Diary log - Pruning Roses and Hydrangeas

A few years ago, I was attending grad school for my MBA (I'm about to be 39, in case you are wondering). It was my last semester, and my class had to play "The Game."  We were put into groups and competed on who could make the best decision in simulation.  Most groups had 5, but my group only had two.  My teammate was an MD from China.  We were midway through the game and we had to submit our decisions.  I had a set of variables I wanted to submit, and I felt that I was absolutely right.  I convinced my teammate to agree.  When the results came back, our grade was a 36.  That's an F.  Not only did this grade jeopardize our class standing, but our potential to graduate.  The whole class is informed of everyone's score.  She looked shamefully and said, "I am so embarrassed "    I looked at her apologetically and said, "I am sorry for the grade, I am not sorry for the mistake."  She looked at me astonished.

  After class, I went to the professor (who was also the Dean) and begged for my classmate to be released.  I told him it was all my idea and I could be very persuasive and that my teammate should not have to suffer for my mistake.  He said that I shouldn't worry, and he showed me how to correct my errors in the future.  We nearly won the game, we came in third.

I suppose my point is that my definition of experience is learning from your mistakes.  So I am not afraid to make them.

 That being said, I want to mention one more thing.  As a CPA, I get asked my opinion on very serious, life changing decisions (getting married/divorced, throwing a child of the house, foreclosure).  When clients asked me these questions (and I was willing to give an opinion oftentimes I am not), I always prefaced it by saying" I'll give you my opinion, but remember that it is not I that has to deal with its result.)

The following is a very log entry.  It really is more intended for me than for the readers of the blog.  My underlying purpose for using the blog...is for it to be a diary.  Don't get me wrong....I love getting feedback, advice and showing off....but the biggest reason I do it is to log what has transpired.  I used to do it on Facebook for a year but discovered blogging is much better at it and I don't bother my friends.

The web is an awesome wealth of information, but it's a double edged sword because there is a lot of conflicting information.

My issue was when to prune.   I read sooo many things on it..but the one that got me was..."When the plant comes out of dormancy.....THAT I can "hang my hat on"  So since the plants were emerging out of dormancy I opted to prune.  The following is just before and after pics of how I pruned and just bookmarking the plant to compare to next year....tomorrow I will finish pruning and do the epsom salt thing. So if you don't want to continue reading, I don't blame you.   Personally, I would read others who did this because it's detailed...anyway, sorry if this post is boring..but I needed to catalog it.

Cold in greenhouse ran heater for one hour went from 40 to 50

Bougainvilleas are loving it in here

Temp at 7am ...turning on heater

Shears dirty ..cleaned with bleach

gerber daisy

Azaleas along drive

Love the rye grass, do it next year but don't seed where bulbs are laid...I can't tell the difference.   Roughly 300 bulbs have been put in the ground.

Sunny knockout tree before pruning...rye grass shouldn't have been planted...never lost blooms...have some about to bloom...cut off hips and trimmed the ends

After pruning

Some potted roses that planted still maintaining bloom...weather has not been hitting freezing for a while and this week will be 60s and 70s...all plants are breaking dormancy.  Don't put bare roots in green house and then in the ground while it's winter.  Either put them in the ground or leave in the green house until 2/28 last fear of frost

Ch-ching

Moondance..have not pruned these yet

Orlando rose - not pruned yet..these would normally have blooms but they were  bought in pots at Christmas and put in the green house until last week

Don Juan before pruning...healthy leaves  removed dead canes and tips and any black spot..left crossing canes because is a climber...need to figure out what I am going to do about it climbing

American blaze climber...more prone to black spot...pruned off leaves and tips, dead canes, did not bloom much...may be a sleep, creep and leap...rose

Impatient before pruning

Climbing golden shower before pruning...fast grower it was 2 feet tall when planted.  Hurricane broke a significant can which was zip tied for support.  Grew appox 8 feet in less than a year...likes cold  not sure if it likes it in our weather..may be another sleep creep and leap plant...here is what I mean on this Paula Deen website...Sleep Creep Leap

