img 1219 scaled Rose pruning comparison

Rose pruning comparison

I thought it would be interesting to compare last year’s rose violent pruning to this year’s not-as violent pruning to see if I could predict what the shrub might look like come May. I’m also hoping to see how much growth happened between the two years. I had to cut some wild canes twice last year, plus the major pruning last week. Here’s what the rose bush looked like:

I can see some thickening of the lateral branches, and there is a lot of bending at that joint that split and had to be repaired with the green florist tape during the windstorm last April. You can also see the cute little bird’s nest up top in the 2021 image. We’ve had some birds move in there three times over the past few years, so this year I didn’t try to clear out the old nest. I’ll just watch it carefully to be sure that we don’t disturb any families that take up occupancy.

We also had pond contractors install a pond in our garden. It was so much fun to watch the baby birds learn to fly last year. Remember the teenager bird who got tired while learning to fly and ended up in my beans? If we get birds out there this year, I’m going to have Jared set up the webcam so we can watch them.

Here’s what the rose bush looked like as it filled in last year

I am irrationally excited for the garden this year, but I’ve got to pace myself! If I get too excited too early, I’ll burn myself out before the dog days of August and September.

Posted by Jenny Smith

I'm Jenny Smith. I blog about life on the 300+ acres of rolling farmland in Northern Virginia where I live. I like tomatoes, all things Star Trek, watercolor, and reading. I spend most days in the garden fighting deer and groundhogs while trying to find my life's meaning. I'm trying to be like Jesus -- emphasis on the trying.