Roses, Rhubarb, and Raspberries. Three of my favorite garden plants. Unfortunately they all need quite a bit of work this year, at least two of them.
I've spent several evenings in the past few weeks working with my very neglected roses. Last year I spent way too much time working on my April A to Z blog posts and didn't get around to trimming and weeding the poor rose garden in a timely manner . . . hence the very overgrown rose garden. There was a lot of winter kill this year also, so I had to cut back most of the bushes even more than usual. And obviously, even though I spent an entire evening just digging out some of the errant grass, I have much more work to do. That may be on tomorrow evening's to do list.
(The fence could use some paint too!)
The raspberries have also been cut back more than I usually do, and they also need a lot of digging out of the grass. These are Heritage everbearing raspberry plants that I planted soon after we moved in. They have spread quite well in spite of the lack of consistent weeding/grass removal, and have produced a nice amount of berries for snacking and eating, and occasionally enough for a batch or two of jam. They haven't been doing too well for the past several years, and the berries are smaller than they used to be. I understand that this is an indication of viruses, and that means that they should be replaced. Unfortunately the new plants can't be planted in the same location, or they will soon suffer the same fate. So, I'm trying to decide where to plant the new raspberries should I be able to buy a few new ones this year. Along this side fence has been such a convenient place for them:
And here is the rhubarb, doing well in the spring sunshine.
Hi Marcy - love all those - the flowers for scent .. nothing like a rich heady rose, the rhubarb and strawberries for some delicious desserts ...
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the gardening -nothing like straight from the garden to the mouth (not the rhubarb though?!)! Cheers Hilary
Aren't roses the best??? And we'll try dipping the rhubarb in a bit of sugar, at least, before putting it to the mouth. Otherwise it would be just a bit puckery. :)
DeleteHi Marcy. I've never had much time for roses - mine were planted in entirely unsuitable places by the previous owners and I rather let them fend for themselves, with a good trim every now and then. They struggle on. My raspberries are generally fruitful although I didnt have enough for more than one batch of jam last year. The main crop ones have had a bad attack of wormies, but the autumn fruiting ones (that start about three weeks after the others in early July and go right through to October) are still spreading too well! My main secret is to give them a very large mulch of compost whenever I open up one of my compost heaps. My rhubarb would do better if I did the same to it - but like you too much dryness hasn't helped. I'm pleased to see it come up this year - I thought it might have got to the great rhubarb field in the sky last autumn :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to take so long getting to your blog this year - I'll have to retrace my steps to catch up!
Jemima
#'TeamDamyanti
Blogging from Alpha to Zulu in April
Thanks for the compost advice. I do have a small compost bin, but don't do a very good job of stirring it up. I'll have to see what the bottom is like, and get some of it out onto the berries, or at least go out and purchase some. Good luck with your raspberries and your roses!
DeleteI would love to have a garden to grow roses, raspberries, and rhubarb. :)
ReplyDeleteHopefully you will get your garden someday soon, or at least a pot or two to grow some nice things in. My garden is my therapy!
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