Great start for me this year!

I believe I have got it going right on schedule this year! Went out and did some pruning and make sure air and the sun can get between the bushes and around the base. Did spraying with fertilizer early before the buds. Got the Disease control out there before all of the spring rain! I just used some old supplies I had around, Miracle-Gro for Roses and Ortho RosePride. I have been trying to get more involved and see what's out there, maybe I will start learning something! Lot of options out there, sometimes makes my head spin! If I can just keep it up all season,  and after the Roses bloom, I might avoid my yearly Rose Garden Apocalypse!  I even did some extra work to help prevent some of the worst pests we have here in Baltimore City.  With a vacant house across the street it does not look good!  I will spare you all the details on that one.  You can read something about it if you want, Rose Garden Recovery , recovery mission did not get fully of the ground.  Again,  I look for none of this to be necessary, but most often the lazy days of summer set in for me at the end of June.  Goes from Birthday to Independence Day to Vacation Days to Raven Season in a flash!

In previous years,  I barley got the garden cleaned out and some fertilizer before the roses bloomed!  Often I would miss my chance to apply any disease control before all of the April showers and the rose would be blooming and loosing leaves at the same time.  Looking to get in another application of fertilizer this week and maybe some insect control soon.

I did not get much done this weekend walked around checked things out and of course took a few pictures with mixed results.  Getting harder to find great pics without any blooms!  Below are some pictures I took and I did manage to fill the bird feeder by late on Sunday!

Another awesome gardening experience was my sister going  Mickey Mouse garden crazy at Kmart on Sunday after church!  She just recently moved back in town this year and was a great to see her interest in some gardening!

I should also have some pics next week of a few of my mothers additional gardening tasks assigned to me.

Now some pictures that are okay.  I only think 1 or 2 turned out as expected!

You can see all pics here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/101314293289523845544/albums/5872800209674052321

First, I made a horrible attempt to get a picture of the full moon on Friday!  Should have got up off my butt and went outside!

Next, I would like to capture some rose buds?  These look good.

Really thought me in the garden would look cool?  Not what I expected.  Probably should have combed my hair!  This is what happens when you just want to get right out to the garden on a nice day!  I rolled out of bed and I was off!  The first one is kind of scary!

Few of my usually random pics...

Trying some different light and flash stuff?  Does it bring out the radioactivity in these?

Normal

Radioactive 

I did add seed!  The pic is in a tweet @reinhardtrose!

Now I really lose it!  Trying to get as close as possible as a sunset in the rose garden!  Climbed up on the wheelchair ramp at the church across the street.  I will try and pic 2 or 3 of my 20 attempts. Hey, they looked great on the camera's tiny display!

Last but not least, some of the participants!

Hellena had a bad day.

Me celebrating the Baltimore Ravens draft picks!

Go Ravens!

Off to watch the O's play on the West Coast!  Go O's!

You can see all pics here: https://plus.google.com/photos/101314293289523845544/albums/5872800209674052321

My Mourning Dove Friend!

I forgot my friend in the last post!    Don't look at me like that!  Sorry Buddy!

Clearing out the Base!

Love Dad's Fav white roses was
here when bought the house in 1970

In the past week we had a good amount of rain here in Baltimore.  I went out on Saturday to clean
weeds and leaves around the base of my rose bushes.  Need to make sure the base of the plants are getting plenty of sunlight at the base to promote new growth and keep dry for disease prevention.   I decided to do it like some crazy exercise by bending around and not putting my knees on the ground!  It was crazy like I was playing twister!  I finally gave in and used an old lawn chair cushion.  It was very soft, I would recommend the  lawn chair cushion anytime.  When your done you can lay down and take a nap!

While out there I took a bunch of pictures.

Always like to start with a picture of Mary

Next here are many pics trying to capture some new rose growth!

I really liked the next pick for some reason?  I guess its the red.

Now I go crazy trying to get cool pics with the Sun shinning bright!

This one I think is cool

Some big picture views.

You can see the full album here:

2013-04-21