We have Rose shrubs boarding the front of your yard between our property line and the sidewalk. It looks lovely when it’s blooming.

Although some have the ability to grow quite large, there are shrub roses smaller than four feet. Many people like to use these shrubs for barriers as well as for ornamental purposes. Shrubs make beautiful hedges that have a touch of old-world class for your landscaping. The term ‘old-world’ is used because these shrubs have been around for such a long time.
Shrub roses work well for formal or informal landscaping. If you want to balance your scenery, you could plant shrub roses among herbs. Incidentally, roses have some of the same uses as herbs.

Shrub roses have a natural ability to resist disease. They’ll grow in various climates and require little maintenance. These qualities make it a friendlier choice for the person new to gardening.

You may want to plant shrub roses to hide an imperfection on your home or in your yard. If you have an eyesore that can’t be repaired or removed, it may be a good idea to hide it with the larger shrub roses. It should draw the eye more towards the plant and less towards the eyesore, or may even hide it completely.

You may not want to plant shrubs in an area where it will be accessible for passersby to pluck your favored blooms. If you are trying to win the title of “Yard of the Month”, or something similar, placement would definitely matter! These shrubs in bloom may make it irresistible to passing admirers. Besides taking the blooms, the flowers could be damaged carelessly by wandering hands. Bruised blooms would not be a welcome sight to a judge.

The more shrubs you plant, the more beautiful blooms you can enjoy. They would make it easier to decorate for an event you may want to hold. It would save the convenience and cost of ordering flowers from someone else. The added benefit would be the pride of showing something you would have produced yourself. The shrubs would not only provide beauty, but a fragrance as well, to share with your guests.

You could use the roses from your shrubs in many ways. Suppose you are crafty, you could use them in dried flower arrangements. Maybe you want to share them with your neighbor, or use them for romantic purposes for your spouse( such as covering the bed or floor with the petals from your very own shrubs). You could try selling the blooms from your shrubs for corsages. Even a blind friend or relative could benefit from the sweet, uplifting smell of the roses. Maybe you are an artist as well as a gardener. You could plant your own shrubs for your oil, watercolor, or acrylic paintings.
Roses have one of the more dominant scents used for commercial purposes. Planting your own shrubs would give you an outdoor air freshener that you could also bring inside to show off in vases placed around a room. The rose scent can be subtle rather than overpowering. Some roses do have a stronger fragrance than others.

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We bought an older home as our dream home for a couple of reasons. It was priced right, it was located almost exactly where we want to be located and the property is big enough for us to have our first backyard garden.

Because our new home is an older home we do have a few problems and some pest control issues but we knew the going into this. I am semi-retired from the brick and mortar world so I have more time to spend on projects that will make our new to us home a lot nicer.

We have about 6 big ant hills that really look aweful and mess up the appearance of our lawn and they are even in the area we have chosen for our new backyard garden. We need exterminators that will clean them out once and for all. Hopefully we get this taken care of before they all start marching into our house.

Our house seem to be fine at this point and of most pest, we think. We do have an old garage that has seen better days and has a lot of what looks like wood rott but we might be looking at a termite problem. I am not an expert by any means so that is when I call in the experts. While they are here they will check out our house to make sure all is well in here.

A few other pest control places you can check out, depending on where you live are:

Portland Pest Control and Washington Pest Control

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Soil is a main food supply for your plants but sometimes plants need a little more help and that can be in the form of fertilizer or mulch.

Mulch is great for plants, simply because you are turning something that would normally be thrown out as waste into a food supply and a very effective one at that.

Mulch will help to maintain moisture in the soil and reduce the weeds in the backyard garden too.

Generally you should use mulch in damp weather so the plants will have sufficient moisture in the soil. If you are using mulch in dry conditions make sure you water the soil first to retain some moisture as it will be harder for any water to get to the roots of your plants through the covering of mulch.

Mulch keeps the soil moist but it can also stop the soil getting moist if the water can’t penetrate.

If you are using lawn clippings for mulch make sure you haven’t used any chemicals on the lawn prior to cutting, that could have a detrimental affect on your plants.

If you leave the clippings to rot this will often reduce any side effects that these chemicals might have on your plants.

Lawn clippings can also generate a lot of heat so spread them around lightly in thin layers and don’t smother your plants with it.

