June is known for two things: weddings and roses. They often go together, making roses the most romantic of flowers. I hope you have some roses in your garden, but if you don’t, it’s not too late. It is too late to plant bare-rooted plants, but your garden center should still have a good variety of other rose bushes available for you to choose from.

Rose bushes in full foliage and preparing to bloom can be transplanted fairly well all summer by using a little TLC or transplant, love and care. Transplant on a cloudy day whenever possible, or use cardboard to build a shade shelter to protect your delicate new plants from the Colorado sun. (Remember to move that portable shade with the sun.)

Love your new transplants. Give them extra care, like frequent watering and mulching, until they become hardy. Carefully watch these plants for signs of distress, such as wilting or unwanted attention from neighborhood animals and children.

Also watch your rose plants closely for pest infestations. Look closely for aphids, spider mites and thrips. If the weather in your area turns hot and dry, hose the underside of your roses every other day or two to discourage pests. If your garden becomes infested with a pest and you aren’t sure what to do, contact your local garden center or the Colorado State University Extension Office at www.ext.colostate.edu. The professionals there will help you identify the pest and give you ideas about how to control the pests.


Give Flowers Attention
Take time this month with all your flowering plants to ensure an abundance of flowers through the blooming season. Cut off spent flowers to encourage more blooming. Prune plants to improve their appearances.

If you haven’t fertilized since March, it’s time to sprinkle a slow-release, granular fertilizer around your plants. Lightly scratch the fertilizer into the soil and water well. Don’t over fertilize. Too much fertilizer and water can kill the plants you love so much.

Be sure to enjoy the blossoms of your labors. Cut your flowers early in the morning or at dusk. Rose blooms should be cut in the late bud stage, when the bud is just showing colored petals. Cut stems at a 45-degree angle and immerse them immediately in a bucket of warm water. Place the bucket in a cool, shaded place and give the cut flowers a few hours to absorb the water.
Before arranging your flowers, prepare a preservative to help maintain their blooms as long as possible. Mix together thoroughly 1 tablespoon light corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon liquid bleach, 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice and 1 quart warm water, then place your floral arrangement in it.

Strip off any leaves on the stems that will be below the water line. Recut the stems of your cut flowers and place them in the special water you have prepared. You will be able to enjoy your roses and flowers for many days, and that beautiful Colorado sunshine will spread throughout your home.
Keep scattering that sunshine, and happy gardening.