Jim: how winter-hardy it is depends on how much moisture to nourish the root-system. My snapdragons are still fresh & blooming in the snow, since we have wet rainl recently. Yesterday I had to empty three 52-gallons rain-barrels by buckets, since they were so full, that draining by hose wasn't fast enough.

Following Carol's example of keeping the ones she likes only .. I killed wimpy-Yves-pink-seedling and Crimson glory ... their roots are wimpy since it's in dry spot, roof's overhang blocks 50% of the rain. There's the myth that if you don't prune roses in late fall, they survive the winter better. I did that last year and lost the most roses ever !! This year I prune them short, so I can pile up dirt, then leaves on top to KEEP the root moist. How well a rose survive the winter has to do with how much moisture underneath to nourish the roots.

Carol is right about watering roses VERY WELL before the cold temp. set in. My clay soil retains moisture well, but I still pile up dirt & leaves on top to keep roots moist. Seil in Michigan waters her pots in the winter .. she piles up leaves on top to keep pots moist.

When roses' roots are small, like your sister's rose, they dry out faster than deep-rooted like Dr. Huey. Even French Romantica roses like Frederic Mistral (5' x 4' bush) died last dry winter. When I dug up the root, it was huge like a tree, but only on the upper 1 foot of soil. Any root in the upper 1 foot of soil stand a chance of being dried out & die through the cold weather, if there's nothing above.

Thanks Straw! Right now the soils moist from rains but we did have dry weather earlier this season and I should of watered them more but neglected too... Some areas here our soil stays constantly moist (areas with the most clay) other areas do not stay as moist...I have to remember that...lol

I only prune roses mainly in the Spring but many people around here whack roses way down in Sept or later and they come back in the Spring just fine. My neighbor has been whacking her rosebush down almost to the ground in the fall since 1975 and its still grows back year after year to this date... SO....lol

Wonder if I piled some compost on my sisters rose after the ground feezes if that would help?

Jim: Compost sounds good ... anything on top would protect the tiny roots from freezing & drying out.

Carol: I hope your flu gets better soon. I sip cold water flavored with 1/2 lime per day (zero sugar) .. that help me to eat less & get my vitamin C. Thank you for the memory-foam shoe recommendation. I hope your dog Jellybean stay strong for you.

Jess: Glad to hear that you get rain in South Africa ... I wish I could have a few more warm days to work in the garden. It's 12 F. tonight, or -11 C. There's a YouTube where they tested cheap KitchenAid blender vs. expensive Vitamix, Blendtech, and KitchenAid makes good smoothies just like the $$$ Vitamix. Green Smoothies is actually nasty-tasting, it's meant for those with zero teeth like my 90 year old Mom. I would eat a Kale salad anytime, and I think water with a squeeze of lime is WAY BETTER tasting than green smoothie. I really think people lose weight from GREEN smoothies because it taste so bad !!! Whenever I make it, it tastes like medicine !!

Msgirl: Your Hawaii roses come just the right time when our winter is here. I miss the sunshine, but I like cold weather. It snowed last night, and I had my window opened, plus a fan blowing ... I forgot to pre-chill my room. We always open the windows before bed-time, my kid and I like our rooms to be 59 F, or 15 C. The flax oil (Omega-3) we consume raise our body temp. In the summer I don't use any flax oil nor fish oil .. I get too warm. Flax is a cold-climate crop. My neighbor gives her children flax oil too, she says it's a laxative. Here's how my backyard look like today, Nov. 21, after a heavy snowstorm. it's like black/white outside, and no colors !!

The most powerful weight-loss thought came to me tonight: "Eat half, and give half to God." That thought came from: Genesis 4:2-5

"Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast."

The below site explains why: http://www.rationalchristianity.net/cain_abel.html

" It says that Abel "brought fat portions from some of the firstborn." He offered some of what came first, and he offered the choicest parts. Abel was clearly giving the best of what he had to God. Cain, on the other hand, brought crops, which were not necessarily the best crops - they may have been damaged and/or been what Cain considered "extra" or "leftover."

Thanks Straw. :)

Looks like you got a big dump of snow!!

Carol

wow the snow is so beautiful....a winter wonderland... thanks for the photo Strawberry Hill...

shame the poor baby roses.... I hope they get better soon Jim, I think Strawberry Hill's advice might just pull them through..

when that happens, should the dead parts be pruned of right away (before watering them and covering them with mulch) Strawberry Hill?

Is there anything you would suggest to paint the stems with to help protect them even more?

Carol, it's me and the homeopathy again...please get yourself some Oscillicoconum (I haven't had any flu since I started using this, more than 25 years ago..whatever anyone else tries to claim, it really really works....) , it has no side effects, promise...it'll build up your immune system... and try Rosemary and Oregano tea...sip about 2 liters per day. Also - stay very warm (don't take of your thick winter clothes even if you have a fever and feel hot), because that helps to kill the flu germs faster...

ps - open one capsule and throw the contents underneath your tongue so that it can melt there. no eating or drinking 30 minutes before or after. If you drink it down with water, it won't work...it has to melt underneath your tongue...