There are many different things that can be used for mulch, from lawn clippings and plant cuttings to straw, hay and bark.

All those autumn leaves that are blowing around your property can make good mulch but they really need to be left to rot before being used, as they can be quite acidic if used too soon.

If in doubt with anything you are using for mulch, leave it to rot and you can be sure it will be better for your garden.

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Have you ever considered a potager?

You can have the best of both worlds with a potager when you essentially have your cake and eat it too.
With a potager you have your garden and eat it too.

Potagers are particularly good for people who live on smaller lots of land or only have room for a small garden. They are also great for people who just don’t have the time to tend a larger garden but like to have some color in their yard and fresh vegetables at the same time.

So what is a potager? Well some people have different definitions of what a potager is supposed to be and this ranges from an organized display vegetable garden to a combination of edible plants and display plants.

Essentially a potager is making use of the colors and textures of vegetables to create a colorful display garden with the added benefit of being able to eat the plants within, and that is why it is considered the ultimate garden by some. It is pleasing to the eye and the stomach.

With many flowers finding their way into salads and other forms of foods as people become aware of the fact that they are edible, the potager has become more popular in recent years.

By adding sculptures, pots, specimen trees and anything else that you would add to a normal flower garden, the potager can become a focal point in any garden and your vegetables no longer need to be hidden away out of sight in some other part of your property.

Most potagers are grown in raised beds that allow better control over the drainage and reduce the chance of the vegetables from becoming waterlogged.

By planning in a structured manner and in close proximity to one another the colors of the plants and the combinations of one group contrasting another can make a display that will rival any flower garden.

It can be quite an exciting challenge to create an eye-catching potager. Try it and you might become hooked.

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Some people have the mistaken idea that all insects are bad. An abnormal paranoia of anything that creeps and crawls or slithers can sell a lot of chemicals and natural insecticides. The market feeds off people’s fear of insects. Parents teach their children to be leery of insects. While it’s true that there are many insects that can cause harm, they usually do so as a way to protect themselves and preserve their species.

Attacking all insects is irrational. It would cause a huge imbalance in nature if we didn’t have insects. It’s even necessary to feed off the predatory insects to keep the insect population under control.

If you need to attack insects, at least do nature the justice of attacking the ones that are only a threat to you or your plants’ survival or health. People who are allergic to certain insects have little choice but to rid their homes and property of them. A wasp or bee sting could put some people in the hospital.

Some insects that are beneficial and do not cause harm to us will cause harm in some form to our plants. Butterflies are beautiful creatures, but gardeners and fruit crop growers may not appreciate their caterpillars! Beneficial insects that don’t hurt us or our crops are ladybugs and some species of wasps. Honeybees can sting when threatened, but without honeybees, our honey supply would suffer. People aren’t the only ones who benefit from honey. Insects and other animals benefit as well.

If you must attack insects, natural insecticides can be safer for our environment than the chemical poisons that line the shelves of our stores. Natural insecticides are made from oils, flowers, seeds, and sometimes even bacteria.

Neem comes from the Indian lilac tree. It prevents feeding and is a growth regulator. Pyrethrum is one of the most popular natural insecticides for attacking insects. It is used to paralyze and must be applied directly. It’s contained in many pet shampoos for flea and tick control. Nicotine is well known as a tobacco product, seen mostly in a negative light because of the harm it causes lungs when smoked. It can also help control some insects. Rotenone and sabadilla dust can be considered exotic natural insecticides because they are made from plants that exist in other countries. Sabadilla can wreak havoc on a honeybee population, though, and is a short-term insecticide.

Boric acid has been used for many years to help control nasty little roaches. Ants have been an age-old problem because of their ability to bite and take over our kitchens. Wasps that do sting cause allergic reactions, fear in small children and many adults because of their aggressive nature. People usually use some form of spray to attack them so they don’t have to get too close and risk their painful stings. They’ve been attacked by hairsprays and soap solutions.

People who live in rural areas can be quite creative in their attempts to attack insects with homemade insecticides. Some say cinnamon placed around a central air unit can keep the ants from entering and invading the points used to help run the units. Whatever your preferred method of attack, please be sure to use caution and consideration.

