By Patti Spezaferro

The brown buds thicken on the trees,
Unbound, the free streams sing,
As March leads forth across the leas
The wild and windy spring.
–Elizabeth Akers Allen (1832–1911)

I finally finished deadheading my 234 roses and now I can sit back and wait to start deadheading. Except, there is rarely a time, a gardener can sit back and relax because there is always sowing, digging, planting, pruning, cleaning out gutters, checking irrigation and propagating to do. So, I compiled a March Rose Check List, to keep me on track. Hope you find it helpful too.

Do an Irrigation check: I turned on my irrigation system back on in February. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center doesn’t offer much hope for more rainfall. They forecast drier-than-average conditions potentially through April. March is a good month to check your irrigation system to make sure it is running perfectly before plants get too large to make easy needed repairs. Watering should be done in the morning to prevent powdery mildew and rust. Roses like a deep soak.

Feed your roses. Once your roses begin to leaf out, they will benefit from an application of fertilizer to keep the foliage green and lively. Jim Crowther is selling rose fertilizer for $15 for four pounds. You can place your order by emailing Jim at [email protected] and he will bring the fertilizer to the March meeting.

Be on the lookout for mildew. It will need to be sprayed every 7 to 10 days until the mildew subsides. Use as directed on the product label. Or do what I do, wash off the mildew spores with water in the morning and let dry. It’s safe and easy.

Watch those Aphids who come out in the spring. Aphids love to chew on roses. If you start to see aphids on your rose blooms, spray with your insecticide of choice or you can wash them down with a hard stream of water. It works like a charm.

Mulch now. Remember to remove weeds around your roses since they compete for moisture and nutrients in the soil. Mulch 2-3 inches around each rose plant. Mulch will keep weeds at bay and reduce evaporation, and keep the soil cool during hot summer days. Be mindful to not apply mulch close to the trunk in order to avoid root rot.

Move those roses: If your roses are located in an area where they are not receiving full sun, of more than six hours of sunlight, now is the time to move them to a better sun location.

Well that’s about it. If I missed anything, I would love to hear from you.  Hope you all have a wonderful March. Come to our monthly meeting to hear Rosarian Rose Gilardi speak about roses and remember to bring your friends. We had three new members attend our February meeting. It was so fun to meet new people, learn from Barbara Gordon on how to beautify the garden and devour some delicious treats organized by Jill Ferguson. Oh, and did I tell you I won a raffle prize!?

See you next month and don’t forget to smell the roses.