You are so right Strawberry Hill... we should always give only the best to God...but also to others...because God is in all of us, in everything we see, there is God...also to give our best when working, singing, living...we do everything for God...... when/what we do to/for others, we do to/for God... :-)

Thanks, Jess, for the advice. I'm on the tail end, (I hope) of this cold/flu, so I'll pass on the pills, and as for the tea - I just can't drink any warm liquid. I hate them all.

But thanks for looking out for me!

Carol

Yes I was wondering the same thing Jess...Should I prune the bad sections of cane off before covering with compost?

Wow great winter wonder-land snow pic Straw!

Glad your feeling better Carol! Because having the flu s*cks! oops...lol

Love that saying of yours Jess!

" we should always give only the best to God...but also to others...because God is in all of us, in everything we see, there is God...also to give our best when working, singing, living...we do everything for God...... when/what we do to/for others, we do to/for God... :-)"

Thanks for all the kind thoughts sent my way!

Jess - Those roses are AMAZING!!!! Oh my goodness!!! You've done a wonderful job!!!! It's my birthday today (53) maybe I can pretend those are for me!!

Jim - I agree! Feel about 50% better. Not 100% yet. And I missed the opera last night - didn't feel well enough to go. My daughter went without me. It was Lakme and they had the beautiful flower song!! I've never heard it in person. :(

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6tipk_the-flower-duet-lakme_music

Carol

Sorry to hear you had to miss going to the opera with your daughter...Feel 100% better soon!

I watered my sisters roses today...

Chilly & windy today in the mid 30's...

WOW! Those bouquets are awesome Jess! Rose pics keep me going! Or else I'd be wanting Spring to come already! lol...

Jess: I love those bouquets you post, nice mix of vibrant color. I love the yellow, purple, and orange. They really cheer me up. I like the sunshine on the bouquets .. our sun is very weak & very short in winter. Thank you !!

I like what you (Jess) wrote: "Oscillicoconum (I haven't had any flu since I started using this, more than 25 years ago..whatever anyone else tries to claim, it really really works....) I will have to buy that when black-Friday sale starts on Amazon. A tiny amount can help with immune system. I ate a handful of pumpkin seeds last night, broke out bright-red hives (the entire body), took 1 tiny Benadryl pill, and that calmed the itch. Oscillicoconum is still cheaper than getting a flu-shot (which didn't work for me).

Carol: Happy 53rd Birthday to you !! Thank you for that beautiful link to the opera-song .. the ladies are lovely and the music is so relaxing. Like you, I prefer cold-drink ... faster to make by squeezing lime into water. Having warm tea is a luxury, which I drink when my kid & husband are gone. I hope your flu go away.

Last March my entire family came down with flu that lasted for 1 month. What we did wrong: 1) Lime/lemon went up in price, and I didn't squeeze FRESH lime/lemon into juice 2) End of season for pomegranate, so my kid was short on vitamin C & caught a flu first. 3) We drank Kefir .. the dairy made everyone constipated. 4) I stopped soy milk, and no longer make Brewer's yeast shake.

Jim: Prune in the winter is best, since there's no cane-borers in this cold temp. I pruned in spring before, and cane borers attacked in warm weather. Best day to prune is sunny & cold winter. The sun will zap any fungus, and there won't be any cane-borers insect in such cold temp.

Msgirl and Sam: Have you ever tried Pomegranate? It's the most nutritious food ever, rich in fiber. From Wikipedia: A 100-g serving of pomegranate seeds provides 12% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin C, 16% DV for vitamin K and 10% DV for folate (table).

From Mayo Clinic: " Another study found that the length of time it took for PSA to double after surgery or radiation for prostate cancer was significantly longer in men who drank 8 ounces (237 milliliters) of pomegranate juice daily for up to two years. Other studies have found that certain compounds in pomegranate juice inhibited growth of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. "

** From Straw: When I was pregnant, I had a bad craving for pomegranate (rich in folate). Normally it takes 20 min to get the seed out, but with the Pomegranate de-seeder, it takes only 5 min. One cut the pom. into halves, section it lightly, then hit with a scoop, and the seeds fall into the bowl. Below is a pic. of Pomegranate de-seeder. I broke the green plastic de-seeder, then bought the sturdier red one:

Last year we had 12 inches to 20 inches of good cane left after winter...So I wait until the buds swell in Spring so I can see what is dead and what isn't then I prune to the height I desire etc.

No cane borers here that I'm aware of anyhow...Never had any trouble...

Most people do it your way around here...I once thought they were nutz...lol...But after seeing there roses come back each Spring I thought well that ain't so bad after all...lol

We're ordering Chinese food tonight for my birthday. That way I won't have to cook for quite awhile. Yay!! It's miserable to cook when you're sick.

