Miniature rose for Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day approaching you may be thinking of giving or receiving a miniature rose plant. If so, the following information from the Iowa State University Extension will be helpful to include with the rose.

Care Indoors
Potted miniature roses from florists or garden centers need at least 5 to 6 hours of direct sun from south- or west-facing windows for growth and flowering. Rotate the pots once or twice a week to encourage balanced growth.

Miniature roses also need consistent moisture. When the top inch of soil is dry to the touch, thoroughly soak the plants until the water flows freely out of the bottom of the container. Discard the excess water.

Regular applications (once or twice per month) of a complete fertilizer are needed when plants are flowering. Soluble or slow release fertilizers can be used, however, excessive fertilizer encourages rampant growth and inhibits flowering.

Roses prefer warm locations that have a daytime temperature around 70° F and a nighttime minimum of 60° F. Flowering is reduced if temperatures drop below 50° F. Keep plants away from cold drafts or heat sources.

Care Outdoors
Potted miniature roses are colorful additions to sunny patios and decks and can be hung at eye level for closer viewing. Acclimate container plants to outdoor conditions by initially placing them in a shady location in May. Gradually expose the plants to longer periods of sunlight. After 7 to 10 days, the roses can be left in their summer locations.

Keep container plants well watered and fertilize frequently. Bring plants indoors before a hard frost in fall, or plant the roses in the ground.

Miniatures are hardier than hybrid tea roses and many gardeners prefer to plant them directly in the ground. Plants perform best in a sunny location with rich, well-drained soils. Place plants near the edge of beds or borders for best viewing of their flowers. Most miniature roses can be spaced about 12 inches apart. As surrounding plants grow, make sure they don’t shade the miniature roses.

Regular maintenance is required for repeated blooms. Deep watering (1 to 2 inches per week) encourages root development and mulching helps conserve soil moisture. Ground-planted miniature roses benefit from fertilizing in early spring, when they start to bloom, and at their peak of bloom. No fertilizer should be added after mid to late August to help plants prepare for dormancy.

Pruning—
Remove flowers as they fade and cut plants back to the uppermost five-leaflet leaf. At the same time, remove any yellowing leaves or dead branches. Removing weak and spindly canes also helps more light reach the plant interior.

To ensure survival over the winter, partially cover miniature roses in late fall. Place soil at the base of the plant, followed by a covering of leaves. Plants can be smothered if they are covered completely. Uncover plants in spring.

Avoiding Spindly Transplants

Gardeners often find it difficult to grow their own vegetable or flower transplants and frequently end up with spindly, weak plants that do not do well when placed outside. The two most common causes of spindly plants are low light and high temperatures after plants have germinated.

Unfortunately, these are the conditions commonly found on one of the most popular places to start seed — a windowsill. A windowsill doesn’t provide enough light, and temperatures are hard to control. In order to understand what is needed to grow transplants, the process must be broken down into three distinct phases.

Germination: Germination requires warm temperatures, and usually the seed does not require light (lettuce is an exception). Therefore, place seeded containers in a warm place even if there isn’t much light. For example, some people choose the top of a refrigerator. A heating pad is even better because most seeds germinate best at a constant temperature of between 70 and 75 degrees. This can vary by species with some requiring higher temperatures and others lower. Therefore a heating mat with a thermostat is helpful. Also remember that this temperature should be that of the media, not the air. Media temperature can be 5 to 10 degrees cooler than air temperature due to evaporation, which causes cooling. Covering containers with plastic can reduce evaporation (and temperature drop), and consequently, watering frequency. Check containers often and move germinated seed to a location with adequate light.

Growth: Light and temperature must be controlled during this stage to produce strong, stocky seedlings. Temperature should be lower than that used for germination, with 60 to 70 degrees preferred. Light must also be adequate for good growth. The easiest way for most people to provide what is needed is to use florescent lights. A standard two-bulb florescent fixture works well. It must be adjustable so bulbs can be positioned 2 to 4 inches above the top of the plants. Incandescent bulbs do not work well because they produce too much heat to be placed as close to the plants as needed. Also, the common florescent bulb produces the wavelengths of light needed. A grow light will not produce more or better growth.

Hardening Off: Plants grown indoors need some time to acclimate to outside conditions of wind and full sun. It usually takes about a week to harden off a plant. Reducing watering and temperature is key to toughen up transplants. If possible, move transplants outside for a portion of each day. Start by placing them in a shady, protected location and gradually move them into a more exposed, sunny location as the week progresses.
--Ward Upham, Kansas State Research & Extension Horticulture Newsletter

Forcing branches to bloom

A tall vase of blooming forsythia branches can chase away the winter blahs. Bring a bit of spring indoors by gathering branches of flowering deciduous shrubs and trees and forcing them to bloom or leaf out early in your home.

