Wednesday, Jul. 21, 2004 – 11:53 a.m.
2004-07-21 11:53
I have to say that I have not been in the garden that much lately. Blame it on the weather (it has been hot lately… Hey, it’s Summer! What do you expect??) or the fact that I have had a chest cold (and therefore trying to get lots of rest) or just plain laziness.
Last Thursday, however, I did get out in the evening and sprayed with fungicide: Banner Maxx and Mancozeb. I notices a significant reduction in the number of japanese beetles (YEAH!) and the analogous increase in healthy buds and un-chewed-on blooms. Interestingly, it is the darker blooms that had the beetles on them. Back to the spray program… it appears that the use of Banner Maxx is working. I notice significantly less blackspot than I have had in the past. In addition, plants like the Austrian Copper/R. Foetida, which are supposed to be black spot magnets, show little or none.
So, I glanced at the garden as I was heading out this morning and it is showing a lot more color (i.e. there are a lot more blooms) than it has for the past month to 6 weeks. From my quick scan, I know The Fairy bushes have been blooming well as is the White Pet. These are polyanthas and they really didn’t get hit by the J.B. King of Hearts looks like it might have some nice dark red blooms and some of the new bushes from Astor Perry’s yard and from Roses Unlimited are blooming. I need to remember to go out and get pictures of the new blooms so I can post them here. The Madame Berkley has some blooms coming, as did some of the minis.
I need to take a closer look at the Rose de Rescht. It is looking a little sickly. The leaves are not the right (more yellow than green) and it is not blooming much. It may be too much water or maybe not enough food (it’s in a pot) or some of both.
The Neverending Tasks
Of course, I still need to weed… in some places, it is hard to tell the rose bushes from the weeds and some of the weeds are as prickly as the roses too! I also need to feed the bushes. I never did get the time-release fertilizer down this spring and now it is pretty much too late for that. If I put the Ozmecote or Dynamite down now, it will continue to feed into Oct and November, when I want the plants to start shutting down. Any new growth that starts then will not be hardy enough to withstand the winter. So I guess I should get some 10-10-10 and give them a dose now. Now that I think about it, one place I read suggested using 10-10-10 (or some other balanced fertilizer) once a month from May through Sept or so. If I give them a dose now and then when I get back from Pennsic, that should do them for the rest of the year. All the more reason to get the weeds out of there… I want to feed the flowers, not the weeds.
Also on the list of tasks is redoing some of the watering stuff. I have more of the 1/4″ tubing and I thought I would redo some of the places I have been using garden hose with those emitters I got at Witherspoon Roses.
Time… all I need is more time….