I really, really want to go walking. But I went to church today and that zapped all my energy. So I won't go walking tomorrow unless I vastly improve! :)

Carol

I took a half hour walk today... It was Cold though mid 30's windy... brrrrrrrr! lol

Good for you, Jim!! Yup, cold or not, we must walk! :)

I just noticed something... HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROL! :-)

I'm sorry about everyone's sicknesses ... it goes around this time doesn't it?

Winter wonderland at Straw's house! I do love pomegranates but too much work.

Happy birthday Carol! Chinese food sounds yummy! I would do it if I wasn't home bound right now (and there are no Chinese food delivery places around me ... it's really weird).

Beautiful blossoms Jess ... are you sunny year round or just opposite seasons from the US like Australia?

It is still raining here .. all day and all night deal. I threw some granular fertilizer at the base of the plants to get some use of all this rain.

Below is Chrysler Imperial

My goal is to have an explosion of blooms (10 plus) at least two times a year without too much fuss. But couple questions to throw out there:

- What do you think of putting pots on the stone pavers with holes to elevate them, force gravitation to move rain water more quickly out of the holes?

- was supersweet/calcium carbonate OK to add to surface of the soil/potting mix to counteract the rain?

- thrip damage is ridiculous ... I ended up cutting off the branches on a bunch and I will do more cutting soon, I'm thinking since it's been mostly cloudy I'll try the neem oil one more time?

- scale damage is ridiculous too, using a toilet brush type thing from Japan to scrub them off... other suggestions?

Rainy days make me want to nap. :)

Msgirl: Great shot of Chrysler Imperial .. your foliage looks fantastic & lots of buds too. YES to putting pots on the stone pavers with holes to elevate them. I would use thick wooden planks since your climate is warm ... stone pavers would be heated by the sun. Local store Menards put their roses on wooden planks (with gaps & air flow beneath): great drainage, and healthy too. But Home Depot put them against a flat surface, and when it rains, roses are diseased.

Root growth is best when there's oxygen, either through fluffy soil with pores, or air flow from below & above. My best pot had a diagonal huge crack across, which provided oxygen for best root-growth. That pot looked ugly, but the rose was most healthy.

That's the problem with red-lava-rock on top: it's too thick & large, and blocks airflow & water. Versus tiny pea gravel which scatter, allowing gaps for air & water.

NOT SURE about supersweet/calcium carbonate added to surface of the soil/potting mix to counteract the rain. If you can find tiny pea-gravel, that's even better, because pea-gravel has trace elements & magnesium besides calcium. This year I tested pea gravel in 3 pots, along with sulfate of potash & gypsum ... perfect foliage until snow hit. I also tested pea gravel against Azomite in cut-blooms, and pea gravel was the winner. I forgot to test cut-blooms in red-lava-rock, but I will do for next year. Testing minerals by soaking cut-blooms in a vase is a mini-model for pots.

Last year testing of red-lava-rock in pots WAS LOUSY. Last year testing of gritty lime (slow-released) WAS LOUSY for pots.

An excerpt from below link on using lime to control pests:

"Agricultural lime is used as a gentle pesticide by many farmers. Agricultural lime consists of limestone that has been crushed and mixed with water so that it can be more easily distributed. There is less danger of burning with this form of lime and it can be applied directly to foliage."

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/lime-pest-control-23398.html

Thrips eat plant tissue, and if the plant tissue is tough, less thrips. I would NOT use any chemical nitrogen ... too fast growth produces soft tissue. I would NOT use excess phosphorus, phosphorus promotes branching (great for landscape roses) ... but drives down zinc and iron,. Plus where the branching occurs, the tissue is softer and invites more pests. Last year I used only sulfate of potash and gypsum on Yves Red Seedling, the stem was so thick that I couldn't cut with a scissor. This year I tested high-phosphorus NPK 4-10-7, the stems are softer, more branching, blooms are smaller, more thrips, more blackspots. Zinc is VERY IMPORTANT in defense against both pests and fungal invasion.

http://www.gardenguides.com/119440-effects-zinc-plants.html

" Michigan State University mentions that zinc deficiencies also are more common in soils that are neutral or alkaline in pH or are naturally rich in phosphorus. According to the University of Florida authors: there are many visual cues on plants lacking adequate zinc. Young leaves may be yellowed or reduced in normal size (called "little leaf"), narrower than normal leaves with wavy edges or abnormally expanding and puckered. Another cue is what is called "rosetting"--space between new leaves is very small, and tiny leaves and shoots bunch up into a clustered tuft."

For scale, the below link has excellent info. I never see scale in my roses, perhaps due to horse manure (variety of beneficial predators, many types of bugs & nematodes). Keeping surface of soil dry will prevent pests' eggs from hatching .. Heriloom roses top their pots with perlite, Vintage Garden topped their pots with tiny-red-lava-rock. I like pea-gravel, since it's tiny & keep surface dry & plus release variety of minerals. Watering deeply & less frequently help to keep surface dry.