When temperatures rise above freezing in late January and February, select and cut branches that have many plump buds. Cut a few more branches than you expect to use because some may not absorb water satisfactorily. Use a sharp blade and take care not to disfigure the shrub or tree.

With pruning shears or a sharp knife, carefully split the cut end, one to four inches. Place cut branches in a container of warm water and recut one inch from the base of the stem. This will help prevent air from entering the stem through the cut end, blocking water uptake. Remove any buds and twigs that will be under water.

Place containers in a warm room (60 -70 degrees) and change the water every few days. You may add a floral preservative to the container water to help control bacteria. It may take one to eight weeks for the blossoms to open. The closer to their natural bloom time that you cut the branches, the sooner they will open.

Here is a list of local favorites from the garden:

• Cercis canadensis-Redbud
• Chaenomeles spp-Japanese or Flowering Quince
• Cornus florida-Flowering Dogwood
• Hamamelis vernalis-Vernal Witch Hazel
• Crataegus spp-Hawthorn
• Forsythis spp-Forsythia
• Lonicera spp-Honeysuckle
• Magnolia soulangiana-Saucer Magnolia
• Magnolia stellata-Star Magnolia
• Malus spp-Apple and Crabapple
• Prunus spp-Flowering Almond, Cherry & Plum
• Salix caprea-European Pussy Willow
• Spiraea spp-Spirea
• Syringa spp-Lilac
• Viburnum spp-Viburnum

Making Your Garden a Work of Art - Feb. 23

"Making Your Garden a Work of Art" 2008 Garden Symposium
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
4525 Oak Street in Kansas City
Saturday, February 23, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Join garden enthusiasts from around the region for an inspirational symposium that will encourage you to make your own artistic statement in the garden.

Featured Speakers:
Rosemary Alexander
Jennifer Bartley
Dan Benarcik
Richard Reames

Call Powell Gardens at 816-697-2600 ext. 225 to make your reservations.

For more info visit: http://www.powellgardens.org/ or http://www.gardencenterassociation.org/

Wichita Garden Show - March 5-9

Dates: March 5-9
Location: Century II Convention Center, Wichita, KS
Theme: "Green Living For Life"
Website: http://www.wichitagardenshow.com/

Look for tumbling waterfalls, rainbow swells of tulips... rich theme-gardens that carry the imagination to other places and times... hundreds of landscaping ideas that can be used in your garden or yard. It's no wonder the Wichita Garden Show is considered one of the Nation's Top 10 gardening events.

Back by popular demand, HGTV's PAUL JAMES "The Gardener Guy" will be at the show on March 7.

Replacing Storm Damaged Trees

There is not much good that can be said about December’s ice storm. People were often without power for days, and there was extensive tree damage. But there were things to be grateful for. This storm was not accompanied by high winds, or damage would have been much, much worse. Also, a storm such as this can teach us which trees are strong and which aren’t.

The “poster child” for storm damage had to be Siberian elm (often incorrectly called Chinese elm). Many Siberian elms were damaged to the point that the trees will need to be removed. However, many other tree species (and varieties) survived the storm quite well.

Trees with least damage: Bald Cypress, Chinese Pistache, Ginkgo, Goldenraintree, Honeylocust, Kentucky Coffeetree, Lindens, Crabapples, Amur Maple, Autumn Blaze Maple, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Shantung Maple, Red Oak, Bur Oak, Swamp White Oak, Osage Orange, Aristocrat Pear, Chanticleer Pear, Redbud, Sweet Gum, London Planetree, Zelkova, Austrian Pine, and Sycamore.

There were also trees that didn’t fare as well. Trees with the most damage: Siberian Elm, River Birch, Bradford Pear, Willows and Austree, Russian Olive, and Silver Maple. Let me make a few comments regarding some of the trees listed. Though bald cypress is on the “least damaged” list, I did see some trees with the central leader broken. Bald cypress is deciduous and drops its needles in the fall. However, the central leader of many trees still had foliage that hadn’t dropped. This foliage held enough ice to break the central leaders in some trees.

Notice also that Aristocrat and Chanticleer pear are on the “least damaged” list but Bradford Pear is on our “most damaged” list. Though all these trees are Callery pears, Bradford is an older variety that is known for its’ weak branch attachment and often breaks up during wind and ice storms. Aristocrat and Chanticleer have a similar shape and other desirable characteristics of Bradford but with stronger branching structure.

There are also contributing factors that will cause trees to be more susceptible to damage. These include the following:
* Trees not pruned in the past
* Older trees broke more than younger trees
* Declining trees
* Trees previously topped
* Trees still holding winter leaves or seedpods
* Trees with many fine-textured branches
Trees are a long-term investment and choosing those that will stand up to the often challenging conditions of Kansas is vital for seeing that investment pay off.
--Ward Uphan, Kansas State Research and Extension Horticulture Newsletter, January 9, 2008