Pruning all done. Much later than I would have liked. But it's done. Now to Rose Care.

We did have 1.3 inches of rain 7-8 days ago. Perhaps too much at once and it didn't really sink in? It's looking dry all around despite that rain. I know I watered all my bushes last Friday (today is Tuesday) and they are due to be watered again.

First fertilizer/soil application was Great Big Roses with some Super Thrive added in for good measure. GBR label strength is 4 oz. per gallon of water and give a pint to each rose. I find doling out only a pint to be problematic, so I like to provide one quart per bush. Thus, I cut the application amount in half to be 2 oz. per gallon of water and give a quart of the mixed solution to each bush. This way I'm providing the proper amount of GBR to each bush but with twice the water. I threw in maybe 2 oz. of Super Thrive into the 32-gallon trash can I use for mixing and then dipping with my gallon milk jug and filling my two-gallon watering can. Then I counted 8 bushes and tried to give one quart to each. It's an inexact science but I think it went well. This week I will fertilize with the Miracle Gro and Mills Easy Feed combination, both at one-half strength.

I moved the Clair Elyse and Perfectly Red maidens outside two days ago. They are placed on a short table to keep any rabbits at bay. Both seem to be doing nicely. They'll get lots of morning sun and then shade starting about 2 pm.

Winter casualties are now a clearer picture. Wildfire looks gone, as do both bushes of Margaret Merril. MM is own root so there is still some hope that something will emerge. A Chantilly Cream bush in the North Garden leafed out well but then seemed lose its roots and started to wilt. Not sure if it will survive - the top leaves are damaged, but the bottom leaves seem ok. Time will tell I guess. Both Papa Meilland bushes and The McCartney Rose have some growth now. There are several bushes with only one good cane growing but still alive - the winter of 24/25 has proven to be a bad one for roses.

Only 10 more bushes to go I think, and despite the 53-degree high temp today with 15 mph wind, I am bound and determined to finish TODAY!

Worrisome bushes: both Margaret Merrils, Chantilly Cream in North Garden, Wildfire/Rio Samba pairing in North Garden, both Papa Meillands, and the McCartney Rose (which by the way is now showing some signs of life). My two maidens - Clair Elyse and Perfectly Red - will replace the worst of these in July.

A few more broken stems found last night as I walked the gardens, including a very plump basal on Brigadoon (my favorite). That did not make me happy to say the least.

The two maidens - Clair Elyse and Perfectly Red - both have about 3-4 inches of stem and seem to be doing well. They are still in the garage right next to a window facing ENE, so they are getting good morning sun. I have seen a rabbit around the gardens, so I'll hold off putting these two outside in the ground until after they have bloomed. I may put them outside on a small table which would keep the rabbits at bay.

Speaking of Perfectly Red, the bush in the ground, which has been one of my best performers, is showing only one active cane thus far. In past years it has been very hardy. Why not so this year is a mystery, one of those rose-growing mysteries as to why roses seem to behave different from year to year.

I think I have 23 more bushes to de-mulch and prune. I seem to be getting more efficient with the process - it's been finding the time that's been the problem. My wife had foot surgery nearly 4 weeks ago and she can't get around much yet, so I have to help (or do) nearly all the household chores including doing the grocery shopping. That plus the unseasonably cold weather of late April and early May has really set me back timewise.

My previous post complained about the hot, windy weather. Yesterday was Saturday, which is golf day, and there seems to be some sort of conspiracy going to make Saturday the worst weather day of the week - it's happened for 4 consecutive weeks. To wit, when we teed off yesterday it was 53 degrees, with westerly winds at a steady 19 mph gusting to 40 mph. That is less wind than the previous two days. When we finished the 18th hole it had warmed up a few degrees, but the wind was still the same. Winds are only 10-15 mph today. The high temp this Tuesday and Wednesday will only be 53 degrees. Not freezing, but he norm (if there is such a thing) for May 20 is 72 degrees. We have not had any rain for 16 days. That is not good for anything.

One of my second year Chantilly Cream bushes, which did survive winter, looks like it may not make it. I think the hot, windy weather may have done it in. It's starting to shrivel up, despite being well-watered, and it appears the roots are not sufficient to keep the bush going. Oh well. Like I said before, it's another rose growing mystery.

Then end is in sight on the final pruning/mulch removal. Nearly all bushes are showing some signs of life. The worst off are The McCartney Rose, Moonstone, Maragret Merril and Wildfire. Many have basal shoots that are over a foot tall right now.

Chicago weather never disappoints. After a quite cold past 6 weeks, two days ago it reached 90 and it was 88 yesterday. But the winds! Yesterday was a steady 25 mph with gusts as high as 50 mph. My hat blew off 3 times while I was working in the rose garden. Wind was so strong it was snapping off some of the tender young shoots - I lost about 8-10 stems from the wind. I ended up securing some stems on those bushes only having one good stem (e.g. Gemini is North Garden).Still windy today but not as much and much cooler - 20-25 degrees cooler.