By Jim Wagner, ARS Consulting Rosarian

Planning For Spring  For the gardener, late winter can be a fickle time of the year.  Well can I remember from my younger days, before there was the present day high powered snow removal equipment, when mid-March snow storms made roads impassable for days, but a week later flatland roads were flooded with the water where snow had been.  And within the past ten years being stranded in Albany, NY for three days on the way from Keene, NH to Syracuse by a blizzard that was supposed to be an average snowstorm.

Days are now getting noticeably longer; and with the change to Daylight Saving  Time, more daylight hours are available to be outside.  Now can be a time for pre-spring planning in anticipation of what is likely to come.

Choosing a Rose Garden Location. 

Late winter is not the best time to find out about your soil conditions, but you can get a feel as to where the sunny spots will be in your yard this summer.  A sunny (six to eight hours per day) location with good air circulation would be ideal for roses.  Eastern and southern exposures seem to be better than western or northern.  The morning sun helps dry the evening dew from the foliage, making it less susceptible to certain fungi.

Mid-to-late-afternoon shade is especially appreciated by roses in July and August, particularly for some with dark red blooms that may burn easily in hot sunshine after an afternoon shower.  To get some feel where the sun will be in your garden this summer, take a walk out in the yard around 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. now while we are still on standard (sun) time; and see where the shadows are.  By summer the late winter shadows should be shorter.  Areas where the shadows are the shortest in March or late winter are likely to be the sunniest when summer comes.

After determining the likely sunny spots, why not roughly sketch on paper where you could most successfully plant roses (and possibly companion plantings)?  When doing this, try to determine which of the rose varieties you’d plant are the tallest or most spreading; place these behind the shorter varieties.  That way the shorter varieties can get their share of sun. 

To give yourself a rough idea of garden size, allow spacing similar to the following between plants:  miniatures, 15-20 inches; HTs and similar modern roses, 30 inches; floribundas and shrubs, 35-45 inches; climbers and Old Garden Roses, 4-6 feet apart. 

Then as it gets closer to when you can think about working in the soil (probably the latter part of April), you can adjust your plans based upon DST time.  Keep in mind that DST is an hour ahead of the sun with the noon sun not coming until 1:00 p.m. during the summer.

Equipment Checkup

Pruning shears and loppers.  Are the blades dull or loose?  Now is a good time to clean and sharpen or replace dull blades while you should still have time to get parts if needed.  If you do not already have good pruning shears, I have had good luck with the Felco No. 2 pruner for full size roses and Corona No. 4 for the miniatures.  Whatever brand you buy, make sure to get one with the “Scissor” type blade.  This will give you clean 45 degree angle cuts without crushing the cane.  There are a variety of brands available, but a good pair will not be inexpensive.  My loppers, Wise Model 318-a with all steel blades and handles, have served me well for 30+ years.

Gloves.  Try to get those made of goatskin.  Thorns have a hard time penetrating their tough hide.  A pair of goatskin gloves that came from Edmunds Roses in Oregon and that I have had for at least ten years are still good except for a couple of places where I have worn the leather all the way through to my fingers.

Hand held sprayers.  Try filling them with water, pressurize, let stand for a day or so, and then see if there is pressure and the expected fine mist spray.  If not, check into whether needed parts are available or if it would be almost as cheap to buy a new sprayer.  In our “throw-away” society, what the hardware store wanted for replacement parts for my malfunctioning sprayer a couple of years ago would have cost just about as much as a new sprayer they had.  Having waited until I needed to spray, I ended up buying an unfamiliar brand sprayer that the store in Keene, NH had.  It does an OK job but needs frequent pumping to spray very many bushes at one time.

Protecting Your Health

Tetanus Immunization.  When is the last time you had a shot for tetanus?  If it has been ten years or more, it is time for a booster shot.  Or, if you are one of those people that never had this protection, now is a good time to get such a shot before it is time to be digging in the garden.  A tetanus injection once every ten years should protect you from the potential adverse or lethal effects of this bacteria.

Exercise.  Did you keep yourself in shape over the winter?  Many of us tend to slow down our physical activities as the days grow shorter in the fall, but we do not always reactivate our physical activities until a bright sunny day in April when we feel we must get out in the garden.  Then we pay with sore muscles or worse.  If you have kind of slackened off during the winter, try this:  Walking the Malls, push the shopping cart around the store a few extra times, or start outdoor walking.  First go around the block or down the road for 10 to 15 minutes and gradually work up to 30 minutes of brisk walking three to four times a week.   Fewer sore backs, less tired leg muscles and better breathing should then greet you when you start digging and pruning in the spring.

Help Keep Your (Roses) Cool!

Should we have some sweater or light jacket weather in late March or early April, do not  be tempted to take the covers off and start removing the winter protection from your roses.  Keeping the soil and bushes cool until at least mid-April will reduce potential late winter/early spring thawing and freezing that can be very damaging to roses.  If you must have an early look at your roses, it is OK to take a peek but then put the covers back on.  Keep them cool until more moderate temperatures are likely.

Enjoy the late winter while anticipating your spring gardening.