Roses are tougher than gardeners think. I have all but two of the many I've planted in 20 yrs.



Some, I've even tried to kill off, lol. They're still here.

I'd say this, if it's alive in a container, just change her soil when she goes dormant in the late fall every other year or so. When you do, look for mushy roots and trim those off if there are any.

You'll also have a chance to rid her of any pests by rinsing off the roots. You may want to give her a larger container as she gets bigger. A 5 gal paint bucket should do, or ask at a bakery if they have buckets that size. Drill a few holes and there you go.

You should see what I have stuff growing in, lol. My tropical hibiscus tree is still in that plastic 2 gallon thing it came in 2 yrs ago. I put that in an antique bucket and she's trying to bloom now, in my bird room.

growing in sand can be done. I have a front garden (pictures in my album) that is 90% sand.

One trains the roots of the plants to go DOWN so that they don't dry out so fast. I had to move some when we had the big dig up of the street last spring. I had a saponaria plant that I had to move and it was over 12 inches down!

If you sprinkle often but not water deeply every few days, the roots stay at the top and then when the sand dries out, the plant suffers.

So training does take some initial time but can pay off in very dry areas. That garden in the pics is below 100yr old oaks. And I was told by a garden "expert" that growing anything under oaks is impossible--- and I am doing it by following simple logic.
water correctly
feed appropriately
weed when necessary
have adequate light for the right plant

These are the only tricks I use. And I have failures, and just move on.

I think container gardening is the way to go for many things under certain situations. I do it up North and a little bit here.
In containers you can mix in SoilMoist granules and get up to 5 to 7 days between watering! You can use the new pelleted long acting fertilizers too..they are great for feeding. Some of the new fancy (if you have the money) containers are SELF watering now.
I like the big resin urns that Costco has now, for about $20.
I have 3 now, and they work really well and look nice (see my album pics).

Being in the Sandhills is a challenge. The weather patterns changing does not help. We just upgraded from a zone 7 to an 8....This so far has worked for me, it does sound weird, but it works. I use plastic bags, the ones from food shopping. I dig the hole much larger than needed, line with these crumpled up bags, cover with the original sand & then add compost & the plant. I'm not worried about root rot as the roots seem to find their way thru just fine. Plus less leeching of nutrients thru the sand. I have only been here for 5-6 years now so I don't know long term...But for now it seems to work.

Also on the cheap side are those heavy plastic storage containers at Walmart & such. I drill several holes in the bottom, then completely bury the container. It's not hard because it's all sand. Not a rock or pebble to be found! This is also good if you have Voles! {little, evil, hungry,monsters!}

burying containers did not work for me. We get really hard
freezes, and they just push up --frost heave.

Where you are you can get away with that. It is a good idea if you don't get totally frozen ground like we do.

Mrs D - Gardengirl is from the Carolina's (from what the line under her avatar says).

So I guess they don't get the freeze we get up here. But my brother - who lives near me, not far south of lake Erie, has a couple plants buried in container. In those beds, they keep them from heaving by covering with rock for mulch.

I think as long as the dirt and cover are heavy enough, you can get away with it. The planter has holes too, and if the plant's roots get though and grab outside dirt, that'll help.

You are so right about the Water Grabber stuff. All potted plants should have that. Hyponex's soil has that plus slow release food built in. I used that in my nail keg palnters - it was worth the extra couple bucks.

I can't believe all the stuff that's coming up already. Something else every time I look. Today, I see iris turning green, mullien, campanula, columbine, false sunflowers and fresh growth on the lavender.

yeah... I have crocuses and snowdrops.

We put out the 12-12-12 on the some of the beds. Hubby has
been raking oak leaves all week so far. We've had nice weather.

This week I am starting some perennial seeds.(in the house under lights).

I am so glad we are on the way out of winter finally! WHEW!

I just realized I never hard pruned my butterfly bush in the fall. Should I just cut it down now? I'm pretty sure it grows new branches every spring.

Hi all,

I have a Jackmanii clematis that does well in our backyard. I've always cut it down to ground level in early spring and it comes back full by midsummer. Would it work to just leave the old vines up? Will they all come to life again? Or will some of them be dead? Will it grow larger if I do it this way? Thanks in advance.

Dear Gardengrl, Go on-line and type planting roses in sand. There are many websites on the subject. Maybe there are only certain varieties that do well in sand. Check it out, and happy planting!

I read somewhere that there are three types of clematis, and so also three ways to trim. Unfortunately, it did not give specific names - like Jackmanii - it just described a bit about how to tell where to cut.



I do not recall any of these plants needing to be cut all the way to the ground, and you may be causing yours to use more energy to regrow than necessary.

I'm still new at clematis, so I can't be of more help, sorry. I just wait till they leaf up and trim off the dead stuff.