I agree with hoovb wholeheartedly. Beyond all the other aspects of good plant care - good soil, good feeding practices, enough water, lots of sunlight - the single most important rose care chore is pruning. You won't get a larger rose bush by not pruning it - if the rose variety you have is not destined to be a large rose bush. You have to prune. The rose's root system will only support so much top growth. So long as you leave the plant unpruned, it's going to be reluctant to throw out new shoots, because it is already carrying enough top growth. Once you reduce the amount of vegetative growth by pruning, the rose will get the message "Hey! It's time to get more stems and foliage up there - it's looking a bit sparse." I would add one more "dee" to Hoovb's 3 D's though - my 4 "dees" are Damaged, Diseased, Dead or Done. I.e., remove those several year old canes that are no longer productive of flowers.

Hello, kaliszek. I assumed that your plants are planted in the ground, as opposed to being grown in a container. I would recomment that you re-visit the basic requirements to see what could be missing. (1) The more sun they get, the more flowers shrubs produce. Are they getting between 2-4 hrs of sun over there minimum? (2) Rhodies produce flower buds starting in July (approx). Are you pruning them in or after July? (3) Constant moisture assures that the plant is healthy while producing and keeping these buds. Are they drying out during the critical bud-forming months? (4) the soil should drain well and be acidic. Any draingae issues where these plants are located? Is the soil clay? (5) I could not tell what zone you live in. Do you apply some winter protection techniques? To protect them from the cold and drying winds? (6) wild temperatures fluctuations can also kil the flower buds. Have you experienced warm temperatures followed by sudden freezing temperatures? (7) Rhodies planted out of zone may be able to prosper but bloomage would suffer. Are the plants good in your zone? (8) Some old rhodies have to be pruned to revitalize the flower show. However, you said yours were "smallish". When did you plant them? (9) Rhodies planted from seed will not flower for a few years. Did you buy your plants at a nursery or grow them from seed? (10) Some pests out there like to eat the flower buds? Do you have deer or squirrels where you live? (11) Have you done a soil analysis ever? It would be nice to ck your Ph Level and the availability of minerals in case there is a problem. (12) How much mulch do you have on these rhodies? About 3-4" protects them during winter and keeps the soil evenly moist. I am sure there are many more possibilities in addition to these. Do any of them fit your situation, kaliszek? Luis

It is my understanding that during the peak daylight hours the plants produces nectar about every 30 minutes. Now if you are watering the plants via sprinkler it takes the plant overnight to reproduce the nectar that was diluted by the water falling directly on the flower. That is why it is recommended that we butterfly enthusiasts only water plants with soaker hoses or other underground systems.

got a message snack_food2 how to root cuttings? Here is a link and in search box above type "root cuttings" in Adenium for more links. http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1646397/adenium-cuttingswill-they-strike-roots?n=14