from region to region. Once you have established what kind of rose you have, treat it accordingly. Hybrid teas are the most challenging to grow, in that they are on a graft union, i.e., they are a marriage of a hardier rootstock (usually with nondescript flowers if this were allowed to grow) grafted on to a more delicate and beautifully flowered scion. This graft union is usually evident by a protrusion or graft knob located near the base of the plant. In an established plant, this would likely be below the ground, which is properly planted as such in cold climates. Do not allow the growth of the rootstock to take over or even grow at all; otherwise, it will take over the plant and the wanted scion growth will become secondary, when you want the scion growth to be the only growth. You can tell the rootstock growth by its 7-leaf habit (usually, but not always), its gangly growth and lack of flowers. Flowers of an ordinary kind will appear later if you allow this growth to live. So simply remove it. Over time, you will be able to tell the difference. And the rootstock growth will always appear beneath the graft union. When pruning, if I have time in the fall, weather permitting, I do some or all of it then; if not, prior to bud break in spring as mentioned. Always remove crossing over branches, so that branches do not rub against each other, causing bark break and possible infection; broken, diseased of insect-infested branches. Fertilize with bone meal. It is natural, (the processed bones of slaughtered animals), stays in the soil as a time-released agent (if you purchase the pelleted type) and safe to people and pets. As with any powder, do not breathe it in. Do not prune too early in fall; a sudden period of warmth will induce just-pruned canes to bud and this growth will be winter-killed, and stress the plant. So leaving it 'til spring is fine. Mulch with leaves and other material, but wait until the ground freezes, as mice are looking for nesting material and nests now; early mulching will be a rodent attractant; waiting will allow them to have found other nest sites. Ramblers and climbers are the lower-maintenance, very winter-hardy roses that produce long canes and are usually grown on a trellis. They can take over an area, so be sure that you grow them on the side of a garage or in a place where there will not be other plant competition. Ramblers normally produce flowers only at the end of June or so, and do not repeat. Climbers produce then and can continue with minor flushes throughout the season. They require only maintenance pruning, and can withstand temperatures of 20 below zero or colder. Don't bother mulching them unless they are not established; they are the easiest to grow. In fact, once established, they are hard to kill. I prune my hydrangeas to the ground, on older growth; on current season's growth, I leave it. On perennial shrubs, the rule of thumb is to remove the oldest one-third of growth every fall; on the third year, you basically have a new plant from when you started. Some plants only produce flowers on new growth; others produce only on prior years' wood. So you must leave some older wood for bloom. By the third year, the oldest wood is past its prime, and should be removed. By doing the above method, you always have growth that is producing or in the process of producing blossoms. Forsythias come in different growth habits; some are free-growing, sending out branches every which way, like whips; others maintain a ball shape. Their pruning and fertilizer needs can be met with the above mentioned. Always prune on a 45-degree angle (to shed water and prevent rot) about a quarter-to-half-inch above an outward facing bud, so that growth extends away from the middle of the plant, where it would be shaded and induce fungal growth. The middle of shrubs should be as foliage-free as possible so that there is air flow to decrease fungi. Almost all roses get black spot and powdery mildew in their lives. Mulch with decorative mulch; hydrangeas will get powdery mildew, also prevented to a high extent by mulching (rain splashes soil, full of fungus spores, onto leaves, and infects the plant--mulch covers soil and helps prevent this, and decorative bark mulches look good). Hydrangeas' colour can be altered by changing soil pH. Forsythias are close to being maintenance-free, except for judiciuos pruning. Always prune a flowering shrub after it flowers, don't fertilize past August, or you will get weak growth that will winter-kill, and allow time for garden maintenance, or it will become a chore, so grow plants that you like to grow, and low-maintenance ones so that you can spend time on other things. I can go on and on. If you would like to contact me through the yahoo questions, please do so, and I will send on any information I can provide. Good luck. --Steve

Answer 2

Cut the roses back by maybe 1/3 so all the soft stems are gone. Put in a layer of mulch to protect the roots from cold. If your house has been sitting empty for a year or more, you know that they already tolerate winters. Don't cut hydrangeas because they set buds after they bloom and you'll cut off next years flowers. Instead, when they are in bloom, cut the tips off of any branches that don't have flowers. If you have any old rusty nails somewhere, throw them under the hydrangeas to help the flowers stay purple. (they like lots of iron) Forsythias- if you have any that look scraggly, cut them nearly to the ground and they will come back bushy. Otherwise they don't need care.

Answer 3

Yes, the rose bushes should be cut back to just above the lowest leaves. Put mulch around them and remember to remove it when it gets warm. You can prune the hydrangeas and forsythias but not too much. They are very easy to grow and take little care. You can even bring some branches of forsythia indoors to have early blooms.
The roses are alot of work but they are so rewarding. You have to watch out for japanese beetles, aphids, black spot, etc. I grew prize winning roses by using Ross' rose spikes in the spring. They contain fertilizer and insecticide and you pound them into the ground around the roses. Cut the roses as they bloom at the juncture of a 5 part leaf and they will bloom all season. Water them when there is not enough rain. You will have a gorgeous garden. I am in a condo now and miss my beautiful roses and my blue hydrangeas.

Answer 4

You will be surprised how fast you will learn and I hope you love it as much as I do. If the roses are climbers (like vines) and not bushes, leave them alone. If they are bushes, don't be afraid to prune them back a little. The forsynthias will be fine if you leave them alone. They will be one of the first bloomers in the late winter/early spring. Most Hydrangeas bloom on old wood, so leave them alone also. In fact, I would just leave everything alone until I could identify it in the spring and summer. Mulch around everything with leaves to protect the roots this winter. Good Luck.

Answer 5

My best advice to you is go to HOME DEPOT they have a book called Gardening 1-2-3. You will find all the answers you need there. Because a lot of your questions have a lot to do with your location. What work in one area doesn't always work for others.

Answer 6

If they are not blooming,and before the first frost comes cut back.Also you can cover the ground around them with a mulch or pine straw, plus cover with plastic during winter before the frost comes!!!!!

Answer 7

DON'T touch those rose's!!! They should be pruned when the forsithias bloom! Prune them now and you'll weaken them, and the cold weather could kill them. Just put some mulch around them for now.Wait till spring, you'll be glad you did. :) arum