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Tips for February Remember, these tips and tricks are current for zone 5 and need to be adjusted one week earlier for each 100 miles south of the southern tip of Lake Michigan that you live, and one week later for each 100 miles north.Thinking about roses this time of the year? Hardly. But, if you want to have nice healthy roses, this is the time to start. Many new, hardy and fragrant roses are being introduced this year. Four gotta gets are Fourth of July, a red and white striped climber; Candelabra, a coral orange grandiflora; Betty Boop, a creamy-yellow with red edged floribunda; and Kaleidoscope, a floribunda with russet tan buds turning to lavender as the blooms open. These are 1999 All American Rose Selection winners and will be at all the better nurseries and garden centers this spring. Many more new roses and the old favorites will be available to beautify your yard and garden. Instead of turning into a couch potato, start planning your garden, cleaning the garden tools and looking at the rose catalogs. If you are taken in by the pretty pictures in the catalogs make sure you order from reputable companies. Avoid the cheap roses available from some nurseries such as Michigan Bulb. You get what you pay for. By starting with a large #1 grade bush, you will have better first year blooms. Roses planted by April 15, can be expected to bloom by the middle of June and continue all summer through October. You can expect to pay from $10.00 to $18.00 for a good rose bush but the initial expense will reward you for years to come.
-Rosenut
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