Care and How-To - Roses
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As winter fades and spring arrives, several things can be done to prepare the garden for the upcoming growing season.
Below are tips for the perennial garden, vegetable garden, annual containers, trees & shrubs, houseplants, and lawns.
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February and March is the best time to prune most trees and shrubs in Iowa. The absence of foliage at this time of year gives you a clear view of the tree and allows the selection and removal of appropriate branches. Also, when pruned in the late dormant season the walling-off, compartmentalization, or sealing of wounds can begin as soon as growth starts in the spring giving the tree the most time to recover from the pruning cut.
Iowa State University has many resources available to help with pruning all your woody plants.
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Prune roses in early spring to enhance appearance, boost flowering, and reduce disease by increasing airflow and light.. Specific information on how to prune different types of roses is below.
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Roses are grown by millions of gardeners throughout the world for their beautiful flowers. To reduce the confusion of selecting between thousands of rose varieties, roses are classified into various groups. In Iowa, the major groups of roses that can be grown include shrub roses, hybrid teas, miniatures, and others.
Each of these types varies in their season of bloom, winter hardiness, and maintenance requirements. Use the information below about each type of rose to select the best rose for your landscape.
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Explore the rich history of roses, from ancient fossils records to modern gardens. Learn about their cultural significance across civilizations and their evolution into beloved garden plants.
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Some roses need protection to survive an Iowa winter. Learn how to provide that protection for your hybrid tea, floribunda, and grandiflora roses.
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Trees, shrubs, roses, and perennials are available bare root. That is, they come to you from the garden center or mail-order retailer with no soil around their roots. Extra care is required to make bare root plants survive and thrive.
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Discover various methods to propagate roses, including cuttings, layering, division, and seed. Find the best techniques for your gardening needs!
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Roses (Rosa sp.) are the quintessential garden plant. Their beautiful blooms come in many shades of pink, red, yellow, cream, white, and all the colors in between. Many are wonderfully fragrant and bloom from early summer to frost, forming colorful hips (fruit pods) in the fall. They make excellent cut flowers. The blooms make beautiful edible garnishes, can be dried for things like potpourri, and the hips are used to brew aromatic tea.
It's easy to see why we love roses. Learn more about the types of roses best suited for your garden and how to grow and care for them to keep them healthy and colorful all season.
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Organic mulches serve several important functions in gardens and landscape plantings.
These many benefits make the use of mulch very beneficial in a wide range of garden settings. When choosing which organic mulch to use, consider availability, cost, appearance, function, and durability.
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The first step in the successful culture of roses is correct planting. Roses can be purchased as container-grown or potted plants from the garden center or as bare-root plants from the garden center or mail-order source.
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Learn how to protect container plants in winter. Discover methods like burying pots, mulching, and using unheated storage to keep roots safe from cold damage.
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Bring garden flowers indoors for bouquets in spring, summer, and fall. No experience needed. Condition flowers to keep them fresh and vibrant.
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Roses have several disease and insect issues. When a problem comes up, identifying it accurately is the first step.
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Some plants in the landscape need a little extra protection to make it through the winter months. Here is what you need to know to successfully overwinter plants in Iowa.
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In recent years, the number of farms that grow and sell locally-grown cut flowers has increased. Learn more about the reasons for the rise in flower farms across Iowa and the unique niche they are filling at farmer's markets and flower shops.
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Springtime often means plant shopping. Follow these steps to purchase high-quality plant material. Tips are available for containerized, balled and burlapped, and bareroot plants as well as for seeds and bulbs.
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When buying mulch, you need to know how much to purchase based on the size of the garden bed and the depth you wish to spread the mulch. Use this guide to help determine how much mulch to purchase.
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Learn about the criteria to look for when selecting a rose for your landscape - winter hardiness and disease resistance are just the start. Companion plants are also listed.
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Using resistant or tolerant plant varieties helps control diseases and reduces pesticide use. They aren't immune but can withstand certain pathogens better. Check catalogs for specific disease resistance. Healthy plants resist infections better.