An excerpt: " MANAGEMENT of scale

Many species are usually well controlled by beneficial predators and parasites (natural enemies). Exceptions are when natural enemies are disrupted by ants, dust, or the application of persistent broad-spectrum insecticides. "

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7408.html

Carol

I have pain in one Achilles tendon six months. It's so annoying. I haven't asked the Doctor. I am hoping it goes away. What causes it?

How do I get rid of it?

We're supposed to have wind chill tomorrow of 1.4F. I'm going to try walking tomorrow. She how well I'm doing. I think I need to get up and about a bit more in order to feel better. I love walking in the snow!

Thanks Jim for the birthday wishes! My daughter, the one who isn't sick, made me a carrot cake. It's delicious!!

msdorkgirl - that is weird to not have Chinese food delivery. How odd. I love Chinese food. Why do you want to move rain water out more quickly? Does it rain a lot?? If it rains quite a bit, then what you suggest would work. I don't have any problems with my pots on pavers. I have some on pavers and some on rocks (more air flow - less ground contact). I don't notice any difference.

Samuel - my doctor told me it would go away by itself or as a last resort we could try surgery. I went for physiotherapy on my tendons. They used ultrasound, heat and tens therapy. It helped a bit. Pain dropped in half - but not gone. Pain came back just as bad after the therapy stopped. The only thing that helped after a year of painful walking was buying Sketcher's Go Walk. They have memory foam in them. They're not the prettiest shoes (guess you don't want pretty shoes LOL) - but they have CURED my achilles tendon problems. I'm wearing snow boots now, and the pain is still gone. I tell you - they are worth it!!! Go buy a pair!! :)

Carol

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish you a wonderful year ahead filled with Joy and Health, for you and your whole family, including your dog friends :-)

sorry always a bit late due to the time difference :-)...(unless I stay up late)

thanks everyone for enjoying my roses... :-)))))!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and yes Carol see them as a gift to you :-)

yes, we are in summertime now but when your spring starts, I'll b getting ready for winter...a few more months of warmth...but funny thing is...we had snow - again! - (last weekend) - second time this summer. what is happening to the weather???

Carol someone else I know had the same problem with her heel and it only got better once she started wearing that medical boot...the one that keeps your heel from being used... massage the heel frequently with aromatherapy oils like pepper, neroli, peppermint, wintergreen...and drink ginger. you can add some honey and ice cubes hahaha :-)))

how could I forget to mention ginger for the flu????????????? one of the best liver tonics...and as the old Chinese keep on saying - when the liver is tired or ill due to medication or whatever reasons... everything else starts going down hill..even our eyes, heels, brain etc etc - the lot...heal the liver first and the rest follows...that's according to them, but I've noticed that it works that way... :-)

thanks for all the great advice Strawberry Hill.. I love pomegranate juice but we don't see that around here very often, and cherries here are so expensive that I can only afford that once per year...and how I love them...

msdorkgirl, your roses are stunning! lovely healthy leaves and buds!!!

Strawberry Hill, when you say you prune your roses in winter, do you mean in the last cold month before spring starts? or at the beginning of autumn? or middle winter?

ps - I just checked - one of the shops here sells those shoes you mentioned and I think I should get myself a pair of those - Sketcher's Go Walk...

Sam: There's Chicago outlet mall nearby us, with dozen of shoe-stores, one of them is Sketcher. I trashed a few Sketcher shoes, my high-arched heels don't go well with sketcher. Two neighbors complained about Sketcher shoes (regular type). When I met my husband at a running club, he introduced me to Brooks-running shoes .. the cushion is out of this world ... he was running on hard-cement for 10 miles a day, no problems. I bought a pair of Brooks running shoes, and the cushion is better than Nike, or any other brand. I gave my mother-in-law a Brooks shoes, and she hiked across the Colorado mountains .. she loves that shoes & Brooks cushion can easily last for more than 5 years, even with daily walk. If you google "shoes for Achilles tendon", it shows up:

http://www.healthyshoestore.com/conditions-achilles-tendonitis.html

" We recommend the following shoe brands for those with achilles tendonitis and/or heel pain; Acor, Brooks, Comfortrite, Darco GentleStep, Drew, Finn Comfort, Klogs, Naot, Orthofeet, P.W. Minor, and Sanita .

Here's a link that shows Brooks' special technology:

http://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/meet-brooks/technology

The regular pair of Sketcher tennis shoes I bought turned all my white socks black (dye)... :-( lol... Wife was not a happy camper...lol Plus they wore out fairly quickly so I'm not a fan of Sketcher shoes because of this one experience...

Jess: you are right about ginger helps with inflammation & pain. So does Curcumin (turmeric). That's the only product that get thousands of positive reviews on Amazon for joint pain & inflammation. The below curcumin product gets 5,678 positive reviews .. so do other brands with thousands of testimonies. I plan to buy that for hubby when he's down with running injuries.

