Proper spring rose care will help you ensure a glorious blooming season. One of the most important parts of rose care is pruning.

Why should we prune roses? Because pruning encourages new growth and bloom, improves air circulation, and helps to shape the plant. It also brings you up close and personal with your plants, giving you warning to wash off aphids with a water blast at first sign.

Pruning time is often dictated by the blooming of the forsythia bush. If you haven't any nearby forsythia bushes, watch instead for when the leaf buds begin to swell and redden on your rose plants. After pruning is the time to begin feeding and insect prevention. Try using Bayer All in One Rose & Flower Care. It contains fertilizer, fungicide and insecticide to protect for 6 weeks.

We've answered the "why" of spring pruning, but now we'd like to deal with the specific needs of each class.

• For modern floribundas that bloom once on new growth, prune hard (1/2 to 2/3 of the plant's height), removing old woody stems, and leaving 3 to 5 healthy canes evenly spaced around the plant. Cut these from 18-24" inches to encourage continuous blooming.
• Hybrid teas and grandifloras also are new wood bloomers. Prune them in early spring by removing dead and weak wood in an open vase shape, removing center stems. Reduce the remaining stems down to 18 to 24 inches. Whenever possible, cut on a 45 degree angle.
• Ramblers bloom only once, on old wood, and may be pruned right after flowering to remove winter damage and dead wood, or to shape.
• Although climbing roses are repeat bloomers, the above should be followed for them as well.
• Modern shrub roses are repeat bloomers on mature--not old--woody stems. Don't prune for the first two years, then each year remove one-third of the oldest canes.
• Miniature roses require pruning only to shape.

When pruning is complete, carefully rake up and discard all pruned material, including leaves and old mulch, and toss all out with the trash; this will discourage diseases and insects.

This will be (hopefully) a very basic, non-technical guide to fertilizing (feeding) your plants.
First of all, when we fertilize keep in mind this is supplemental feeding. Many nutrients are in our soil already but they are "locked up" or unavailable in a form that plants can utilize due to pH (have acid or alkaline-more about that later) or soil texture problems.

Remember--the more pliable your soil is, with lots of organic materials, the fewer added nutrients are needed. A good soil will feed your plants naturally. Supplemental feeding can make them grow bigger and better!

-Organics vs. Chemical fertilizers
The plant doesn't know the difference between them, but the soil does. Chemical fertilizers feed the plant. Organic fertilizers feed the soil so the soil feeds the plant naturally. Both have advantages: Chemical fertilizers are fast acting and may later take care of specific problems. In any case, remember to feed your plants organically or chemically, and remember to always follow the label directions.

Work the fertilizer into the soil at the drip line of the plant- that's where the feeding roots are. The drip line is where, if you drew an imaginary line from the outermost branches to the ground, rain would fall. Always water in well; fertilizers need to be in liquid form for roots to absorb. Water plants first, never feed a dry plant!

-Understanding "N-P-K"
All fertilizers have 3 numbers on the bag; the first (N) is nitrogen--for the green; second (P) is phosphorus--for fruit & flowers; and third (K) is potassium--for overall vigor of the plant.

For our soils the most important is nitrogen, it needs to be replenished because it moves freely through the soil and can be washed out. Complete or all-purpose type fertilizers are good to use at planting time (phosphorous and potassium need to be worked in) as they don't move well through our alkaline soils. It is especially important to feed plants in containers regularly or they won't have anything to eat!

How often? Follow label directions. Usually they will say monthly during the growing season or with organics every other month because they are slower acting (you will also notice the N-P-K numbers on those bags are smaller). Follow label directions for specialty fertilizers such as those for azaleas or fruit trees.

Try Wallace's own new line of fertilizers for great results every time.

To review:
1. Check fertilizer choice for N-P-K numbers and choose one with plenty of nitrogen.
2. Follow label directions!
3. Work into soil at the drip line
4. Water in well--never fertilize a dry plant!

Vegetable gardening is the hottest ticket in town right now. Just ask the new First Family or Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. Both have recently announced plans to put in organic vegetable gardens.

Vegetable gardens are so satisfying and rewarding. Consider what your very favorite vegetables, fruits or herbs are, and then imagine how exciting it would be to just step out the door of your home to harvest them fresh for your meals of the day! Not only is this instant satisfaction, but you'll enjoy the very best flavors--nothing bought in the supermarket can compare. As an added plus, you can proudly announce to guests, "Oh yes, these were from my garden."

Follow these steps. It's simple.

1. Pick a sunny location, free of grass (or "free it" from the grass!):
Some veggies can tolerate shade. Try garlic, onions, chives, basil, and broccoli in shady areas.

2. In-Ground or Raised Bed:
Decide whether you will be planting in the ground or in a raised bed. Obviously, if you pick the raised bed, there will be additional preparation if the boxes haven't been made yet.

3. Soil preparation:
Determine whether your soil is predominantly sand or clay. If you are lucky, it will be a nice loam, but don't count on that. Chances are, your soil isn't a loam. You will want to supplement the native soil with a composting product together with a good planting mix. Roto-till or good old-fashioned shovel in these amendments and level out the soil.

4. Design for Access and Convenience:
Depending on the size of your vegetable garden, you will need to consider how to access it for feeding, weeding, and harvesting. Perhaps it is narrow (up to 3 feet), in which case you can reach from the garden bed edge without a problem for these chores. If your garden is wider than this, plan a way to access your plants without trampling them and compacting your soil around the plants. This may mean a stepping stone path through the middle, or small paths to otherwise unreachable plants.

5. Plant selection:
Plant selection ties into #6 below. Presumably you've already got an idea of what you want to grow. Think about your vegetable garden's ultimate size, shape and support needs when designing plant placement. Tomatoes and pole green beans need support structures. They should be placed more toward the back of your garden, so they don't shade your smaller/shorter vegetables and herbs. Carefully consider the ultimate plant size for space considerations. They are little when planting, but some veggies get very large. They'll need the space and airflow.

6. Fertilize:
You have choices here: regular chemical fertilizer (liquid or slow-release) or organic fertilizer . Remember when choosing fertilizers that you are ultimately planning to eat these vegetables.

7. Pest Management--get your pinching fingers ready, or your garden hose:
Again, remember that you plan to eat these vegetables, so your choices on pest control are limited. Also, you need insect pollinators for fruit/vegetable production, so bees and other pollinators are important for your vegetable garden. If you must spray the pest insects, Try Bonide Tomato & Vegetable Spray. It is completely organic and can be used to fight pests up to harvest.. You should pick a time of day with minimal bee activity and carefully follow the product instructions.

8. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch--for weed control and good moisture retention:
Throughout the growing season, water and periodically fertilize; keep weeds down to eliminate plant space competition. Have fun watching your vegetables and herbs grow. If you do grow any vegetables from the legume family, such as green beans, these plants add nitrogen back to the soil. What a plus! At the end of the season, instead of ripping the plants up, roots and all, leave the roots behind. It's good for your soil!