January: Rose Pruning Time

 

'Francis Meilland' 

After some very warm and constantly windy weather, at times hot enough to drive me indoors after a few minutes outside--suddenly the roses seem to be telling me it was pruning time:  leaf buds swelling rapidly.

So I snapped out of whatever funk I've been stuck in lately and got to it, including clean up of other plants as well.  Hydrangeas Salvias and Cupheas got the chop.  And old Gerbera, Alstroemeria, and Hellebore foliage to pull. 

Here's one area looking (somewhat) ready for spring.  Still a big clump of Dahlia under that tomato cage to be dug and dumped, then replaced by a rose.

 Replaced by one of several roses waiting in pots:  a pair of 'Tamora', a 'Moondance', and 'Pink Gruss an Aachen'.   'Tamora', probably.

Since summer is awful enough without feeling miserable about failing, flowerless, wretched-looking Dahlias, all Dahlias in the garden are being dug and discarded, to be replaced this coming summer by heat-loving annuals.  (Well...if I get around to buying and planting seeds in time.) 

Admired some still-flowering roses as I chopped.

'Snow Goose': 

'Princess Alexandra of Kent':

'The Ambridge Rose' yet again:

Regretfully, the plump, luscious flowers from 'Belindas Dream' got a sloppy cram into a vase with a Hydrangea "mop".  They deserved better.  Impatience won:

Other winter beauties to admire during the chop-chop.  Hardenbergia 'White Out',  planted last June, looks wonderful (especially because it is, after all, January):

I wasn't expecting much from it in its first year.  Exceeded expectations.  By a lot.

I'll look for the purple version, 'Canoelands', for the backside of that same structure, to replace the failing Trachelospermum (which in another location, is doing great).  When well established, Hardenbergia can grow happily with very little water.  

The striking show of white flowers from Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star' continues a while longer.  More flowers every year.  

And from native Ceanothus macrocarpa:

Grevillea 'Superb', better and better:

Aloe aculeata x cryptopoda -- the light didn't allow capture of the vivid lime-green cast of the just-about-to-open flowers:

 Aloe castanea's flower stems explain why its common name is the "Cat's Tail Aloe"

The "tails" look alarmed: 

The nectar is a deep brown color.  Honey bees don't seem to like it.  

 Amaryllis cybister x 'La Paz' bulbs rested dormant in their pot all summer, shaded under some Cuphea foliage.  The bulbs woke up courtesy of our autumn rains.

Ditto for the freebie Narcissus bulbs obtained from a fellow garden club member last winter.  These were tucked out of sight behind the Iochroma's trunk.  I moved the pot to a visible place, to enjoy the flowers when they arrive.  

If foliage may be mentioned, there's the remains of 2025's Christmas tree, now mulching the soil around Aloe candelabrum:

 Agave mitis var albidior once again survived and is growing, apparently healthy again, having recovered and re-rooted in a pot after nearly dying planted in the ground.  This must be the third time this Agave nearly died in the ground.  I finally heard you, Agave--you stay in a pot for the rest of your life.  

Whatever pot you want, gorgeous! 

Another survivor of my abuse: Aloe pillansii, now a towering 8" tall, looking the best and healthiest its ever looked, because this rare species being from one of the most arid places on earth, I've watered it generously and frequently.   Left dry, here it nearly died.  Too small to refuse moisture, perhaps?  

In better hands (Mother Nature's) this critically endangered species grows 30-40 tall.  

We got 0.34" Thursday, bringing our yearly rainfall total on the gauge to 10.25", though we've actually received somewhere around 13 or 14 inches, average for our rain year.  Our gauge was plugged by a dead ladybug, so we missed 2 or 3 or 4 inches--not sure how much.    

I hope we get some more.