You’ve probably heard the phrase: every rose has its thorn.  Too many, thorns symbolize the danger that lurks behind the beauty of the roses, and all sorts of myths try to explain the presence of these dangerous little daggers on rose stems.  Greek myth suggests that Cupid shot arrows into the roses accidentally after being stung by a bee and it was the sting from his arrow that caused the thorns to take root.

Don’t despair if these little daggers are a thorn in your side.  With a little care and some patience, you can remove those pesky thorns for a nice smooth stem on your rose.

Thorns do actually help the plant drink water, so it is important that you remove them properly and do not inflict excessive damage on the stem.  You need to take your time and practice a proper dethorning technique – otherwise you and the rose will be injured in the process.

Carelessly removing thorns will damage your roses in the long run.  They will not last as long as they should and any peeled or torn skin will hinder the amount of water that makes its way up to the petals.  Proper dethorning takes practice and patience.

You can remove thorns right on the plant, or you can wait until the stem is cut and do it then.  It is best to try and remove thorns on the cane when it is quite young and before the rose blooms if you know that the stem will be cut at some point in the future for display or for the creation of a bouquet.  You can remove thorns by applying slight pressure to the sides to simply push them off the stem.  You can use this same procedure with cut stems.

Removing thorns by hand is a tedious task, and with some roses, the thorns grow so close together that it is almost impossible to push one off without stabbing yourself on another one.  That’s where a dethorning tool can come in handy.

You can purchase a specialty product like a thorn stripper.  This type of tool strips the stem of leaves and thorns. You can also fashion your own with some metal strapping from your local hardware store.  If you do make your own, be sure to file the edges that touch the flower so the stem is not torn excessively in the dethorning process.

To use a dethroning tool, you simply hold it just below the flower and close the jaws together around the stem. Be sure that you don’t use too much pressure when closing the jaws of the stripper because you could damage or even severe the stem.  Lightly drag the dethorner down the stem.  The thorns should pop right off.  It may take a bit of practice to get the hand of a thorn stripper, but after a few tries you should have a good idea of how much pressure is needed to remove the thorns.

You can also remove thorns with a knife.  All you need to do is scrape the stem of the rose with a sharp floral or small pairing knife.  If you are removing thorns from the cut stem, then you might consider only removing the thorns and leaves that lie below the water level.

You want to think carefully about whether or not you need to remove all the thorns from your roses.  It is important to remove rose thorns when the flowers will be in a hand held bouquet or worn on the lapel.  When placing cut stems in a vase for display, you should remove the thorns that will be below the surface of the water, but you don’t need to take off those that will be above water level.  Removing thorns can shorten the life of your roses so be sure that you aren’t over dethorning your blooms.

An important time to do some dethorning, though, is when you are preparing plant litter for your compost pile.  After pruning off any dead or decaying canes from your rose bush, you should consider removing the thorns before tossing the old stems into your compost pile.  Removing the thorns will make it safer for you to work and exposing the stem in this way will also help sped up the decomposition process.

One of the best things about gardening is felling warm, moist dirt in your bare hands, but you will often end up with blistered, chapped, and scraped skin. The solution to this problem is gardening gloves. The more time you spend getting down and dirty in the garden, the more you need gardening gloves. Gardening gloves will be able to ease some of the pain you would otherwise be subject to, letting you spend even more time playing in the dirt.

There are hundreds of different types of gloves on the market, and the kind of gardening glove you buy depends on the way you garden. Some gloves offer protection against specific substances or things, for example, leather gloves are not the best for working with chemicals or water. Many gardening gloves are specialized for pruning thorns, refilling gasoline tanks, or using a chain saw, while others are for general tasks such as raking, digging, and weeding.

After choosing the type of gardening glove you need, you must make sure and pick out the perfect fit. Gloves that are too big have a tendency to slip off while gloves that are too small could cause aches and cramps. Any glove that doesn’t fit could defeat the whole purpose of wearing gloves and cause blistering. To find a glove with the best fit possible, try the gloves on both hands, make a fist, and imitate the movements you make when gardening. If there is no pinching or slipping and the glove is comfortable then you have found your match.

Gardening gloves can be bought in many places and are produced by many companies, causing them all to have a different quality and price. Most gloves can be washed in cool water and then air dried. There are many different types of gloves you can purchase to satisfy your varying needs, such as cotton and cotton-polyester for general-purpose chores. These are among the most popular gloves and are perfect for light chores in cool and dry weather. Leather gloves can also be used for general chores but are heavier than cotton and polyester. Chemical resistant gloves will help protect your hands against oils, acids, herbicides, pesticides, and many other chemicals. Grip enhancing gloves are designed with rubber dots for extra gripping power. Cut and puncture resistant gloves are designed to offer extra protection against sharp edges

If you are the type person that only wears gloves as an optional luxury for various tasks, you should think seriously for using specialized gardening gloves for many of the activities you will be doing outside. There is really no reason not to wear gardening gloves; they protect your hands from the elements and don’t ever cost all that much.