Best selling curcumin (tumeric) on Amazon

For pruning roses: I prune Old Garden Roses short right after they are done blooming (Old Garden roses bloom on old wood). For hybrid tea and floribunda I prune when the temp. is 40's or 4 C. in late fall (when trees lose leaves). I pruned in spring a few times and DID NOT LIKE for these reasons:

1. Spring is unpredictable in temp. sometimes near 32 F, or 0 F. Then it shoot up to 70 F, or 21 C. within a week. It's really hard to prune frosted branch right next to new growth, time-consuming to avoid the tender growth.

2. There's pest in spring, such as cane-borers that attacked certain hybrid tea with fast growth & hollow cane, like Firefighter rose.

3. If the old-growth of 2015 is unproductive, such as tiny stems ... there's no point of keeping these "tiny pipes" to draw-up nutrients for next year. I prune wimpy & thin stems, so 2016 will produce new & thick basal shoots, with better fertilizer. Think of stems as "pipes" that draw nutrients from below upward. If the pipes are skinny, I chop it down before rest-period (winter) to make room for new & better pipes (basal shoots) in spring.

4. U. of Illinois Extension recommended pruning diseased roses down to a few inches before winter, to prevent spread of fungus & improve air-flow. I notice the many years that I pruned roses in late fall: the spring flush are WIDER bushes with more basal shoots. The years that I DID NOT prune before winter: roses in spring are just slender & few canes carried over from last season, and these wimpy canes prevent the growth of new canes & basal shoots.

   I visit Cantigny rose park (1,200 roses) yearly for the past 2 decades. The worst winter was blizzard of Feb. 2011, with 20+ inch. of snow: that's when my Knock-outs died to the crown, and only 4" short on June 1. That summer Cantigny roses were at their best: so many blooms that one could not see the leaves. The next year 2012 winter was warm, some of my roses were 2 feet tall & didn't lose their leaves either. That summer Cantigny roses were their worst: so tall, and so little blooms. That's a strong case for pruning right before winter.

thanks so much for this amazing advice on pruning Strawberry Hill... I will do it exactly like you recommend, will be saving this valuable info in my rose folder.

I was also wondering about something else concerning the pruning - when you do that, do you remove all the old leaves as well? or do you do that when springs starts? Here we don't get any snow but terrible frost. I think the reason they advice that is because normally, without gypsum and sulfate potassium, by that time all the leaves have black spot...

all the 'experts' here advice to prune in late winter-early spring (which I won't do anymore), and to remove all the old leaves as well on that day. And to spray, off course, which is also a thing of the past for me...

thanks also for all the great advice on the shoes... I will check them all out...Hopefully one of them will be available here... I need comfy shoes, looking pretty at the expense of painful feet doesn't do it for me anymore :-)

Samuel, I realized after re-reading all the posts that I should have mentioned the ginger on your behalf so sorry about that... I really hope your heel gets better soon...drink lots of ginger and use it in your stews with Turmeric. Great in curry stews.... I really enjoy curry (speaking of which - I haven't yet taken a photo of my little curry tree...will do that as soon as possible)

Strawberry Hill, I read somewhere in a much older post someone mentioning using corn flour for mildew? I know spraying with milk helps as well as sprinkling woodash, but now I can't find that info anywhere, is that correct? Corn flour for mildew?

something else, after the massive rains we had last weekend I am starting to notice a few yellow leaves here and there and I was wondering if I could use the gypsum and potash again after such an - almost flood- rain? - That would be about 4 days after the last application.

Msgirl: You got me interested in Scale on rose. I google for that pest & rose and never see that on my roses. Over-fertilization, esp. with chemical is the main cause of pest-proliferation. I never see a tomato-grub in my Mom's garden in Michigan .. she used cow manure and had a 5-acre garden. But one year my child, who was 3-year old sprinkled tons of granular chemical fertilizer NPK 10-10-10 on my tomato-bed, and I got the WORST INFESTATION of tomato-grub. And that was the worst year of tomato-yield, so little fruits !!

NPK of cow manure is 0.25-0.15-0.25. Very low-in everything, but my Mom had bumper crop of tomatoes. Cantigny park once had a display of the effect of different levels of fertilizer on a vegetable. No fertilizer, low fertilizer, medium fertilizer, and overdose fertilizer. The worst-looking plant, filled with pests is the overdose-fertilizer. The most healthy plant is the low-fertilizer one. I don't grow roses for production, only for beauty, so I aim for less but high-quality blooms, less fertilizer and healthy plants. It's much less work that way & less deadheading, less watering. More fertilizer means more watering, and I'm too lazy for that.

Still remember the amount of time & work in cleaning up the damage done by overdose of NPK 10-10-10 ... spent at least 1/2 hour per day picking off tomato grubs (pretty gross), then scraped off the soil to undo the salt-damage done by granular chemical fertilizer NPK 10-10-10.

