February Gardening
Feb 11, '25
February is the time to do an inspection and planning of your yards. Here are some pointers what to look for and do now.
Perennials may heave up...
Roses
Roses are the most iconic of all flowers, symbolizing not only love and romance, but also the sheer perfection of the natural world. Having captured hearts and minds with that indescribable fragrance and their exquisite beauty, gardeners are prepared to invest a little extra care and effort into these plants, as the rewards they receive are priceless.
Location and Care
When selecting hardy rose bushes, first consider placement or garden positioning. Will the mature plant have the space it deserves to reach mature size? Keep in mind that as a hardy shrub, a rose plant takes three years to reach mature size. All roses require at least six hours or more of direct sunlight everyday. The soil should be amended with organic matter and able to drain water quickly. Offer the plant good air circulation to discourage disease. A top dressing of 2”-3” of mulch helps keep the soil moist and cool. It also prevents soil from splashing up onto the underside of the foliage when watering or during rainfall. It also acts as a weed barrier and gives the garden area a very well-tended and cared for appearance.
Climbing Roses
With prickly, arching, stiff stems these roses are vigorous growers. The foliage is often dense, glossy, dark green. Keep in mind that these are not true vining plants. They have no tendrils or aerial roots and must be trained onto a strong support structure.
English Roses
A shrub rose with prickly, sturdy stems that produce fragrant re-blooming flowers. Often used as a flowering hedge, it fans out, blooming from the bottom to the top. Removing spent blooms will provide up to three or four flushes of flowers each season. These are bred for vigor and superb garden performance.
Floribunda Roses
A classic everblooming rose selection with free branching prickly stems. The medium sized, oval foliage is dark green. The clustered blooms are large and produced throughout the season. Although the flowers are smaller than a hybrid tea rose this is a very bushy vigorous plant best used in mass plantings. On average they reach 3’ to 5’ in height.
Grandiflora Roses
A shrub rose which tends to bloom in clusters. Some varieties are derived from a cross between a hybrid tea and a floribunda rose. The foliage is glossy to matte, mid to dark green. They are excellent cut flowers. Often used as hedges and barrier plants. On average they reach 5’ to 7’ in height.
Groundcover Roses
These vigorous low growing plants are considered disease resistant. With a profusion of blooms in mass planting they provide an excellent soil cover. The foliage is glossy and medium in size. On average they reach 2’ in height.
Hybrid Tea Roses
This is the largest collection of rose plants. Many varieties are sold under the category of hybrid tea, read labels carefully to make the best selection. These are large shapely plants producing one flower per stem. On average they reach 3’ to 6’ in height.
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