It’s a jungle down there June 25, 2005
I’ve been putting off dealing with/feeding/de-bugging the roses this year, since the house is going to be painted, and they’re going to have to be pulled over/down/out so that paint can be applied on the wall behind them. But I finally was forced into it, as the poor dears are simply covered with aphids. The only systemic I can find around here any more has rose food built in, which is another reason I’ve been putting the whole thing off.
There’s a huge broad-leafed plant just up the hill from the roses (rooted about 3 feet away). Every year I cut all the leaves off the rose-side of this monster plant. Every year I’m totally amazed at how it just doesn’t seem to care! I cut off probably 4 or 5 leaves today. Each leaf was about 3 feet (or so) long, and a good 2 feet wide. The stems half an inch or more in diameter. I really feel like I’m hacking back part of a tropical forest!
You can see some of the leaves on my monster plant in this photo. They’re close-ish to the house.
I did all that, and also chopped back/pulled out some porchelaca (sp? — succulent ground cover) and lantana (wild thing with pretty purple flowers). I even had to cut off a couple looonnnggg rose branches. It was wild! I finally was able to worm my body down where I needed to be to clear out the pine needles and what not on the soil around the two roses, and dug in some food/systemic. Still need to go water it in, but I’m inside cooling off for a few.
Man, that’s hard work!
What makes it even more complicated is that the whole time I’m doing this I’m also fighting prickly 3 and 4 foot tall weeds (I didn’t realize they’d gotten so big!), while trying to balance on a very steep hillside.
Whew.
I even hauled a trash can down the hill with me to toss everything into, and pulled/cut/hacked even more weeds while I was at it. Might as well take up a full can!
My legs are going to be so sore tomorrow! They’re just not used to such abuse!