The volume of trade is starting to ease at the plant centre. I expect the dry weather has something to do with it, and I think the first exultant rush of glee that winter has finally gone and spring is on its way has worn off. I had time to make good progress putting the latest delivery of roses out for sale, trimming back any dieback and tidying the existing rows while I was about it. The rose grower doesn't bother pruning each stem to just above a node, but chops the plants off at one height, so the stem ends die above the highest node. I suppose this is quicker for the grower, and means that they can use unskilled staff.
There was some much-trumpeted research a few years back that demonstrated that roses pruned with a chainsaw were as floriferous as those conventionally hand pruned to a growth bud. However, whether or not the roses need their dead snags removing, the manager likes it done to make them look tidy, and I agree. In my own garden I am a stickler for pruning to a growth point, and not leaving useless ends of stems sticking out at random. With roses this doesn't always protect against dieback. Our cluster-flowered roses were carefully pruned to outward facing buds by me, using the trusty Felcos, but still have some dieback, where the plant has decided to dispense with that stem or bit of a stem and just make a new one. I like listening to music while pruning. Anything too up-tempo is distracting, but the piano music of Eric Satie is just about perfect. It has a wistful quality that matches one's mood as one decides which bits to take out, and which to retain.
No comments:
Post a Comment