About The River

Monday, February 5, 2024

Writing for the Cameron Chronicle in 2024

 

Hello Friends, 

I will be writing garden articles  for our local village newspaper again in 2024. 

Cameron Chronicle "The Little Paper with Personality."

I am sharing the article I wrote for the January 2024 issue.


  

Roses

By Carla TePaske of Cameron, WI ~ The Little Garden That Could


Happy New Year to you all. As we jump into a new gardening year I plan to pick certain plants and flowers to discuss and give tips for success.

Roses are a favorite of mine, but lately I have been having pest and black spot problems. We will start talking pests. Rose aphids are the pest that I have been having the most trouble with. We garden organically. I will be sharing organic ways of managing pests. It may sound gross, but it works, use finger and thumb to squash aphid colonies on your plants. Encourage aphid predators in your garden, ladybugs, wasps and earwigs all like to eat aphids.


Black spot is the next problem I have with our roses. It is caused by a fungus, Diplocarpon rosae, which infects the leaves and greatly reduces plant vigor.


Underplanting with salvia has been proven to help the health of roses.

The sulphur in the salvia’s scent profile means that when they warm up, they release a natural fungicide. This helps keep the roses strong, healthy, mildew and black spot free.

Underplanting with salvias is a great organic gardening method, which allows you to forgo pesticides and chemicals. If you spot the signs of black spot, clear anyway any dead leaves which might work as a natural host for harmful spores.

I planted a salvia under one of my roses in late summer. I am in hopes it helps with black spot and other pests. I will keep you updated.

Until next time, happy gardening!


15 comments:

  1. I have always wished that I could grow roses. It seems like something that really interesting people are able to do. My sister has knockout rose bushes that will knock you out! I wish you were here to guide me through growing a rose bush in sandy soil but alas, I have two black thumbs and you are in Wisconsin, hahaha! xoxo

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  2. That is interesting about the Salvia. When I had my roses in my houses I had pretty good luck with no fungus but this is great to know about a natural fungicide. Have a great new week ahead. Hugs. Kris

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  3. Thanks for sharing the great tip, Carla. I have a Grootendorst rose bush and every year, it is covered with aphids. I'll try your suggestion. I've had this bush for about 34 years and it's very hardy but also very thorny.
    Hugs,
    Julia

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  4. That's a really good article! I just saw your comment about the horse but I don't know anything about it....I just saw it parked! And today when I hiked I met a couple from Wisconsin. I said....Do you know my friend Carla? hahahaha! Not really! But they were very nice and fun to talk to. Hugs, Diane

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  5. This is wonderful....I look forward to reading all of your post. And...this is great information. I love my roses, but the past two years they have struggles with the exact issue you speak about. Thank you so very much Carla, for this advise.

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  6. Great tips, Carla! I have to pin this post. We planted several rose bushes in late summer and they did great, however, I fear that may have been beginner's luck. The true test will be next year, but now I'll be prepared with your helpful tips!

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  7. I loved having roses at my old home. However I wont have anything here with thorns, shrubs or roses. Too many snakes. Great article though on salvias and roses. Janice

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  8. Great tips, Carla, and you know how much I loved your article on ROSES! I'll have to remember this when my mini roses come up this Spring. It seems I only get a few blooms, and that's it. You really help the readers who read your village newspaper, Carla. That's wonderful that you'll be writing articles for them again this year. : )

    ~Sheri

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  9. You are such a good and instructive writer! We have earwigs almost every year, and I have been bitten and pinched more than once. They are totally gross! They even get in our toilet paper roll.

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  10. Very nice. :) I love roses and have several. I had more at my old garden, which had more sun. All are beauties, though.

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  11. That’s interesting. We have roses and do nothing. They tend to stop growing during our hot summers but bloom profusely in the fall, winter and spring. I will look into the salvia plants. Thanks for the tip.

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  12. Roses are a lovely flower.
    Many thanks for these tips.

    All the best Jan

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  13. That is great information you shared. We had issues last year with our ficus tree which is fine now. We also have issues with our lemon tree. The lemons are fine but the tree is going to have to come down this year. Kinda sad because it i at a point where is gets about 100 lemons each year.

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  14. Great article! I love roses and salvia and didn't know about underplanting!

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  15. Great tips! I have two climbing rose bushes (that have turned into tree's!), so I should plant some salvia this spring.

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High Fives from Wisconsin!