Another 30 completed today on a beautiful sunny day. So, 160 are done and 49 remain - I am now 76.6% complete. Two more good days needed to finish. May have to wait until Thursday - rain expected the next two days.

Today I got to a rose that was really leafed out - a lesser rosarian might have said, "Looks Good" and moved on to the next bush. But I knew a hybrid tea needs to be pruned down to where there is decent cane thickness - so I pruned it. What rose is way ahead of all the others with Spring growth? Drumroll please....................................it's the Pretty Lady Rose in the South Garden. Honorable mention goes to Marmalade Skies.

I put down 2 TBS of Epsom Salts around every bush that has been pruned. Wanted to do that prior to the rain. First time I have ever done that. I have used Epsom Salts before but always added to water being used for fertilizer or with alfalfa tea.

28 were pruned today so now 130 completed (~62%) with 79 still to go. Temps reached 79 today here with sunny skies. Tomorrow should be similar albeit 5 degrees cooler.

Life can mess up the best laid plans. Only 17 roses pruned today - now 102 completed (~49%) and 107 remaining, all in the South Garden.

It's amazing to me how leaves embed themselves intricately into the canes and prickles. It can take me over 5 minutes to remove all the leaves from a bush so that I'm not flying blind when attempting to prune it. Really extends how quickly a bush can be pruned.

Potted up the 4 J&P Roses early this morning - used 100% Scotts Miracle Gro potting mix. Went without a hitch.

Busy day pruning for me - another 25 completed so 85 are done with 124 remaining (~ 41% done). Decent weather expected Saturday and Sunday so hope to have it all done by Monday. Very windy today - no sooner than I have removed all the tree leaves caught in the canes at the base of the plant the wind would blow more leaves in. Seemed like I was fighting an uphill battle with that most of the day.

Most bushes/canes have 4 to 6 inches of additional dieback from when I did the rough pruning on February 23. That's as expected. The good white pith was usually found between 3 and 4 bud eyes downward from the dieback point. Except for one of my best performers that is, namely Apricot Candy. At the rough pruning there was almost no dieback at all on Apricot Candy. It is own root and today there was considerable dieback on every cane, sometimes as much as 12 or 14 inches down from the rough prune. I have no explanation for that - no other bush had as much dieback.

Some of the canes on my 5 Screaming Neon bushes are just huge. The biggest had to be a full 2 inches in diameter and very woody. I used the loppers to remove the monster. I am happy i purchased those loppers - makes it really easy.