Articles for Rosarians

Leaf scorch damaging roses

Leaf scorch, caused by the summer sun, is damaging roses. However, it also may be spider mites. This article uses photography to show the difference. (read more)

Best Roses for North Texas

What are the best roses for North Texas and the Red River Valley? (read more)

Horizon Roses

Each year a book of commentary on new exhibition roses is published. It's called Horizon Roses and is available for $8 ($10 appreciated) from Johnny Premeaux 700 Westbury, Orange, Texas 77630. This year, I am looking at this publication with special interest because I am buying a house... (read more)

Pruning Roses

Most winter damage to rose bushes is due to lack of watering, Claude Graves of Richardson, Texas, told a gathering of Collin County rose growers recently. (read more)

Classifications

Weeks Roses provides lists by classification. (read more)

Chamblee's Classifications

Bourbon roses produce large, full, cupped and often quartered blooms on a strong and vigorous growing bush. The bush may be shrubby or have long canes like a climber with glossy foliage. The booms usually have a rich color and are very fragrant. Bourbon roses are repeat flowering with a strong profuse bloom in spring, followed by intermittent repeat blooms into fall. Most are hardy in zones 6-9. (read more)

What's better than compost?

Gardeners already know compost is terrific stuff. But there's something even better than plain old compost, and that's aerobic compost tea. As the name implies, compost tea is made by steeping compost in water. It's used as either a foliar spray or a soil drench, depending on where your plant has problems. (read more)

August Pest Alert

As you may have noticed, the field crickets are showing their faces a little earlier this year. Crickets are normally an outdoor insect, usually found under rocks, logs or any crack or crevice... (read more)

Using Oils to Manage Insects

The use of oils as part of a control program is becoming more favored instead of using synthetic pesticides. Oils can be distilled from petroleum such as horticultural oils, Volck oils, summer oils, dormant oils or mineral oils or oils can be extracted from plants and animals such as neem oil or fish oils. (Read more)

Garden Art

Sure it's the flowers that draw us into the garden. It is hard to resist the cascading beauty of a Brilliant Pink Iceberg rose tree or the whirling clusters of color on Topsy Turvy. However, a few well placed pieces of garden art will not only enhance the overall look of the landscape, it can also bring your personality into your garden. (read more)

Two Roses Added
to EarthKind List

They have been around almost forever. They are hardy and deserve the EarthKind designation. To read about these two newest EarthKind roses, go to the Texas AgriLife web site. (Read more)