Roses are a perfect Valentine’s gift and Wegman’s has a huge selection! Here are some tips for choosing the perfect rose for your perfect gardener. To view the many varieties and colors available look through our Rose Gallery that is entered by clicking on Rose Gallery on the side bar.

Roses are a worthwhile addition to almost any garden. We say almost always, because if there is not six or more hours of full sunlight over the rose bed, you cannot expect total success. All of the other factors needed for growing good roses (soil, water, nutrients, and pest control) can be adjusted by the gardener. (Please see our Care Guide on the Wegman’s website for additional information.)

Decide what you want your roses to do. If you want a mass of color and don’t need long stemmed roses, Floribunda roses will be your choice. If you want long stemmed roses suitable for bouquets, then Hybrid Tea roses should be your choice. There are many other types of roses besides the Floribundas and Hybrid Teas such as Climbers (which can be Climbing Hybrid Teas or Climbing Floribundas), Shrub roses, Grandifloras, Miniatures, Carpet Roses and so on. Ninety percent of the roses used by gardeners on the Peninsula are Hybrid Teas or Floribundas. Among these two groups are many colors, fragrances and disease susceptibilities to consider.

Here are some recommendations of Mr. Ed’s favorites to get you started or to enhance your existing rose garden. These roses will all grow well in a Peninsula rose garden if the factors listed above are properly applied.

RED
Mister Lincoln HT*
Olympiad, HT
Showbiz, F

PINK
Bewitched, HT*
New Zealand, HT
Bonica, F

WHITE
Honor, HT
John F. Kennedy, HT*
Moondance, F

ORANGE(ISH)
Fragrant Cloud, HT*
Tropicana, HT*
Vavoom, F

HT--Hybrid Tea

YELLOW
Henry Fonda, HT
Midas Touch, HT*
Julia Child, F*

MAUVE
Stainless Steel, HT*
Intrigue, F*

BLENDS
Touch of Class, HT
Peace, HT*
Just Joey, HT*
Double Delight, HT*
Cinco de Mayo, F
Livin’ Easy, F*
Tuscan Sun, F

F--Floribunda

All of these roses are available at Wegman’s Nursery plus 87 other varieties! Those varieties above marked with an asterisk (*) are especially fragrant and will produce wonderful bouquets or act alone in a small vase to refresh an entire room.

There are no specific rules about using roses in the landscape. You may choose to have some Hybrid Teas and some Floribundas in the same bed. Just remember to put the taller hybrid teas in the back and the shorter floribundas in front.

If you are just starting your first rose bed, it is important to prepare the soil properly. You will need a bag of Nurseryman’s Rose Planting Mix for every two roses plus a handful of Master Nursery Master Start Fertilizer for each bush. Here is a link to our Care Guide on Roses for further information: http://wegmansnursery.com/services.asp?page_id=84

We will be happy to dress up a container with foil wrap and a bow as a Valentine’s gift, just let us know!

It’s not too early to begin to think about what to get that special someone! This year stop by Wegman’s for that special someone and chose the right little something that is the perfect way to say “I love you.” Wegman’s has basketfuls of ideas that will keep on blooming. Come in and choose from a wide variety of beautiful orchids, azaleas, European baskets, bromeliads, ferns and other interesting plants for your home.

Looking for something other than a plant? Just drop by and we will be happy to suggest some other unique gift ideas. We also have Gift Cards available for your Valentine.

Doc Farwell’s Seal & Heal

Doc Farewell’s Seal & Heal is a light green colored formula that provides a flexible durable coating for tree or rose wounds. Its elastic brush-on coatings prevent drying of tissue while allowing growth and healing. Doc Farwell’s can be applied at any time during the growing season.

Morrison’s Tree Seal

Morrison’s TREE SEAL® is a fast, effective dressing designed to aid healing of pruning cuts, grafts, abrasions, and wounds on woody plants and trees. It prevents excessive sap flow and provides a protective barrier against water, insects, and disease. It can also be used to seal and waterproof clay and wood planting pots and tubs.

How to Prune Fruit Trees

By R. Sanford Martin

This handbook, first published in 1944 holds up just as well today. Intended for home gardens, Martin's book details pruning instructions for deciduous fruit trees, citrus, subtropicals, berries, and grapes. A must have for the home orchardist.

Flowering dogwood is a beautiful native tree with four-season appeal. It has lovely flowers in spring, attractive foliage in summer and fall, colorful fruit in fall and an interesting growth habit that provides winter interest.

Flowering dogwood prefers an acidic, well-drained soil that contains a significant amount of organic matter. It can be planted in full sun, but performs best in partial shade. The tree should be mulched to keep the soil moist and cool. It does not tolerate poorly drained soils, but it needs regular watering, weekly or more often in extreme heat. The average landscape size is about 25 feet tall and wide. The growth rate is moderate. The improved varieties are more pest and disease resistive.

Dogwoods are beautiful specimen plants and in addition to attracting birds, they are also easy care. Dogwoods are available in white--Constellation or Aurora or in pink--Stellar Pink.