I realized while looking at those amazing shoes that the only place I will be able to get some of them will be at some specialist foot-doctors and the last time I was there they charged more that R2 500 ($177.44) I'll start saving... :-)

I looked online and the skecher's Go Walk are $60.00. They really, really worked.

Carol

Yes that skecher's Go Walk looks good. I will try them. I will try ginger too.

Another bouquet from my garden. this one is for all of you.

the light pink one in the front looking upwards in the middle-left is called Rose Celeste.

the scent is amazing and she is extremely disease resistant. The orange rose is Easy Does It.... I love that rose... far left and below is Hey Jude, also a heavenly scent, but nothing beats Rose Celeste....

I'm going to look around for these comfy shoes, I saw that they cost R800 over here...($56.83), while I save for a pair of the others that cost a lot more.

Jess: The "experts" in South Africa recommend pruning late winter and removing the leaves make sense. Late winter for us is Feb., that's when we have the lowest temp. -20 F, or -29 C. That's when the winter prune roses for me. Removing the leaves make sense ONLY if they are diseased, to stop the spread of fungal-infection.

One year I rooted 2 roses in composted-pine-fines (drain very well) .. so their leaves are 100% healthy. I put these tiny-rootings in my dark & cold garage, they go dormant through the winter (watered once a month). When I brought them outside in spring time, the leaves are still green & healthy.

The next year I have 2 more rootings .. I tried a different approach: I kept them in my dark garage, plus I watered them weekly with sulfate of potash & gypsum to lower my high pH-water. Soil got wet & moldy & leaves shrivel, and the 2 rootings got zapped by frost when brought outside in spring.

Roses need a break. No growth means no need to fertilize. Below 50 F, or 10 C, that's when nitrogen doesn't work, and no growth.

Last night we had turkey ahead of our Thanksgiving Holiday. Hubby rushed me to put the turkey in the oven too early, I cooked only 1/2 of the turkey, that took only 1 1/2 hour, so the hot turkey sat there in my cold house for 1 hour, before I get all the side-dishes done. The instruction says to cover the turkey with foil, to keep moist .. we didn't do that, so the turkey was like "jerky-meat" & very dry despite the skin & generous oiling.

What happened? Hot turkey sits in a cold room, that draws out all the moisture from the turkey. Same with roses through the winter: cold front moves in, that draws out all the moisture of all living things, including my skin and roses. Every one of the roses that I lost through the winter? The soil is bone-dry, and the root is bone-dry. So when the temp. drops, it's vital to cover roses with wood chips, leaves, or dirt ... at least 6 inch., and more for my cold zone 5a.

Sure, wet leaves are acidic and cause canker (black canes) .. that's only if someone uses wet maple leaves that gunk together. A month ago, I tested mixing maple leaves with alkaline bagged cow-manure then topped Dreiul d. Raynaud, it's very healthy now. That's what I will do tomorrow when our temp reaches 40 degree: mix soil with leaves, so leaves don't gunk together, then winter-protect roses.

Great looking bouquet Jess! Always nice to see you folks in warmer climates roses this time of year! :-)

Those Skecher Go Walks for woman look like slippers...So I'm guessing they can be used for slippers?

My wife bought me a no-name brand of a shoe that is outdoor and can be used for slippers indoor. I started wearing them everyday and they only lasted 5 weeks... I must be hard on shoes...lol

Carol: Thanks for the recommendation of Sketcher go-walk, it has 6,414 positive reviews on Amazon. Will go shopping soon to test it.

http://www.amazon.com/Skechers-Performance-Womens-Slip--Walking/dp/B005GI8VDY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448316425&sr=8-1&keywords=go+walk+skechers

Jess: I frequent Sketcher store often, the shoe-outlet-mall is only 10 min. drive from us. There's Merrell shoe store, famous for comfortable walking-shoes, a relative came to visit us, and he wanted Merrell shoes only. I have lots of Merrell shoes and Hush-puppies (comfy-walking-shoes), these last for 7 years. I threw away 2 pairs of Sketcher shoes after 2 years. Sketcher heel are sturdy to jump on top of a shovel for digging, but it's a pain to walk.

It's hard to find shoes with memory foam (like Brooks and Fly-flot), but with a firm rubber sole-to jump onto shovel without destroying the shoes. Hiking boots does the job, but I don't want to lace my boots every time I work in the garden, I want a sturdy-slip-on.

Brooks shoes are very expensive, meant for the marathon runner who runs 10 miles a day. There's Fly-Flot shoes, made in Italy, and the lady who works at the outlet-mall recommended Fly-Flot, that lasts me for 10 years, and I plan to keep it for the rest of my life .. I wear that everyday, shop for 3 hours straight, or walked for 5 miles at Chicago Botanical Garden. Fly-Flot is similar to Brooks, it's a dense memory foam that provides support for high-arched heels like mine. My rating of shoes for cushion: 1) Brooks 2) Asics gel 3) Fly-flot 4) Nike 4) Hush puppies 5) Merrell 6) any shoes 7) Sketcher.

https://www.thewalkingcompany.com/fly-flot.htm

Below is the Fly-Flot shoes I have for the past 2 years .. a 90-year old woman wrote a glowing review of that shoes, so I bought it, so glad I did. I have a 2nd Fly-flot shoes which is 10-year old. it's great for wide-width feet & very flexible.

http://www.springstepshoes.com/fly-flot-flexi/280380

Jess, lovely bouquet. I really like the Rose Celeste! I looked it up on HMF - it said moderate fragrance. Looks like they need to update/change their description.

