Tips for January

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.

    I'm often asked, "Why don't my roses bloom? I had beautiful flowers the first year but now all I get are green leaves and stems. What should I do to make them flower again?"

    Let me explain something. The rosebush you bought was originally grafted (budded) onto a different, but much more vigorous root stock. This produces a larger rosebush in about half the time it takes to grow one on it's own roots.

    You planted it and enjoyed the flowers the first year. Either because you failed to provide any winter protection, or due to a hard winter the top of the bush died back to the ground. Comes spring and you wait to see if your rosebush come back. Lo and behold, New growth is coming up. You say, "It didn't die after all." It grows and very well, but doesn't bloom. The next year, same thing. What's wrong with my rosebush?

    Usually all the growing eyes are removed from the root stock, but occasionally some are missed. When the grafted top dies back, these remaining growing eyes on the root start to grow. Remember, the vigorous rootstock.

    "But where are my flowers?" you may ask. The rootstock is a variety which only produces blooms on 2 year old canes. Each winter when it dies back or you cut it off , there go the blooms.

    You have two choices. Dig it up and replace it or don't prune until after it blooms in the early summer. That way you won't remove the flowers and any new canes will be in their 2nd year the next year and they will also produce flowers.

-Rosenut