which mulch is better for roses???
Prettypetals_GA_7-8
16 years ago
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silverkelt
16 years agosherryocala
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Maidens's Blush or Great Maiden's Blush, which is the better rose
Comments (7)Maggie: I've read the same confusing comments about the two forms of MB. It's probably safe to assume that one form sported from the other. (There's slightly earlier documentation for GMB.) Both roses have been grown for centuries. During their long history of cultivation, it's quite probable that reversion has taken place from time to time -- an occurrence that would certainly 'muddy the waters' for growers. For anyone having a distinct preference for one form over the other, I'd recommend ordering from a reputable vendor who carries BOTH. Vintage and Pickering are two who meet those criteria. Rosemeadow: Good luck with your roses! Peter Beales, the English rosarian, wrote a fascinating short piece on GMB and MB several years ago. It's included as a chapter in ROSES -- A CELEBRATION, a book edited by Wayne Winterrowd. I don't remember the publication date, but I think it was published around the year 2000. It's a collection of essays written by various people, each discussing his/her favorite rose....See MoreBetter way to make shredded leaf mulch?
Comments (25)jugglerguy: Either way the maple leaves around here aren't ready to use as mulch in spring. Shredded they take less room & do compost faster. Left whole whether in large wire bins or plastic bags rolled around now & then they're not ready until at least 2 years. Have you heard of chop & drop a term by Ann Lovejoy, a Pacific Northwest garden writer? As you cut back spent perennials just chop them up & drop in place as your bottom layer of mulch, then top those with the shredded leaves as you acquire them in the fall for your uniform look. This way you only move them once letting them compost in place. In spring you could lightly rake through them a bit to freshen up the beds at the time you've usually applied the leaves. Sometimes, I pile it on thicker in places especially with perennials that don't mind mulch over the crown & come spring can spread it out a bit more after I pull it back from the crowns. Slug bait is a must in my climate all year round! Maybe you want to try a longer lasting mulch such as arborist wood chips if you can get them delivered to you. They last much longer here than leaves & the combo works to enrich the soil. Sometimes, I mix up a batch of mulch to top off the beds to include used coffee grounds along with leaves & wood chips. Once they're spread on the soil & we've had a few rains you really can't tell what the dark stuff is there....See MoreWhich "found rose" would you like to grow next to which 'known rose'?
Comments (87)For me Grandmother's Hat is a nice rose but not one of my most frequent bloomers. She only blooms in small flushes and no more than others of my HPs. HPs in general do well here as do Bourbons. Mme Pierre Oger is a monster (from Vintage who obtained a virus cleaned clone so maybe that accounts for some of the robustness???) Bourbon, healthy as can be and blooms repeatedly. Souvenir de la Malmaison is more demure in size but also a very healthy Bourbon with very good repeat. I can't remember whether she has many thorns. However, my HP Reine des Violettes is thornless and repeats about as much as Grandmother's Hat. Another HP I have is Comtesse O'Gorman, she is quite healthy and has few thorns. GH, RdV, and COG all seem to have very flexible canes, not twiggy/stiff like what I think of as HT habit. The HP that has bloomed the most for me is Baronne Prevost. She has also never shown any disease and has flexible canes. I have an HP from Eurodesert that came misidentified as Symphony but Cliff said it clearly wasn't. It's very pretty and healthy but quite strange. Grows in a very narrow, elegant, upright shape. I don't have a single rose that has that particular growth habit. Some canes are bristley while others are entirely smooth. I wonder how many of the found roses aren't any particular historic rose but rather seedlings of them. We know that in France back in the old days if you ordered a rose with a certain name you just might get a seedling. So what do we know about very old American nurseries? What were their practices? Did they always sell the actual variety or were seedlings sent? I really don't know but am curious about it. In addition, it seems modern day roses can easily get mixed up in commerce, so I have to wonder how many times that happened in the past, and we just don't know about it. Or if someone, way back got a seedling and that rose did really, really well, it might have been passed on to friends and spread because it was such a good plant. It won't match precisely a famous antique variety because it isn't. But should be treasured because of garden merit. With roses at Sangerhausen, I wish someone or a group would visit and discuss, in depth, the ID's of roses such as Cornet and Mrs. R. Sharman-Crawford with staff. How certain is Sangerhausen that these roses are correct in their garden? Do they have documentation that helps in the ID, and can this be viewed? Were these plants growing in parts of the garden that were bombed to heck during war, or in areas that came through unscathed? Then it would be nice if DNA of GH, Cornet, and MSC could be compared to see if they are related or are any of them identical....See MoreIs it better to compost or use this grass clipping as mulch?
Comments (17)It's not always easy to do with just grass clippings, but if you can get a thick layer of mulch, then seeds become a non-problem. It looks like you live in an urban area, so you may not have this option, but I let areas of my yard grow tall. I then use a swing blade (like a sickle,) or a pair of hedge shears to cut it and make a hay. For many crops, a 4" - 8" layer of this hay is the best mulch I have found. I apply it fresh and it dries perfectly in place. Grass clippings work great mixed into the hay. Very few weeds pop through, and those that do are so weak by the time they reach the light, that they pull with ease. There's a few older books that were written on such mulches by Ruth Stout. Not as popular as those books and articles once were, but the results speak for themselves....See Moreduchesse_nalabama
16 years agoPrettypetals_GA_7-8
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