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Over the years gardeners tend to collect a variety of tools; some useful others not so handy. There are some special considerations for tools with respect to your rose garden. We use tools to make our job in the garden easier. We may be able to make do with only a few basic implements; however, by making having access to just a few additional pieces of equipment you can make your days in the garden much more enjoyable. Let’s start with something as basic as gloves, specifically rose pruning gauntlets. We might not mind getting our hands dirty as we spend time in our yards over a nice sunny weekend. Getting sliced up doesn’t need to be part of the bargain when working with our roses. It always seems to start with, “Oh, I’ll just deadhead my little miniature.” A few minutes later we are perilously surrounded by thorny canes of grandifloras and hybrid teas.
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What started as a little clean up had developed into a full blown clip-fest. Reaching past razor sharp, pointed thorns deep into the center of a rose bush to remove a mal tempered stem is likely to end with a trip to the medicine cabinet for a band aid. A good pair of rose pruning gauntlets can help you avoid this unnecessary pain. When you select a pair of gauntlets make sure the “glove” part is flexible enough for you to manipulate your clippers. Also check the lengths of the uppers to make sure they are sufficient in length but are not too long to prohibit easy maneuvering around canes. |
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Many gardeners have their favorite pair of clippers. Remember to keep them sharp so your cuts will be nice and clean. Dull clippers can damage plants by causing more tearing than cutting. For the larger canes, don’t try to force a cut with a pair of clippers that are too skimpy for the job. Reach for a pair of loppers and make a nice, clean cut. Likewise you will find the many times smaller clippers will work better when deadheading or cutting small branches. For those of us with smaller hand size or reduced strength there are many new clippers on the market which use better design, not brute strength, to increase their cutting capabilities. As your clippers near the end of their useful life you might want to shop around for a different design that better fits your hand size and pruning needs. |
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There are numerous tools hanging from the walls at the local nursery outlet that make promises of helping us by removing twice the number of weeds in half the time. Consider looking for tools that will afford you extend reach while not damaging the roots of your roses. Some longer tools can help you avoid a stick from the bush if you make a small miscalculation while reaching under your roses. Many rose gardeners use several different types of sprays both in the rose garden and other places in the yard. It may seem more cost effective to use a pump sprayer for several different types of chemicals and just clean it out between each use; however, one small mistake can ruin an entire garden. Plastic pump sprayers are relatively inexpensive especially in the small, one-gallon size. Consider dedicated containers for different types of material such as dormant sprays, insecticides and weed killer. Clearly label each bottle with a permanent marker, not a peel and stick label. Of course we also need a selection of good old-fashioned garden tools like shovels, hoes and hand trowels. After all, not everything needs improving. |
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