Check container roses in storage. They'll need water.
If the ground is not frozen, move any bushes you want somewhere else.
Continue preparing any new beds.
Order bare-root roses for February delivery (mid-March for potted roses, such as minis).
Prune OGR's & English roses.
If you are really compulsive, sharpen your pruning tools.
WEED
MARCH
Plant new roses.
Finish moving roses.
Finish pruning by mid-month.
Repot container roses that have been in a pot for three or more years.
Check supplies.
Dress up the beds with a 2-3 inch layer of mulch.
WEED
MAY
Middle of May, apply granular rose fertilizer.
Continue weekly spray program for powdery mildew and blackspot.
Second week of May, add water soluble fertilizer to spray material every other week, at ? strength.
Finger-prune and disbud.
WEED
JULY
Watch for insect pests getting out of control.
Water.
Continue weekly spray program for blackspot.
Visit some gardens.
Share your roses.
WEED
SEPTEMBER
Continue weekly spray program for powdery mildew.
Clean up any fallen leaves from blackspot, spider mites or natural leafdrop.
If you want to fertilize, use only a soluble fertilizer, such as MiracleGro or Peters, in your spray program.
Water as needed (at least 1" per week).
Prepare any new beds for next year's new roses.
Stop cutting off faded blooms; just strip off the petals to deter botrytis.
WEED
NOVEMBER
After first couple of hard frosts, cut canes down to about 5 feet.
Clean up fallen leaves.
Prune out dead wood/canes.
Apply winter protection.
Move container roses to protected area or bury pots up to the lip in the garden.
Dig up bushes you no longer want (for Dig-Out or discard).
It's OK to move bushes now, too.
Write off for rose catalogs.
GIVE IN TO WEEDS.
FEBRUARY
Start pruning mid- to late February.
Attend some of the Society's events.
Loosen up soil compacted by the rains.
WEED
APRIL
First of April, granular fertilizer, ? to one cup per bush. Repeat every six weeks.
Sprinkle ? cup of Alfalfa pellets around the base of each bush. Water, then scratch into the soil.
Start weekly spray program for powdery mildew and blackspot.
Watch for aphids. Squish, or spot spray with Insecticidal Soap, a Rose & Flower Insect Spray, or Orthene.
Middle of the month, mix one tablespoon per gallon of Alaska Fish Fertilizer and ? cup per gallon Epsom Salts and pour around each bush, one gallon per bush.
Finger-prune new shoots.
Middle of the month, uncover new roses planted in March.
JUNE
Late June, apply granular fertilizer.
If thrips are still a problem, continue to spray buds weekly (use a spinosad product or Orthene).
Mid-June, apply epsom salts, ? cup per bush to encourage basal breaks.
Mid-June, remove lower leaves on canes to discourage spider mites.
Watch for spider mites; apply Insecticidal soap or Avid, if necessary (2 sprayings, one week apart).
Continue weekly spray program for blackspot.
Cut off faded blooms to encourage new ones.
WEED.
AUGUST
Beginning of August, apply granular fertilizer (last application of the season).
Water.
Continue weekly spray program for blackspot.
WEED
OCTOBER
Apply 0-10-10 fertilizer and gypsum (or lime, if needed).
