If you’re a first-time visitor, welcome! To receive The Weekly Dirt in your inbox every week…
Hi, guys!
I pruned the giant Knockout rose overhanging into my driveway this week, and my car let out a sigh of relief. The poor thing always holds its breath when I pull into the driveway, as the bully bush threatens to scratch it every time. OK, maybe I’m the one holding my breath, but no matter — the menace won’t intimidate again until at least early summer.
The good thing about landscape roses like Knockouts is they can handle pruning throughout the growing season, and they bloom on new growth, so a trim here and there doesn’t impact the show.
But regardless of the species, it’s time to prune roses.
Aim first to remove dry, dead, damaged and weak stems, cutting them off just above where they meet a lower adjacent cane. Next, tackle diseased stems, disinfecting pruners between cuts by dipping them in a 90/10 water/bleach solution or spraying blades with a disinfectant such as Lysol.
Criss-crossed stems growing diagonally across straight ones should be next on the chopping block if they bother you. This depends on whether you like things nice and tidy or don’t care if things grow wild.
Thinning out canes from the center of the plant will open it up for better air circulation, which will translate into a healthier plant and less opportunity for mold and fungal diseases to take root, so to speak.
With the necessaries out of the way, stand back to ascertain the shrub's shape and plan your next cuts, standing back periodically to re-evaluate. When pruning for shape and size, cut each cane 1/4-inch above a healthy bud. If you leave a larger portion of cane above the bud, it will die and look ugly. Nobody wants that.
If you’re a first-time visitor, welcome! To receive The Weekly Dirt in your inbox every week…
📬 Ask Jessica
I ran into readers Theresa and Mike at my Barnes & Noble calendar signing a couple of months ago and promised to get back to them with tips for attracting hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds have very high calorie needs — feeding several times an hour — as they burn a lot of energy beating their wings up to 80 times per second. To attract them, plant red and other bright-colored flowers, especially those with tubular shapes, and aim to have something blooming in each season.
Bee balm (Monarda didyma) and butterfly bush (Buddleia) are great plants for attracting hummingbirds, as well as butterflies. Others include bleeding heart, columbine, larkspur, cardinal flower, salvia, trumpet creeper, petunia and zinnia.
Supply a water source, and for good measure hang a bee-resistant hummingbird feeder to provide an extra source of protein (but don’t add red food coloring.)
💡 If you do one thing this week…
Prune summer-blooming shrubs before buds form, lest you risk reducing the season’s blooms. For more great gardening tips — 365 of them! — get a jump on the growing season with my Day-by-Day Gardening Calendar. It’s like a complete gardening course in a wall calendar! By the end of the year, I promise, you’ll have earned a green thumb! Plus, your wall will be adorned with award-winning photography provided by The Weekly Dirt readers. Take a look:
👏 Sunday shoutout
Reader Sue Luma snapped this shot of an American Goldfinch munching on the fluffy seeds of what appears to be milk thistle last August at Edwin B. Forsyth Wildlife Reserve in Smithville, NJ.
Send in your photo, and you could be featured next!
📧 How’m I doing?
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along — as well as any topics you’d like to see covered and questions you’d like answered in the Ask Jessica section.
And if you’re enjoying this newsletter, please share it with a friend!
I have your calander and love the emails too. Thank you for your helpful gardening advice.....enjoy reading them!!
I welcome your emails ! Thanks!!!