Dear Newsview, I am no expert, but I can share what I have learned in 12 years of growing roses in the hot Central Valley. Winter watering is critical. Water is restricted where I live, so I try to irrigate in winter in dry years to help my roses grow a good root system through the winter months. I second your idea of pruning in early summer. Many of my best roses quite sensibly take a nap during summer months. You might want to interplant with some aromatic plants--I particularly like lavender--for summer interest and to help repel insects. Weeding, my worst failing, is also critcal. There is simply not enough water to support the roses and the weeds. Herbs, like the lavender just mentioned, rosemary, etc. have fairly low water requirements. Also, I hope you are spreading a thick mulch to feed your plants and suppress weeds. I have had very good results with alfalfa pellets, available from feed stores, spread around the roots of my rose bushes. These can be covered with a layer of composted manure--available at Savemart at a very low cost--wood chips, or other mulch for appearance. You might want to consider switching to some organic methods, which I think--nonexpert personal opinion--might work for stressed plants. I have had good results with alfalfa tea; there are recipes here on the organic care forum. The search function should turn one up for you. Essentially, you soak some alfala in a fairly large amount of water untill you can't stand the smell, then dilute and use as a soil drench. I have all but given up on bareroots--body bags as they are called on this forum. They might do well in cold climates, but in our warm springs, the tops are happily growing while the roots are still dormant. Some expert CA gardeners still buy them and report good results, but I have found I prefer ownroot plants. And do check out the website for Sequoia Nursery. World renowned breeder Ralph Moore, from Visalia, CA, has introduced wonderful cultivars which do particularly well in warm climates. At $12.50 each for his newest floribundas plus shipping to your location, you will still pay less than at your local garden center for a far superior plant. I have also learned to plant in fall and winter, and never later than April. Unfortunately, what is sold at one's local garden center is not necesarily what grows well in one's local climate. I, and many other gardeners, have to do our own research to learn about what we can and can't grow. You might want to visit one of the splendid public gardens in S. CA. to see what kind of roses you might like to try. I am partial to Noisettes and Teas, but this is a matter of taste.

Organization, or lack there of, deer, rabbits, groundhogs, slugs (up to 3", disgusting and voracious eaters) and clay ground that looks like the back yard "pond" in above photo after merest rain sprinkle. I've done the amending and mounding thing but that seems to have made gardens prime target for moles, voles and chipmunks. While side dressing perennials with compost yesterday found more than a few holes directed right at roots when I was moving foliage to get compost under there. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to fit in potting up perennials that don't have a home yet, plant all the bulbs after trying to amend the always soaked/compacted clay (tulips I planted yesterday have puddle over them this AM), what to do with perennials that look like they have lace foliage from slugs/bugs/insects and still try to get the hang of winter sowing so I have enough to replace what the miserable creatures ate and destroyed. I'm tied up in an anxiety knot my second year since I know it all doesn't work out well and it's so disappointing after all that work to get it going. Did I have germinating mix too wet, did I feed them soon enough, who needs light and who wants dark...on and on and on. Gotta take the time to make a chart and get organized. After marathon sowing (without record keeping except Sharpie notes on containers)I got lost in what all different things needed and how they wanted to be planted. I don't have the experience or personality to just hunk'o'seedlings them and let em survive or perish! My fenced butterfly garden has been decimated by groundhogs that climb 4' fence, rabbits that find the smallest opening to slither under and deer that are getting in there although they aren't supposed to jump fences without a lot of open space beyond fence. The only thing they haven't eaten in there is milkweed but that was moldy and losing most foliage long before the last of my Monarchs were released in late August. I also know there will be a plethora of self seeded monarda just waiting to spread mold coming up all over in there...LOL. Had to put Tithonia in huge container 3' high (was for onboard boat storage) with another 3' of chicken wire rigged on top of container. Groundhogs still got up there and repeatedly ate them to nubs, went away for a while and then pulled down 4' stems until they looked like they'd been struck and split by lightening. To add insult to injury not a single butterfly used them but the bees loved them. I should be asking myself why I've already purchased most seeds and have a few more to get for next year but it's impossible to fathom. This is supposed to be fun but I guess seeing at least some flowers that attracted lots of bees and butterflies who don't care about the rest of the plant looking like hell or know what's not there that was planted makes up for all the disappointment. Just to put in my 2 cents, I'd have wanted to explode if workers and/or neighbors were so inconsiderate to trample plants after all the work it took to get them in there! I'd just seethe but my head would hurt from keeping it in...LOL. You at least expect "humans" to have more sense than all the critters that plague your plants/gardens. I've spent a small fortune on bagged garden soil, potting soil, compost and amendments as well as critter repellant sprays. Started winter spraying regime yesterday on roses, azalea, boxwood, hollies and yews. Compared to people who have snakes in their gardens I think I'll consider myself relatively lucky on the critter front no matter how much of a continual fight it is. I could go on whining forever but it only makes me feel guilty for all the troubles I DON'T have that others battle daily on a more serious level. It won't stop me from whining or gardening but people "alive in the flesh" around here just walk away when I start talking about seeds, flowers, plants, containters or any gardening topic. Wait until I come home with bales of germinating mix when it comes in Friday at Agway 30 miles away that ordered it for me...LOL. Sorry for whining when "challenges" was topic! I need an attitude adjustment like they tell kids.

