On Wed, 14 May 2008 14:53:29 -0500, dennmac@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Dennis M)
wrote:
>Pardon my ignorance on this subject but I have almost no knowledge about
>plants and flowers. I moved into a house a couple of years ago with a
nice
>rosebush in the backyard. I didn't have a problem the first couple of
years
>but this season so many beautiful roses have grown on the bush that
they've
>begun to droop over and almost touch the ground. I have another plant
>nearby (don't know what its called) but it has white "snowball" type
>flowers that are so heavy it's also begun to droop the past couple of
>weeks, soiling the flowers. Just thought someone could advise me of the
>best way to prop up and/or tie off these plants. Thanks!
You need to prune plants.
There are many books and Web sites about, e.g. pruning roses.
(Note: severity of pruning depends on your locality. I am in a
mild Mediterranean climate, but the first few years I pruned
too severely because the library book I used apparently referred to
harsher Eastern US climate.)
Think about yourself -- never a haircut? never a nail clipping?
Plants have many of the the same needs as people.
Also, put yourself in the "mind" of the plant. Its basic function
(not unlike people!) is to perpetuate its species. So if you
let flowers go to seed, OK, but remember once the plant "thinks" it
has fulfilled its destiny, it sees no reason to make more flowers.
If, OTOH, you want flowers, you need to intervene to achieve
that result.
You would do well to visit a good bookstore with a large gardening
section and ask a knowledgeable staffer about a basic book for rose
pruning. Or a well-stocked library with a professional reference
librarian.
Or (which is what many people on-line do now) research Web
sites, using key words like "rose pruning" or 'flower pruning"
if you want to include the "snowball" plant.
Here is just one of many URLs
http://gardening.about.com/od/rose1/a/RosePruning.htm
CAVEAT: You prune roses ONLY when they are dormant.
(Well, OK, experienced gardeners can prune lightly in summer if
warranted...note "experienced")
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