First Editions® Above and Beyond™ Rose is a truly unique climbing rose for colder climates. This shrub combines extreme cane hardiness, reliable spring flowering, vigorous growth and the resistance towards fungal disease. Orange flower buds open in prolific clusters of five or more apricot-colored, semi-double flowers. Plants bloom in mid-to-late spring with sporadic repeat flowering in summer. With extreme cane hardiness, Above and Beyond™ can spread to various lengths or kept trimmed as an upright reaching 10-14′. As with most roses, this plant will do best in full sun.
As the name suggests, the Shinning Sensation Weigela possesses shiny, burgundy leaves with copious amounts of pink, funnel-shaped flowers in early summer. Maturing at a height around 5-6′ with a 3-4′ spread, this shrub works well as a border or a focal point in smaller landscaping beds that receive at least 5-6 hours of full sun.
Now is the time for being diligent with filling the feeders. Birds that don’t migrate to warmer climates will need a food source in order to survive the upcoming months. It’s best to hang feeders at least 4′ above the ground, higher is actually better. Hanging a feeder too low will encourage four legged animals to forage, leaving empty feeders overnight. Birds will also need access to fresh water. Placing a special water heater in the bird bath will prevent freezing.
Even though the season is coming to an end, there is still plenty to do for your landscape before the snow. Walk through your yard, do you see any big twigs, piles of leaves? Rake all leaves and remove all branches as they will cause dead spots on your lawn. Make sure all garden hoses are removed from water sources and put away. Leaving hoses outside year-round can cause moisture to freeze within the house and could weaken or crack the inner wall. Bring in any cement/concrete lawn ornaments to prevent cracks from freezing/thawing temps. Dump out any large fountains and cover them with fountain covers that can withstand heavy winds and snow. If the fountains are smaller, it’s better to just bring them inside. Dump out any flowerpots and if moveable, store them inside for the season. Heavier pots should have covers over them to protect from freezing/thawing/snow.
Although roses boughten at our nursery are meant for zones 4-5, sometimes they need a little bit of help to successfully make it through the winter months. Remove some of the mulch from the planting beds (otherwise you may need to purchase some) and sprinkle the mulch all around the rose/shrubs making sure to provide a thick layer of protection. Covering the entire rose/shrubs isn’t necessary. In fact, you never want to cover any plant with plastic containers, Styrofoam or anything else that doesn’t allow for good air flow. During warmer days the temperature inside the coverings double. Have enough of these warmer days and the plant will begin to come out of hibernation and once that happens and the weather drops, the new growth dies and will turn black. This doesn’t mean the plant is dead, but it’ll take until the next season for full recovery.
