A Winter Rose Protection Tip from One of My Favorite Magazines and Thanksgiving Memories!

I do still subscribe to magazines.  I know some of you get them downloaded to whatever device you may be using.  I still like to get a cup of herbal tea and sit down with a paper copy and enjoy it.  I'm sure at some point when the paper copies are gone, we will all be reading them on our computers, etc.  Maybe it will be more fun to see videos of gardens to visit and how-tos on different gardening tips.  Organic Gardening magazine has been around for a long time.  The editor is Ethne Clarke who happens to be one of my favorite gardening authors including herb gardening.  I spotted this Winter Rose Protection tip in his column Skills and Abilities and thought it was very clever.  So this is Doug Hall's tip not mine.  Hope he doesn't mind me sharing it.

Wait until nights are consistently below freezing and the soil surface freezes--usually in December where I (Doug Hall, the author) live--before applying winter mulch.  This is a method I (Doug Hall, the author) recommend:

 1.  Find a cardboard box that fits around the plant to be protected and is about 12 inches tall.  Fold in the bottom and top flaps so they are flat against the sides.  Place the box around the plant.

2.  Fill the box with small bark nuggets or any other type of mulch that won't pack down or become waterlogged.

3.  Tie stout twine around the box so it won't come part when it gets wet.

4.  For extra protection (or if you don't like the look of the cardboard), drape evergreen boughs over the plant.  Long canes can be trimmed at this time, but in general it's best to wait until spring to prune roses.

 When the weather warms and the rose's leaf buds begin to swell, remove the box and spread the mulch around the rose plant.  You've just accomplished two tasks in one:  removing the winter protection and refreshing the growing-season mulch--a double benefit you wouldn't get by using a soil mound.

Genius, Doug!  Hope this tip works for you in your garden.  The Dec. 2012/Jan. 2013 magazine is on newsstands now and some articles are online, just not this particular tip.  The magazine does have step by step photos that I didn't have permission to use.  Just sneak a peek at the store.

Well, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  My banner photo will give you an idea how good ours was.  We had our friend, Mike over and he has already invited himself for Thanksgiving next year!  He had fun from his observation point just between our kitchen and the dining room.  Why though does it take all day to cook and then it is eaten like a tornado touched down!  It is just ridiculous!
We were also 60 degrees yesterday and today the bottom will fall out and by tonight they are calling for the dreaded lake effect snow!  Not like Erie and Buffalo may get, but still never quite ready for snow.  Here's a look at our turkey dinner.

It was gone in an herbal second! We don't go for all of the casseroles or fancy extras.  Oh, maybe the sage and feta cornbread.  We had mashed potatoes, green beans with toasted almonds and herb roasted turkey and cornbread and apple pie for dessert.  The Herbal Husband doesn't like pumpkin pie and I usually make pecan, but apple was his choice this year.  Our friend, Mike brought the ice cream!  It worked out very well.  So hope you are enjoying Black Friday shopping!  Talk to you later.