Gardening 2007

A mild first weekend in March marks the beginning of the 2007 gardening season.

Supposedly the rose bushes are dormant now, and this is the time for pruning them - at least according to Roses for Dummies. One is not supposed to prune the roses in the fall, because that supposedly keeps them from going dormant, and makes it likely that they will be injured by the cold.

The pruning can't wait for a week or two, because once the leaf buds awaken, it is too late. Pruning at that point will greatly reduce the vigor the plant.

I note that the fine art of procrastination, which is practiceable by a gardener in the tropics, is simply not possible in the temperate zone. The calender and the seasons are relentless and unforgiving.

Anyway, it takes me about an hour per bush. Two down, five more to go.