For squirrels refer to Bucket of Death- check link. Otherwise, expect to need a full chicken wire enclosure, although netting will work if they are not too hungry- I like the woven kind- monofilamint gets tangled without a frame and is more easily torn through. I've noticed that they don't like climbing plastic fencing, so it's possible if you devise a support system for it without posts they can climb (place on inside of closure, bury the netting at the base and nail arms out from the post to hold the netting up, for example) you wont need a full enclosure. I noticed some panicked squirrels inside a plastic deer fenced enclosure and they wouldn't or couldn't go up the plastic and scurried until they found posts. Actually, come to think of it, 4' of fencing with a couple charged wires can stop squirrels (and most other critters) as well, if it's rigged up right so the squirrel gets zapped while hind legs are touching ground or the metal fencing closely behind the hot wires. Best to use a constant charger instead of a pulsing one for that. They aren't available as solar powered units last I checked. Here is a link that might be useful: bucket of death

Thanks,! Have some Epi's that do the 'sit and wait'. Feel that it may be a Tº thing. Not sure. Big fat 'Dog' for a blind sheath. It has bloomed for 2 years running. Easy. Name: BLC NOID Home Depot Impulse Buy' LOL Mr. MegA

Every spring is different up here in the mountains of Nocal. I no longer prune by the calendar, but follow the rule of waiting until the forsythias bloom. I've noticed that in some years they bloom two weeks ealier than others. If I wait, I don't see as much blind growth. What I find interesting is that the forsythias will bloom at different times ... by a few days, or even weeks, in different parts of town, which says something about the microclimates. We had a warm January this year and a lot of people went ahead and pruned their roses, but since my forsythias hadn't shown any sign of blooming, I waited. I am glad I did because February and March were unusually cold for this area. I see very little blind growth since I started following this old rule. This timing may only be true for the colder climates, but it seems to work for me. I usually wait until the estimated last frost date for this area before I feed the plants to encourage any new growth. It's kind of a conservative approach, but it seems to protect the new growth. Smiles, Lyn

Like everything else about pruning, it depends on the size and health of the rose. Good leaves - even if they are on a blind shoot - are going to provide nourishment to the bush. So, if you have a weak one or young one and you're interested in getting it started out strong - be patient. There will be plenty of shoots with buds later on. If it's a strong bush with plenty of buds and the blind shoots are anomalies - then by all means - cut back to the next 5-leaflet leaf and command that thing to produce!