Don Juan after pruning...more like a hair cut

More aggressive on Impatient since it's not a climber.  cut dead cane, bad leaves ,  crossing canes...very thorny maybe one to two inches

Pruned heavier.  Got rid of the cane that was dead from the hurricane...will need to trellis removed majority of leaves about 6 inch cut

Cut tips some lightly some about 6 inches.  Removed leaves...blackspot  will Epsom salt tomorrow

Knockout hasnt been a fast grower but stayed with leaves.  Cut off rose hips , any bad leaves and any crossing canes for shape...wanting a shrub look.  This one has been very slow compared to the other knockouts

Paradise...very fast grower.  Approximately five feet tall and 3 feet wide.  Planted on slope near drive.  Wanting a more shrub like appearance. Did not prune heavy however.  Cut off bad canes, crossing canes, bad leaves and tips...no more than a few inches.  I love this rose too much

Knockout..this one has always struggled... Trimmed like others about 6 inches though

Knockout, healthier than his neighbor

Paradise , planted months after the first one but grows fast ...aprrox 3 to 4 feet tall here..no leaves..

Knockout has blooms...prob should have cut them.

Knockout

Knockout at end....these were one gallon to begin with so that may be the reason why the other knockouts are taller

Paradise pruned...

First end knockout pruned for some of the leaves but not hard...tips...

sickly knockout...maybe need to pay more attn this year

Paradise...trimmed ends , hips, crossing and dead canes ...prob only a few inches

Removed tips and bad leaves...forgot to remove the flowers.

Paradise was treated nice...or maybe this is the knockout..can't remember

Knockout end...

Tulip tree (dark purple) that I got to exchange the princess tree

Impatient rose

Impatient rose again

Iceberg roses - prob needed to water more during winter

Wonder if I can epsom salt through miracle gro feeder

Gold medallion rose before pruning....prob put this in a bad spot

End iceberg..cut away cross branches...don't remember any dead canes

End Iceberg

Heater increased 10 degrees...been a very mild summer with many days in upper  60s and into 70s

Gold medallion rose after pruning...cut but not hard

Iceberg after pruning

Iceberg after pruning

Iceberg after pruning

This is a cross branch I am about to cut

Memphis music, on irrigation system, did not stop blooming and did not lose foliage...own root system

Iceberg showing emerging buds

end memphis music...rose faded

Youngest memphis music

Middle memphis music, cut faded rose and trimmed the tips and bad leaves..

End Memphis music trimmed faded rose and bad leaves...don't seed rye in this area in the fall.

End memphis music removed bad leaves

Hydras have not been trimmed all winter because cause growth..new buds emerging..much more comfortable and aggressive pruning.

Iceberg after pruning

Hyrdas before blooming.  Corner hydra maintained blooms  prob because most sheltered

Hydras on west end

Hydras on east end

Couldn't let the hydras not be appreciated ...put them in Mountain Dew...don't use diet!

Possible freeze burn..was happy to finally remove them

Knockouts behind pool have maintained foliage all winter..harder to prune though and weeds are an issue

Hydras pruned

Knockout has a rose bud on it

Knockout behind the pool

Another knockout

Another knockout

Altissimo climbing rose looked black from new growth...determined it was just its color

Touch of Class Rose pruned

Sundowner rose was moved here..from front field..bad spot..hardly bloomed..   Very tall.  I did approx a 10 in prune on top canes

Mr Lincoln pruned crossovers and dead canes...trimmed a few inches

Tangerine streams, was given to me in a bucket last November..full of blooms...cut the blooms off and pruned before going in the ground....

Gold Medal (johnnie bear) was moved from drive island in Nov.  Went into shock so I pruned it heavy.  I loved it.  I call it Johnnie Bear because that is what I call my husband...and he bought it for me for Valentines day last year.

Three Europenas....bought for Chris' Birthday.  They were sick with fungus , sprayed them and used Bayer 3-1 all year.  They wound up looking very healthy.  Beautiful rose.  I pruned off the rose hips, they has knuckles? on them that I cut off along with dead canes.  Pruned otherwise only a few inches..cut off most leaves.  Black spot, wanted a new beginning.