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The American Rose Society did not at first accept the term ‘floribunda’. Is a rose that is crossbred a true rose? I suppose that would be a matter of opinion. Roses are highly crossbred. A floribunda could be dubbed the modern rose. You might think of it as an enhanced rose, bred to bring out the best in a flowering plant.

So, what is a floribunda? Although many varieties have been developed, a floribunda is a hybrid that was originally a cross between a polyantha and a tea rose. There was a man who developed many varieties in 1920; his nickname became Papa Floribunda.

This flower is grown mainly for garden color. The floribunda grows lower, which can be a positive attribute. Known as a cluster rose, the floribunda tolerates neglect better than any other rose type except shrub roses. A floribunda is a good landscape choice because it can provide an almost nonstop source of color.

Positive aspects of the floribunda include: abundant flowers, long-lasting blooms, versatile for landscaping, can be used as a hedge or just to accent the landscape, some have a more intense fragrance than most other roses, and they have a delicate appearance.

Negative aspects include: not eligible for Queen of Show, need plenty of feeding, fare far better on a regular feeding schedule (be sure to consider this if you are the type of person who forgets to feed your plants or just doesn’t have the time to devote to a regular feeding schedule), takes 3 years to reach maturity, has shorter stems, and has a small size.

Floribundas will be healthier with good air circulation; so when pruning, it helps to leave the center of the bush open. If you have trouble remembering when to prune, prune near a holiday or a special day during the pruning season. If you leave the older canes when pruning, you are rewarded with larger amounts of color later. Also, take care to remove a cane that rubs another. Pruning will aid in air circulation, which helps to cut down on insects and disease as well.

Other things to remember to maintain healthy floribundas that are grown in pots are: plenty of root space, good drainage, a pot that is heavy enough to sustain against wind should the pot be kept in an area more susceptible to windy conditions, a pot that is wide enough to provide stability. [ A word of caution: saucers under pots can invite root rot.]

Even in floribundas, chemicals are needed to control problems. Concentrates must be applied with care so as not to cause leaf burn.

Some interesting names of existing floribundas are: Playboy, Playgirl, Pure Poetry, Eye Paint, French Lace, Show Biz, Cherish, and Trumpeter.

If you wrap your roses in paper or foil, then plunge them deep into water, it will keep their stems from sagging should you desire to display them.

The word floribunda alone could be a helpful source of entertainment for a gardening parent. Give your child a pencil and piece of paper while you garden and ask he/she to see how many words they can make from the letters in the word floribunda!

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It is amazing that something as simple and quietly elegant as the rose, a simple flower, has such a huge market. Not only in the flower itself, but in the products, the word itself which sparks stories, poems, and songs, and the fact that the rose plays an enormous part in romance.

There is an endless array of products and services that center on the popularity of the rose. It has been long admired by folks from all walks of life. It sells. It sells on skin as tattoos, in jewelry, in decals, on clothing, in hair products, bath products, perfumes and deodorizers, on fabric, room decorations, at funerals, in weddings, at parties, carved into furniture, in paintings and drawings, even in children’s color books, stories, and movies. Roses are everywhere and anywhere and are a welcome item in an abundance of shapes, forms, sizes, colors. The rose sells inside, outside, and all year-round. It sells in rain, sleet, fog, snow, hot or cold weather.

The rose market is an abundant one, to say the least. Any holiday is appropriate for selling roses. Whoever decided the rose has symbolism according to its colors provided an outpouring for sales. Naming the roses was another brilliant idea for the market.

The rose sells itself, although plenty of advertisement goes into the sale of the rose and its products and by-products.
The rose is a winner whether it is alive or dead. Even the black rose has meaning. Dried roses can be used for products as well. Then you have the products that result from processing the rose. Rose oils and rose waters are at least two such products.

Health stores enjoy the benefits of the rose market. It is widely known that rose hips are high in Vitamin C. Rosehips are the ‘fruit’ that develops once the petals have fallen off the rose flower, about the size of a cherry, and similar in taste to a cranberry. Indeed there are many vitamins on the market that tout the addition of rose hips. Even Vitamin C itself can have the added appeal of rosehips.

Although, not a popular idea anymore, many recipes can be made using rosehips. You must remove all seeds to avoid discomfort when digested. This shouldn’t scare a person from experimenting with the recipes. Many foods must be properly prepared to avoid digestive problems.