Jim, yeah, they're strange looking. And I only bought them because I was desparate to find something to help my achilles heel. I was really happy to see that they did the job! Yes, wear them in the house too. They work really well in the house. Wow! You really are hard on shoes! :)

I'm glad you enjoyed the roses I picked for you...

about shoes...I'm afraid I'm also hard on shoes... mine never lasts longer than 3-5 months either, but I think that's when they get wet a lot of times (and being used in the garden...), after rains or when there's a lot of dew on the grass... or...when sticky clay sticks to them... :-)

Yes Carol, they definitely need to change that description of the fragrance of rose Celeste :-) Another really great thing about her is that she creates her own pillar, without having to use any support...

Strawberry Hill...so what your'e saying is I should stick to pruning in late winter?

ps - lovely shoes Strawberry Hill but I don't see them being sold over here.... :-(

Hi Jess: Thank you for that gorgeous bouquet, Celeste is a nice name, what's that ruffled pink rose bottom left, next to the yellow? Yes to pruning in late winter when roses are dormant, rather than in spring. That applies to perennials too. My husband forwarded me a link to pruning perennials, and it's also in winter, at their dormant stage.

There's a person in HMF who reported WHOLE-GRAIN corn meal (with fatty germ) helped with mildew, when leaves are being dusted. Corn meal grows Trichoderma fungi, which suppress other pathogenic fungi.

I like slip-on shoes for garden, since I don't have time to lace. My best garden shoe was home-made. I saw thick-cushion running shoes cheap for $8 (original price $40), so I bought a size larger, then cut the shoes' heels off with a knife to make that into a slip-on, so I don't have to lace. It looked ugly, but worked wonder: I can jump on shovel to dig holes in my rock hard clay ... gardening is rough on the bottom of any shoes. Sometime I left shoes outside and they got wet.

Running shoes are more flexible & thicker cushion than walking shoes, plus there's a bigger selection, some with wider-toe areas. New Balance and Addidas run wider than Reebok. Nike used to be narrow, now it's larger toe-box for running shoes. I have wide feet (toe area) so it's hard to buy shoes that fit.

Hi Msgirl: One site on rose-scale suggested using 70% alcohol or stronger to scrub off the scale pests. From about.com:

" Indoor Plants: Remove scale by rubbing gently with a facial quality sponge dipped in rubbing alcohol. The alcohol alone should kill the scale, but the dead insects will remain on your plants and make it difficult for you to scout for new infestations. The small facial sponges, found in the cosmetic aisle, are abrasive, yet soft enough to use without scraping the plant stems. Be sure to buy plain sponges, without cleanser or lotion in them. As always, test on a small area first, since some plants are more sensitive than others."

http://gardening.about.com/od/insectpestid/g/Scale_Instects.htm

Insects get knocked-out by the smell of alcohol, I used alcohol to wipe off the stems and got rid of spider-mites. My kid used alcohol to kill ants.

For bacteria or fungi, milk of magnesia (magnesium hydroxide) is VERY ALKALINE, and kills both fungi and bacteria by its drying-effect. My kid breaks out in rash with any underarm deodorant .. now she uses milk of magnesia for over a year: no rash and keeps her dry.

Calamine is even more drying than milk of magnesia. Calamine lotion is cheap $1.25 per bottle, it has zinc oxide, an alkaline & drying agent. The color is pinkish, uglier to apply than white milk of magnesium. In Khalid thread, I posted info. on how Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) can kill insects with its drying effect. Draw back of Epsom salt: it's salty and hardens soil, since it crystallize.

We had flowers leaves being eat at the cementary by insects so I started throwing Epsom salt last year and this year into the mulch around the flowers & beyond. No trouble with flowers getting eat these last two years...

Thank you, Jim, for that pic. of your shoe ... that made me laugh. Question: Did you use Epsom salt as a solid, or as a liquid? Insects ate Epsom salt ?? Lime is used as a pest deterrent, same with sulfur. Years ago rose in pot got infected with rose-slugs, I threw corn meal. They ate it, got bloated & sluggish and I killed them all. Chemical fertilizer like Miracle-Gro soluble always attract pests.

This year I use ZERO chemicals on my pots, only blood meal & sulfate of potash & gypsum in restraint. No diseases nor pests, will post pics. of my 2 pots winterized in my dark garage.