With regard to Megpi's post, I totally agree on all points made. And it's still obvious to me that microbes, being living organisms, can move over and across the barrier along the top of the growing medium rather than having to "swim" under the barrier. With regard to Bencjedi's post, I grew about 100 Brandywine transplants for the Master Gardeners Plant Sale and kept a dozen or more at home to give to friends. Right now there are 10 of those Brandywine in 6" round pots filled with identical Baccto Professional Potting Mix with the pots stowed in a pile of bark fines like you might seed trees in nursery tubs with bark chips walled up around the tubs to keep the roots cool. All 10 plants have been treated identically since the time the seeds were planted ... same starter mix, same potting up mix, same fertilizer, same watering, same sunlight ... indentical. And there are marked differences between the plants at this time. Some are leafier, some are taller, some shorter, some have flowers, some don't have flowers, etc. When I look at that particular SWC with the two Brandywines, I see the one closer to the fence is taller and has less dense foliage maybe due to its location with regard to sunlight. I see the sunlight shining between the fence slats. Which way is east or south? I also notice the one nearer the fence is flowering. And the Brandywine farther from the fence seems to have more "mitten fingered" leaves. Hey, who knows about the vagaries of open pollinated heirlooms???

Hi--I had an infestation of spider mites on my hollyhocks about 3 weeks ago and tried a water-milk-flour spray on them that seems to have worked. I did sort of just guesstimate the proportions of flour/milk/water, but you should be able to find recipes if you want to Google it. I've shaken the leaves over a white paper plate and found very few mites since then. It won't hurt beneficials unless they get stuck in it when you spray. According to the source I found this recipe in, the flour mixture would suffocate/trap the mites and then flake off--ha! I can't get it off the plants. I've sprayed the crap out of them with water several times and we had a huge rainstorm a few days after I applied it. I will think I've gotten it off, but as soon as the leaves dry, there it is again. (All the spraying might also be getting rid of the mites, of course) It collects in the veins of the leaves. The problem might not be so bad with tomatoes since they have smoother leaves than hollyhocks, though. That said, it doesn't seem to be hurting the plants, it just looks kind of yucky up close. It might work better if you could just confine it to the undersides/stem junction of leaves, I got it everywhere. I haven't tried to wash it off with soap, either. I don't know if you'd want to try this on your garden or not, I only had a problem with two big hollyhocks, not a widespread infestation. I just wanted to keep them from spreading to the tomatoes.