ROSE LOVERS GET TO WORK ON PLANNING IDEAL BLOOMS.

Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer

Rose lovers who want healthy spring buds must pick up their pruning shears within the next few weeks, according to local experts.

``This is the strategic time,'' said Barbara Song, director of the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden. ``If the weather warms up, the roses will begin to bloom and the bushes will start their big growth burst. Then the bushes can lose their shape and produce poor quality canes.''

And stems not cut back to stronger, thicker canes make weak foundations for heavy blooms, said Jan Stafford, president of Simi Valley's Busy Hands Garden Club.

``You need to cut back to good-sized canes; otherwise you'll have roses on spindly stems.''

According to the Ventura County Rose Society Guide, first cut away any growth that is dead, damaged or diseased. Then cut away any canes, or stems, that are gray or dry-looking and remove hardened old stumps that prevent new growth.

Next cut away stems smaller in diameter than a pencil. Cuts should be made at a 45-degree angle, a quarter-inch above the bud eye, the small bud that signals new growth.

To grow long-stem roses for vase display, cut back to single stems, not forked ones, the guide recommends. Forked stems or canes also allow the bush to grow wider rather than taller.

Some rose fanciers recommend sealing the stem after pruning, others do not. ``It's debatable,'' said Busy Hands' President Stafford. ``The theory is that borers get in there and kill the limb. Some people use plain white glue while others use a sealant you can get at the nursery.''

After sealing, the rose beds should be cleared of all dead leaves, blooms and other debris.

Lastly, the rose society recommends spraying the plants and surrounding the ground to protect against insects and mildew.

``At this stage the plant is dormant and it's lost all its foliage, so you can use things you wouldn't use when it's in full bloom,'' said Rose Society member Jeri Jennings, who wrote the pruning guide.

``These preparations will go a long way to eliminating problems by killing insect larvae and fungal spores.''

Jennings also said that most nurseries sell dormant sprays designed for use after pruning that are inexpensive and nontoxic.

``And spraying doesn't take very long because you should have the plant pruned well back,'' Jennings said.

Pruning, sealing stems and spraying all help ensure healthy growth, Jennings said. She also recommended uprooting plants with troublesome pasts.

``If you remember one bush had particularly bad mildew, or another had rust, the best thing you can do is pull it up and throw it away.''

Thorough pruning also thins out the interior of the plant, Jennings said, preparing it for new growth.

Rose aficionados can begin pruning whenever the danger of a warming trend followed by a freeze is past, said Busy Hands' Stafford. In mild, coastal areas, growers can prune as early as November. In inland areas, gardeners can start clipping back the bushes as late as February.

``You can't risk a freeze killing the new growth,'' she said. ``You want to be assured that you'll have cool months followed by that burst of growth when it warms up.''

Ground around the plant should be solid, Song said, and the past few rainy weeks delayed some high-profile pruning.

``We waited to prune the rose garden at the Simi Valley Library until this (past) week,'' said Stafford. ``We used 17 bags of mulch around 52 bushes. The mulch is a nice backdrop once the roses bloom.''

Rain and muddy beds also delayed the Westlake Village Garden Club's pruning of Freedom Square Rose Garden in Westlake. Club President Jean Riley and 12 volunteer rosarians will prune the 30 bushes next Sunday.

Novice pruners can attend a demonstration today at Nordic Nursery in Thousand Oaks, beginning at 1 p.m. Rose pruning guides are available by calling Jeri Jennings at the Ventura County Rose Society at 482-2066.

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Photo

Photo: (color) Jean Riley, left, and Joe Maturo get a jump on pruning rose bushes Saturday.

Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News