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| Roses may be a wee fussy, but one look at this ‘Guy de Maupassant’ flower makes it worth any extra work! |
When I was a petulant high school student in New York City, my sweet Aunt Cecile lived in the country Upstate and grew the most spectacular English roses. My sisters and I would sigh loudly and roll our eyes as she’d go on and on about her ‘Wife of Bath’ and ‘Heritage’ roses. Of course, the payback for judging people is that someday you become just like them. Or worse: Turns out I’ve developed a rose addiction far more obsessive and way less reasonable than my Aunt Cecile’s. And I’m supremely confident I can bore the pants off anyone willing to listen to me go on about my dearly loved David Austin® rosebushes.
So if you know how much I adore roses, you’re probably not surprised that I’m thinking about roses in the dead of winter. In fact, depending where you live, January through March is a great time to plant bare-root roses, and there are so many inviting choices just waiting for you at the nurseries! Once you pick out your lovely favorites, make sure to plant them in the right spot. Roses demand lots of sun and fresh air, so you need to choose a site with at least six hours of direct sun and some discernible air movement. Roses have a reputation of being “high maintenance” – but only if they’re not treated right from the start. A shady or cramped location only invites insects and diseases.
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