"Jeffrey L. Kline" wrote in message
...
Greeting to the warm-blooded

You guys and your warm weather! Up in the frozen north we are in the
process of putting ear muffs on our roses. Well not really, I still have
a few blooms, but there is nothing developing and there is talk of snow by
the end of the week. I'm afraid I don't have much to tell about your
conditions, although I've heard that soil pH is a deal in your area. I
keep a close eye on mine (the soil, not my own), trying to have it range
between 6 and 6.5. I've read that the south west trends toward alkaline
soil. Is this the case for you? If so, it could affect the release of
nutrients from the soil.

Good luck with your roses. I just renewed my membership in the American
Rose Society. Always a good place to start for info.

Best Regards

jk

My soil is very alkaline. Most of my roses grow in raised beds to which I
added a great deal of a local "rose soil" concoction, which is more acidic
than the surrounding soil. Really hardy roses don't care and send their
canes out into the alkaline soil and thrive.

I'm not sure I would have gotten into roses so much if I'd been up north
where winter protection is a real concern. I tend to be a lazy gardener.
My biggest problem here - besides watering during hot, droughty
summers - is weeds. But I guess everyone has that problem.

Interesting that some roses developed for more northern parts of the USA do
well in the south. One of my favorite roses is a Buck rose, Distant Drums.
I have three copies and all are doing well, even thriving in the summer
heat. Weird.

Gail
near San Antoino TX Zone 8