Here in my neck of the woods, the time to begin our season in the garden is right around when the forsythia in the neighborhood blushes yellow and begins to pop. This is when I strap on my flexible knee pads, pull on my gauntlet gloves, grab my sharp pruners and loppers, and head out to the rose garden that has been patiently waiting for this day to arrive!

This was a particularly hard winter for the ladies and gentlemen that populate my rosebeds. Our hard winter arrived in early November 2013 with single digit temperatures and nasty, gusty winds. I knew there would be a lot of damage in the rose garden this spring, and that damage occurred before the plants were hardened off. This resulted in blackened, split canes that were still full of sap when the weather prematurely turned deadly cold.

All the snow that arrived later to blanket the gardens was too late to prevent the destruction visible in the garden this spring. I imagine that some of our local rosarians will have to replace some of their roses because of winter kill.

Protecting Rose Buds

Although I don’t like to see so much damage in the April rose garden, I don’t worry too much about losing my roses because when I plant them, I make sure the crowns, or bud unions, are buried 3-4″ below soil level. That way, I protect the bud union and 3-4″ of cane against the wicked winter winds. I can cut my roses all the way down to the ground, if necessary, and the protected buds on those canes will shoot up beautiful new basal breaks from underground.

Fresh, new growth like this on roses will make for prolific bloom all summer. If you live in a colder area as I do, plant your new roses deeply in the spring and your winter protection for ensuing years is assured. Another benefit to sinking that bud union is that it will put down its own root system so your plant will be doubly strong. A strong root system ensures wonderful, vigorous regrowth…especially after this wicked five month winter.

Now is the time to get down on your knees to inspect your roses. (And, to thank God this long winter is finally over!) If you had time to hill up your roses last fall, gently pull your hilling material back. I generally pull up some mulch around the canes, so I carefully ease that back. I want to take care that I don’t knock over any tender new growth that might be sprouting from underneath.

Pruning in the Rose Garden

Then, I’ll take my sharp pruners and cut my canes back to healthy, green wood. I’ll shoot for a sprouting bud on the outside of the canes so the new growth will grow away from the center of the plant. I’ll prune out any center canes that rub against each other or cross another, because our roses’ prickles can injure themselves just as they can injure us. It’s also a good idea to open up the center of the bush to improve air circulation…it may help protect the rose against fungus disease.

Once I finish pruning, I take a small rake and sweep out any leftover foliage from last year. Just in case there were any fungus spores floating around, I’ll take the material I’ve raked out and all the pruned canes and send them to the dump or take them far out in the woods and leave them there to decompose. I’d rather not introduce possible fungus spores into our compost heap.

Rose Garden Care

My pine bark mulch has a tendency to get hard over the winter, so I will take my garden claw and loosen it up so the April showers can penetrate the rose garden more easily. Before I leave the area to move on to the next, I will take my bottle of Elmer’s Glue and seal up all the canes I have just pruned. The glue dries clear but hard so borers cannot drill holes into the canes to lay their eggs.

If you are like I am, once you get out into the rose garden time just flies by!! Try to get up and stretch every so often so you won’t be quite a stiff tomorrow. This is a favorite time of year for me; it’s just chock-full of anticipation about the summer to come! Breathe deep and enjoy the fragrance of the soil as you work…and feel your soul expand!