Daily journal toward health & organic ways & weight loss: At first I thought fish oil gave me rash, I stopped that for a few days: gained 1 lb. The culprit is peanut-butter: large patch of red-hives & rash all over the body. Allergic reaction is from REPEATED EXPOSURE, rather than 1st exposure. First few times of peanut-butter, no problems, but after many times, I develop a rash. It's actually good news, since hubby can finish the peanut butter, while I need the fish-oil to heal my skin. He bought the fish-oil from Sam's club, 24 oz huge bottle for only $4 .. that's before I told him the news about fish oil raises prostrate cancer risk. So I have lots of fish-oil to consume, surprisingly fish-oil reduces the risk of breast cancer & also lower triglycerides.

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20100708/fish-oil-linked-to-lower-breast-cancer-risk

Msgirl: mineral oil is effective in controlling rose-scale pest. Khalid asked excellent questions in his thread "organic treatment ...", so I re-post some info. here. Johnson Baby oil is the same as mineral oil, except it reeks of perfume. Very effective against thrips and scale according to the New Zealand research (see Khalid's thread).

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3453227/organic-treatment-against-pests-and-fungus-in-zone-9a?n=40

"Mineral oils sprayed onto citrus trees can control a wide range of pests, including mites, aphids, psyllids, leafminers and scale. The control effect of the oil is mainly by suffocation, when the oil moves into the spiracles (breathing holes) of the insects. Recently, it has been shown that the oil also controls insects by modifying their behavior. For example, female leafminers do not lay eggs on leaves where there are oil deposits. Mineral oil may also reduce the level of transmission of virus diseases by aphids

Advantages of Oil Spray

Oils have several advantages compared to chemical insecticides. Their main benefit is that they are broad-spectrum. They control a wide range of pests, as well as fungus diseases such as black spot and greasy spot. They are even effective against the eggs of aphids, mites and some moths.

Furthermore, they are easy to handle and relatively safe to the grower applying them. They dissipate quickly after spraying. Mineral oils also kill any algae growing on the trees and fruit, leaving them clean."

http://www.agnet.org/library.php?func=view&id=20110711110304

I just threw Epsom salts down at the cementary as a solid Straw... The rains probably turned it into liquid after awhile...

No way of knowing if it's the Epson Salt is actually keeping the insects away or not but last two years the flower leaves have not been touched by insects...

My neighbor throws lime on her rose leaves she swears it helps with rose slugs...???

Personally I hate spraying rose leaves with anything...lol...Well besides water...lol...

so sorry only answering now Strawberry Hill...after re-reading the posts I always see things I missed...the ruffled pink rose bottom left next to Graham Thomas is Hey Jude, also an incredible perfume fragrance...it's small on the picture but in real life it's huge....

I used heaps of wood ash around my citrus trees, right around against the bark, no more ants or aphids. the ants don't cross over it and the aphids, which are 'farmed' by ants (they actually cut of the aphid's wings and herd them into groups), are also gone...the trees have never looked this good...lots of new growth...

I have lots of ladybugs since I don't spray so no more aphids on my roses either, and between the corn flour, mint mulches and the early birds no more rose slugs either :-)

I wish I could get hold of a cherry tree, but I don't think it'll be as happy as in your garden Strawberry Hill, it doesn't get cold enough here..sigh....

Did you get you peanut butter at the normal store, or at the health shop? I think the ones in the health shops would/could be less harmful, with less strange ingredients added?

Evelyn is starting to look great... :-))))

Thank-you Jess

I will get some Ginger ale to help my rt Achilles strain.

As I was reading Khalid's thread I smiled because I was doing all the same things he did, trying my best but nothing worked... black spot, no growth, sad roses...

since I've been applying all your advice everything is so beautiful. I am so happy having healthy and organic roses..

thanks so much Strawberry Hill..you are a real blessing...

I mentioned it in Khalid's thread but I'll repeat it here again... I really think you should write a book... not everyone has internet access and even if they did, it took me years before I discovered this forum with your research that you so kindly share with us...

Hi Samuel

Fresh ginger is much better than any ale... and more medicinal. you can add honey and any other nice herb you prefer, even normal tea with it... I don't think ale is medicinal... :-)

you can also add the ginger powder to your stews... also in marinades...with fish it is out of this world. you don't taste the ginger either...it just makes such an amazing taste and flavor...some call it their 'secret' ingredient'... :-)

try this marinade for fish:

one green pepper chopped into tiny pieces, a little bit of good soy sauce, small amount of ginger powder, pepper/ and afterwards some Dill sprinkled on top. you can add some garlic while you fry or grill the fish in an open foil, still in its marinade...

Jess: That's a very good recipe, I will try that, THANK YOU. I made fish-soup before using mahi-mahi, ginger, spinach, and dry shitake mushroom. I got that recipe from Yen's cookbook. That was so delicious & good for the tummy. I start a new thread:

11/25/15: rose rootstock & recipes & tips to lose weight

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3526608/m=23/11-25-15-rose-root-stock-recipes-tips-to-lose-weight