PAGE 20, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER , 1988 stem Some roses, are wlinter hardy' PRINGLE CREEK Gr. 7 students Amy Amode-oý Chantai Bradley, Becky Mees,' heather MacKenzie ind Bernadette Masterson were part of a Gr. 7-8 effort that decorated Oshawa Garden Servioes Thickson Rd. N. location Iwith scarecrows and fail flavor. Frec Press photo SHERIDAN NURSERIES' 75THANNIVERSARY FALL PLANTING SPECIALS Offer vafld until October 12, 1988 or whle quantitie last. OSHAWA - 847 KING STREET, WEST, (EAST 0F THICKSON ), OSHAWA, ONTARIO - 728-9429 Strange as it sounds, many rose species do not require protection from Ontario winters -- part icularly n the area bordering the ýGreat Lakes from Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario, says Master Gardener Bob Whitlock of London, Ont. Master Gardeners are gardening enthusiasts who have received formai horticultural training through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food's Master Gardener program. Once trained, Master Gardeners are available to answer questions from the public. Brownell roses are an example of those which require no winter protection.1 The cultivar 'Nearly Wild', for example, requires little or no pruning, reaches a height of about one meýtre, produces medium pink single. blooms from early spring until faîl. When planited about 60 centimetres apart, these- roses form a hedge of uniform height. Many cultivars of Rugosa roses do not require winter protection and may be -planted in perennial beds or as specimen shrubs in vour lawn. These are available in the red to pink color range; some offer double blooms and others semi-double. "These variet les are strong growers and produce menacing thorns; when ptanted as a hedge, they wiIl repel most intruders," he said. The cultivar, 'Nevada', for exemple, sends out many new shoots directly from the root in early spring and produces large white single blooms. Since this rose bush grows to more t han two m et res i n heig ht, it needs plenty of room to grow; in f act, its size usually prohibits its use in sm-aIl city gardens. But other types of roses do require winter protection -- -largely because they are forced to bloom from spring right-through to faîl. "Late-fali blooming prohibits the rose from forming wood; the plant can flot harden for, winter and therefore you must protect it from winter ice, snow and winds," he said. The ever-blooming hybrid teas, grand ifIo ras, f loribundas, poly- anthas and their climbing cousins fail into this category. 1 In mid-to-late October, tie up the stems of each bush with a couple of strands of twine. Climbers should be bent over and staked to the g round. 1 hen, just before the first killing f rost - - November il or so --cover each bush with about 30 cm. to 45 cm of top soil, brought from another part of the garden. Cover the climbers with top soil too. Standaârd (tree) roses should be trenched -- dig out one side of the root systemn, lay the plant on its sidp and cover with soil. Atter, Christmas, when the ground is completely f rozen, 'add discarded evergreen boughs to the top Of the mounds for extra protection -- especially in windy locations.