Should you decide to be adventurous enough to try cooking with rosehips, here is a list of the possibilities: syrup, applesauce, pudding, fruit leather, soup, bread, tea, pie, candy, and jelly. Rose berries were eaten as dinner vegetables in World War II, to enhance good health.

The rose market for plants alone is enormous. Potted, climbing, as bushes, wild, cuttings, or as seeds.

The rose spreads joy in many ways, for many reasons, in many forms. No one is too old or young to be touched by a rose in some way, shape or form. It is indeed one of the most wondrous creations.

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One of the most cost effective ways of getting plants for your garden is from cuttings off other plants.

Many people avoid trying to grow plants from cuttings assuming it is too difficult.
If you know what to do it isn’t quite as hard as many people believe.

When you take a cutting off the plant that you want to grow, make sure it is approximately the length of a pencil.

You will then need to remove all but the top two leaves on the cutting.
If the cutting is from a large leaf plant you should also consider removing another leaf from the top to ensure there isn’t too much leaf for the cutting.

You will find where to cut the plant by looking at the stem. Where there is swelling on the stem, these are called nodes and this is where the growth of the plant occurs. You should always cut below a node when taking your cutting.

Once you have a good cutting you should treat it with a suitable hormone formulation. There are different types of hormone formulations specifically for the various types of plants and you will need to match the correct hormone with the plant cuttings you are growing. Your garden center can help with this.

Dip approximately 1/2 inch of the bottom of the stem into the correct hormone and then insert the stem into a suitable rooting medium. This rooting medium can be a mixture of pumice and sand for good results.

Compact the mix lightly around the stem to hold it in place.

If you cut the top off a clear plastic drink bottle it will act as a mini hot house once turned upside down and placed over the plant.

This will help raise the temperature inside and stimulate growth.

After about a month your cutting will have roots and you will be able to remove it and pot it as you would any other plant.

It really is quite simple once you know what to do.

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We have had the same lawyer for more than 20 years and I met her and her dad while I was working in the garden center at Sears. They were looking for roses and I was selling. We have had a great relationship since.

Who hasn’t heard of the most popular flowering plant of all time, the rose? The rose plant can spark a quick conversation amongst even the shyest of persons. Almost anyone can tell you of someone they know who has grown beautiful roses or of someone who couldn’t. Almost anyone can tell you of someone who got or sent roses, especially around the holidays. Even little children know what the rose plant is.

The local florist most likely has dozens of colors, types, and sizes of rose plants. It would seem to be the best selling flower of all time. The local discount store and even the local grocer carries some sort of rose plant these days.
In my opinion, the best rose is one that has a strong scent. A rose has a most distinct smell, and a scent welcome to most anyone. The fragrance is like no other and has been reproduced in perfumes and air fresheners for years. There are rose-scented oils and lotions, bath products. There are rose colors and rose images galore. You can find rose parades and people named Rose. You can even coming out “smelling like a rose”. All because of a mere plant that reached enormous proportions of popularity.

The rose plant is available in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and types. It is known worldwide. The prices vary depending on where you buy or what type and size you want.

Do you want a rose plant already started in a pot? You may have to repot it. Make sure you do your homework before you buy one.

When you decide what type of rose plant you’d like, think of placement. There is a plant called the thornless rose plant that will grow in the shade. But most rose plants are known to have thorns, so you wouldn’t want your small child or grandchild or frequent tiny visitors to happen upon something that is so pretty that they can’t resist grabbing and end up with an unwelcome handful of thorns. It may even sour them on the enjoyment of the rose plant for life because of a tearful memory. And roses are too beautiful to allow such a thing!

There are climbing rose plants which you most certainly wouldn’t want trailing across the ground to be stomped by animals or other foot traffic. Some roses are delicate and unfiltered light would cook their leaves to an unwelcome brown. If your rose plant is the type that grows into a bush, you would want to place it in a spot that allows for it to spread.
Rose plants carry so many different names, it’s probably enough to fill a small book! Some of the names include Rose Blaze, Rose Red Eden, Rose New Dawn, Rose Neptune, Rose Zephirine, just to name a very few. If you want a rose that sounds like it belongs in a class all its own, you could buy a Rose Paris D’Yves St. Laurent! That’s a mouthful! Happy Hunting!

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