The time we have been waiting for has finally arrived! The forsythia has exploded into brilliant yellow clouds, the sweet hyacinths are perfuming the air all around them, and the weeping cherry trees are tall fountains of pink and white. After several years of drought, the spring rains have not forsaken us this year, thank goodness! The April showers outside the window lulled me back to sleep this morning. Dozing is good for the soul and I never tumbled out of bed until 8:30!

This time of year, I can’t wait to get out into the garden. My tools are all ready to go and so am I! Bob has put a razor-sharp edge on my pruners so they will slice right through any winter damaged rose canes. After I strap on my kneepads and hook my pruner holster in my back pocket, the first thing I do is to get down on my knees and smell the perfume of the warm soil…I have been waiting all winter for this special treat.

I have a small, hand-held rake and a big dustpan that I use to gently remove any rose and tree leaves that have blown in among the roses. These leaves go into an oversized paper bag that the trash people will pick up once a week. Removing old rose leaves is important. If there are any black spot spores lying around on the old leaves on the ground, they can infect the new budding foliage. All it takes is for rain to fall down on those leaves and they will splash up fungus spores on the undersides of the tender foliage. Remember, a clean garden is a potentially healthy garden.

I then concentrate on pruning. I want to prune to an outward-facing stem bud. These buds have broken dormancy now, so it is easy to see the new canes getting started. I will make a 45 degree angle cut about 1/8″ above a new budding cane. As the cane grows, that pruning cut will be almost invisible on the rose bush. I prune out any twigs that are weak and insignificant. Those will not be able to support a large rose. I clean out the center of the rose bush to improve air circulation inside the plant.

After I have cut back all the big canes down to healthy wood and an outward facing bud, I check out the center of the plant. If there are any gnarly old crowns in there, I’ll always work on cleaning them out. Dead wood is dead wood; it does nothing for the plant. All it will do is to impede the growth of healthy new basal breaks. These dead crowns I’ll clear out with my long-handled loppers or my pruning saw to make room for new growth.

When I’m finished pruning, I’ll pull my little bottle of Elmer’s Glue from my other back pocket. I’ll then put a drop of glue on all the tops of the pruned canes and what remains of the old crowns. The glue will dry clear and will prevent cane borers from drilling holes in my freshly pruned rose canes. Then I proceed to the next rose and repeat until I have finished with all the beds and all the gardens. Also, I will dig out any weeds as I go.

I love Spring pruning! I love examining each and every rose. This is all a labor of love that will give me beautiful roses all summer long. I will be finished pruning sometime next week, and then I’ll begin planting some new beauties. Roses make me very happy…I hope they make your life happy, too!

“A flower unplucked is but left to the falling, And nothing is gained by not gathering roses.” Thank you, Robert Frost…