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.

It's an awful lot of work, and the chances of being able to make a living in a backyard are small. I use 10 acres and make a living, but not a great one. If you are serious about this: * Sell your house. Use the proceeds to buy an acreage about 45 minutes out of town. 45 mintues here is the magic number for prices. We bought a house and 80 acres for about what just a house in the city cost. * Search Youtube for 'backyard nursery' * Get a copy off of Amazon of Dirr's "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants" It's about 50 bucks second hand. * If you are restricted for space and strength, the money will be in producing liners. A liner is a plant grown to be sold to other growers. Typically from 1 inch to 1 foot tall. Find out what's popular by visiting greenhouses and nurseries in your area. At each one find out if they buy pre-grown plants, or if they buy smaller plants and grow them to size. Garden centers tend to be the first, wholesale only nurseries tend to be the latter. Retail nurseries are often a mix. * Pick things that are easy to propagate * Pick a spectrum of things to spread the work load.

good additional comments from briosafarm and xtal. In colder climates, new shrubs and trees go in in the spring, because the roots need to get established before the extreme cold which could kill them. But in Texas, the ground is always warm, so the roots have all winter to develop and you get almost an extra year's advantage by planting in the fall. I should have picked up on the crape myrtle thing, too. Light pruning anytime is fine. Maybe there is a stray twig growing the wrong direction that needs to be removed. This is simply tidying up the plants. If a tree-form crape myrtle is wanted, then when it is still fairly small, all but maybe 7 limbs are removed clear to the ground. That leaves enough so that when it gets big enough, you can decide which 3 or 5 will make the nicest, most symmetrical "tree" an you remove the rest, leaving one extra in case one gets damaged and has to be removed. As the plant matures, you will want 3 or 5 main trunks, and the rest will be cut off to the ground. On these trunks, the extreme lower twigs/branches are removed to make the plant look tree-like, but don't make the mistake of stripping any trunk up too far. If you do that, no new branches will ever grow back. All growth takes place at the ends of the growing tips at the top. Lastly, TOPPING crapes is epidemic across the South, for reasons that elude reasonable people. Topping is cutting back the upper limbs severely. It makes no sense, is counterproductive, and when the crapes are bare in the winter, the thick limbs below and the skinny regrowth above is one of the ugliest sights in today's landscapes. Rather than rave on about topping crape myrtles, which some clever horticulturist dubbed CRAPE MURDER, do an internet search on the proper pruning of these plants and read several articles. You might even try entering crape murder and see if that comes up. WHEW! I got on a soapbox. Good luck in your Texas gardening. Actually, I live only a few miles from China Spring. I would suggest that you listen to Neil Sperry on AM radio KRLD 1080 from 8 to 11 on Saturday and Sunday mornings. His book, Texas Gardening, is a very good handbook, although it is becoming outdated, as far as the introduction of new plants since it was published, and some revised recommendations on lawn fertilizing and a few other things here and there. I can suggest some other books if you are the type to read for gardening advice. I also feel the need to warn you that Waco is limited in our choice of nurseries, and some of the leading ones give advice that is often questionable and often plain wrong. It is best to do your research on your own. Texas A&M website has much accurate information. They have a list of SuperStar plants for Texas, which have undergone rigorous testing in order to be given the designation. If you can visit the Dallas Arboretum and the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens, you can also see plants suited for Central Texas. Bonnie's Greenhouse near Bellmead is a great place to shop, and Bonnie knows her stuff. It's fun to visit.

Here is a list I compiled of blooming plants that do well for me in the heat of summer. Bear in mind........these might not do well for everyone, but they work for me. I would think they would do well in any hot climate. My clematis have always done just fine with extra mulch/composted horse mature put on the base of the crown - same as I do for my roses. When I first started growing them, I put the proverbial stone over the roots to keep them shaded. When I realized it didnt make any difference, I just used the mulch. I just bought 3 more at Tractor Supply this afternoon. [Nelly Moser, Jackmanii and Rouge Cardinal]......needed some special feed for one of my older horses - came out with that, 3 clematis and 3 roses - Tiffany, that I had been wanting, 2 Sally Holmes, 1 for a friend. Same with Walmart - found 3 Lavender Crush I had to have........good thing every store I go into doesnt have roses! Hope this list helps! SUMMER PLANT LIST: periwinkles [Pacifica red is great] angelonia – dark purple and white show up best purselane/portulaca [does well in pots] – edging in hot sun hibiscus [tropical] – in pots or planted in ground lantana – New Gold is not as invasive mandavilla – climbing vine, loves hot sun plumbago canna Sun Coleus profusion zinnas [like white & yellow gomphrena [combo: orange marigolds or profusion zinnias w/ purple gomphrena] Fireworks is lovely – tall and spreads zinnas from seed [spray for mildew] salvia – perennial greggii [put in drifts or rows] - Blue farnicia esperanza Gold Bells - sun cant get hot enough for this one, blooms constantly blue daze Lady In Red salvia [overwintered well in pot in greenhouse in 2011- Celosia cristata – cockscomb celosia – loves heat Mexican Honeysuckle – justinicia Mexican heather Mexican Cosmos [tithonia] – hard to find, was at ARE Jerusalem sage potato vine [use new bronze color with fall blooming plants] grasses: purple fountain grass ,asparagus fern, ornamental peppers