Gardening Class: Trees, Shrubs and Roses

This is what I learned this week in my gardening class. 

• Shade trees can reduce the temperature by 20 degrees.  This can effectively reduce the need for air conditioning in the summer if they are on the South side of the house.  Deciduous trees are great for this because they allow the sun through in the winter to help with heating.

• My new favorite tree is the Rhus typhina or Staghorn Sumac.  This tree produces flowers at the ends of its branches causing them to turn a different direction each year. (Pictured on the right)
• Shrubs are able to do everything trees do but on a smaller scale.  They are most often used to define a landscape.
• Roses do not compete well with other large plants and need at least 8 hours of direct sunlight during the summer.  For these reasons, they should not be planted near any trees.
• In the late fall roses should be cut back to waist height.  In February, they can be cut back to 10” – 18”.  The shorter that you cut them the larger the roses will be during the next season, however, the shorter you cut them the fewer roses they will produce.