I received mini roses, Leslie & Scentsational, from Tiny Petals in Nevada in very poor shape. Leslie looks like she might make it, but Scentsational probably won't. I emailed them, and no response as of yet--4 days later. Hmmmmmm.

Roses that are already showing lots of buds are Blaze, Cherish (yea!), Golden Showers, Abraham Darby, Peace, and Sterling Silver (both bushes).

We planted a Bartlett pear tree from Harmony Farms. So far, so good.

I fiingerpruned my roses to remove new growth pointed toward the middle of the plant. This is the first year I've done this and, hopefully, along with my spraying and fertilizing program, this practice will help prevent the dreaded black spot, rust and mildew that has plagued Mirandy, Sterling Silver and others.

We're also experimenting with ground covers to replace parts of our lawn that are too shaded for regular grass to grow well. We've planted 1/2 flat each of Creeping Jenny "Aurea" (lysimachia nummularia) and Blue Star Creeper (isotoma fluviatilis) to see how they do before we invest in what we need to cover the whole section. I understand that Creeping Jenny can become invasive, but where we've planted her shouldn't be a problem.

Speaking of potentially invasive plants, chasmanthe has proven to love our Northern California climate and has threatened to take over one of my flower beds. Fortunately, it's easy to pull out and I will clip the flowers off right away after the hummingbirds are through with them.

Against the advise of the local Rose Society and an article in the current edition of the official ARS rose magazine, I fertilized my roses yesterday. Oh dear! A beginner who won't listen to the advice of the experts! Oh well, I added 2+ cups of alfalfa pellets around each bush, 50 pounds worth. However, it wasn't just to snub my nose at the experts; here's my reasoning. Frost damage was cited as the reason not to fertilize too early. We've had such a mild winter that I'm betting we're not going to have another frost in Northern California this year and I'm so anxious to get my roses to bloom that I couldn't wait. It rained last night and the pellets are already beginning to decompose--nature's own time-release fertilizer. Only time will tell...

This week promises to be a dry one so I'm going to spray the roses again. Mikado is particularly healthy looking with lots of new green growth. Other roses sprouting green are Mr. Lincoln, Oklahoma, French Perfume, L.D. Braithwaite, Peace and several of my mystery roses. Sonia Rykiel is showing signs of life, but still doesn't look that good. I love that rose, too, so I hope it makes it.

One of my mystery roses, which my husband has rescued from some old houses being razed for new apartments, has been identified, much to my surprise. An old plastic tag was still on at the very bottom, stating that this rose is Mirandy. It's a beautiful red rose with an outstanding fragrance that blooms on long, single stems. However, this particular bush has been plagued with spider mites and has the mosiac virus. One of the Sonoma County Master Gardeners recommended that I start another bush from a cutting of an uninfected part, if possible. I'll try that this year, now that I have been successful with rose propagation from cuttings.

In that arena, I have 3 successful plants from red florist roses that my husband gave to me on our 10th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, I don't know the name and they're scentless, but the sentiment is enough for me to want them to grow.

Also, I've begun a cutting from the florist rose, Rouge Baiser, a Valentine Day rose. We'll see if my success continues.

I've ordered a couple of miniature roses, Leslie & Scentsational. Leslie is the name of my beloved stepdaughter and the tiny pink roses look absolutely precious. Scentsational was ordered for its fragrance. Now if I can just sneak these in without my husband spotting them...