Let's hear it for the flower garden!

[gradus]

In general, I can't remember a better display than this Springs's. The roses and irises are just fantastic thanks in part to last Summer's heat- at least that's my pet theory. Also. I didn't get round to pruning all the roses and the Teas - sometimes a little spindly and weak-looking, have responded by bushing up and producing huge numbers of flower buds that are opening now, a lesson for future years. On another thread I mentioned fruit trees seemingly rising from the dead, well the same appears to be happening with a white lilac that I'd written off but is now beginning to bud, weird or what!

[gurnemanz]

I have about a dozen rose bushes of different type and can't remember a better show early season. Some already in bloom, others with prolific buds waiting to burst forth.

[Serial_Apologist]

In general, I can't remember a better display than this Springs's. The roses and irises are just fantastic thanks in part to last Summer's heat- at least that's my pet theory. Also. I didn't get round to pruning all the roses and the Teas - sometimes a little spindly and weak-looking, have responded by bushing up and producing huge numbers of flower buds that are opening now, a lesson for future years. On another thread I mentioned fruit trees seemingly rising from the dead, well the same appears to be happening with a white lilac that I'd written off but is now beginning to bud, weird or what!

I can never find professional agreement on caring for roses. The old trick I was taught of rich compost feeding and removing all remaining flower heads at the end of November, emerging or dead, and cutting back by a couple of shoot points to just leave enough previous top growth so that the frost only attacks the ends; then at the end of March pruning right back to one or two shoots and opening out the middle of the plants by removing all spindly stems, had been completely ignored here when I moved in 15 years ago, apart from the autumn manuring, and the plentifulness of blooms far exceeded anything I'd seen before, at any address I'd lived at. My theory is that soil type (slightly acid London clay with small admixtures of Claygate gravel) and suitable compost mulching is probably the crux when it comes to delivery. Yes the roses have been out here for a fortnight now, but they usually bloom earlier in the London "heat island" than in other parts of the SE.

[gradus]

The old rose care maxims reflect experience I suppose but ever since someone or other debunked pruning and used a hedge trimmer, I've become more unorthodox in my approach and follow the simple idea that I prune to the shape I want. Similarly with fruit trees and all the mumble-jumble surrounding pruning methods - I like an American approach I came across - if you want fruit low down for easy picking take out the leader and make it shoot from low down to produce a bush shape.
Reading the Victorian gardening writers, Hibberd, Robinson, Hellyer (not quite so old) et al is very enjoyable but some of their methods are jaw-dropping in their complexity eg William Robinson recommended digging to a depth of 3 feet, incorporating well rotted cow manure and allowing 4 feet square for a newly planted peony. Robinson considered manure had no place in the flower garden and recommended building up a 3 or 4 foot depth of good soil in which to plant roses. One can only gasp in wonder at the resources these great gardeners could deploy.