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Want roses? Grab your shovel; it’s time to dig in!

Rose society offers advice on transplanting -- and digging up – rose bushes

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JAN 8, 2024

Got a rose that needs to be planted, but you're out of space? Learn the options during the Sacramento Rose Society's next meeting Thursday, Jan. 11. (This is a Polynesian Punch floribunda rose, and yes, it needs a permanent space to grow.) Kathy Morrison

There comes a time in every rose gardener’s life: Where are you going to plant another bush?

Often, the answer may be: Take one out.

It’s called “shovel pruning” – the hard choice to dig up a bush that, no matter your efforts, just isn’t performing as expected.

Or maybe this problematic bush is just in the wrong place. Then it needs one more chance – in a better location. How do you transplant a bush that’s already been growing in the ground?

For that matter, what’s the best way to transplant any rose bush – from those that come packed in plastic to others rooted in a supposedly biodegradable pot?

Here’s your chance to find out! Our rosarians will tackle transplanting, shovel pruning and other timely tasks during the January meeting of the Sacramento Rose Society. Moderator Debbie Arrington, a master rosarian and co-creator of Sacramento Digs Gardening, will lead a panel discussion on the different ways to approach these jobs.

January is the best month to transplant roses in our area. The soil is soft from rain, yet still warm enough for root development. Put in the ground now, these new bushes will likely produce roses this spring.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, in McKinley Park. Parking and admission are free.

As always, rose society meetings are open to the public. Bring a friend!

Want advice about pruning, fertilization and other aspects of winter rose care? Check out the Winter Rose Care Workshop, hosted by the Sierra Foothills Rose Society. To be held at the Orangevale Grange Auditorium, this free public event will be held Saturday, Jan. 13, starting with registration at 8:30 a.m. and ending with a lunchtime chili cookoff.

Learn more here: https://sacdigsgardening.californialocal.com/article/80414-sierra-foothills-rose-class-2024/.

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

roses January Sacramento Rose Society Sierra Foothills Rose Society flowers workshop shovel pruning Sacramento gardening Orangevale

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Garden checklist for week of May 17

With an eye on warmer weather to come, continue to work on the summer vegetable garden:

* Remember to irrigate your tender transplants. The wind can quickly dry out young plants. Seedlings need consistent moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants. Water early in the morning for best results.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* Plant dahlia tubers.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, calibrachoa, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Don’t forget to weed! Those invaders are growing fast.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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