Hybrids, Teas, Floribundas, Grandifloras—the world of roses are so vast and confused that even the most experienced gardener may find himself or herself confused. So what exactly are hybrid tea roses? Hybrid tea roses are the result of crossing the Hybrid Perpetual (a European rose) with the Tea rose from China.

Simply stated, hybrid tea roses are the roses you see in the florist’s window in the days following up to Valentine’s Day. Hybrid tea roses are the classic image of rose beauty. They have large blooms (typically 6 inches in diameter), and usually only produce one bloom per stem. The bloom unfolds elegantly, with large velvet petals that spiral out from the center in mesmerizing layers. Hybrid tea roses are a favorite of gardener’s who love to cut long-stemmed flowers to put on display. They are also a favorite of photographers who love to capture the explosion of petals and colors that hybrid tea roses offer. Because they are known to flower continuously, hybrid tea roses are often referred to as ever blooming or monthly roses.

Hybrid tea roses became wildly popular in the middle of the nineteenth century, when they became “the” rose to have in the garden. The Victorian Era saw a flurry of experimentation with cross pollinization among plant breeders, eventually resulting in the culmination of hybridized tea roses. Victorian Era plant breeders sought to balance elegance and beauty with perpetual flowering, and they seemed to achieve this in the propagation of hybrid tea roses. The Tea rose, admired for its repeated blooms, was the perfect complement for the Hybrid Perpetual.

The ‘La France’ is generally considered to be the first official hybrid tea rose, although breeders did not keep accurate records in those days. A Frenchman popularly referred to as Giullot, in 1867, discovered it. It is said that his discovery of the La France was an accident. He was attempting to produce a large bright yellow rose, but instead produced a rose with silvery-pink blooms that turned bright pink at the tip of the petals. The flower was fragrant and very large (nearly 5 inches in diameter) for its time. The large bloom and dramatic colors of the La France made it the star of its day.

Hybrid Tea roses continued to grow in popularity. Their long ‘lollipop’ stems allowed for clear visibility of the bloom and easy cutting. With their vivid color designs and the elegance of their unfurling buds, they were perceived as much more dramatic than previous roses. Perhaps most importantly, hybrid tea roses produced larger and more frequent blooms.

Today, hybrid tea roses are much more commonly grown for cut flowers. They are no longer as prominent in landscape settings as they were during the Victorian Era. However, if you’d like to add the classic beauty of the hybrid tea rose to your garden, here are a few tips on choosing the right hybrid tea rose for you.

Do you want big blooms on long stems that you can arrange and put on display? Hybrid tea roses are probably for you. If you’re looking for roses to landscape your home, consider Grandifloras or climbing roses, instead.

Do you want a rose that emits a strong fragrance? If this is the case, hybrid tea roses may not be for you. Hybrid tea roses usually only give off a faint scent.

Do you want a relatively low-maintenance rose, or are you willing to water every day in during the hot summer months? In general, hybrid tea roses require a lot of water, especially during hot weather. If you’re not prepared to do a lot of watering, hybrid tea roses may not be your best choice. Also, hybrid tea roses do not enjoy the company of weeds, so be prepared to provide proper maintenance.

Can you deal with thorns? Hybrid tea roses are notorious for their thorns. If you don’t think you’ll have the patience to deal with this thorny issue, you might want to reconsider hybrid tea roses. However, breeders have been able to produce several thornless varieties of hybrid tea roses. These thornless roses might be a little more expensive and difficult to find, but the trouble is most definitely offset by their beauty.

A concrete patio can be an attractive part of the landscape, provided it is properly decorated after it is placed. It is also a convenient landscape element, as the patio is usually square and is easy to mow around. Additionally, it is an excellent place to enjoy outdoor cooking and entertaining. Concrete is durable and it can withstand a great deal of wear and tear. Building a concrete patio is something that you can do on your own in about three days. With a little investment of time, you can save money by installing your patio yourself, rather than paying someone else to do it.

The first thing to do, of course, is plan your patio. You need to figure out how big you want the patio, and mark off the area. Additionally, you need to make sure you have all of the necessary tools. 50 square feet is a fairly common size patio, and for that (at about six inches thick) you need 25 bags of pre-mixed concrete. Make sure that you get the pre-mixed for best results and easiest construction. You will also need to make sure you have concrete tools and an automatic concrete mixer. If you do not wish to purchase these tools, it is possible to rent them from a home improvement or hardware store.

Next, you need to excavate the area with a garden shovel. The best thing to do is excavate six inches deep. This is so that you have a two-inch layer of gravel beneath four inches of concrete. This is especially important in the north, where the freezing and thawing cycle can cause drainage problems. The gravel allows for adequate drainage, and that prevents cracking due to frozen water trapped beneath the patio.

After you have excavated your patio area, you need to build a form to hold the gravel and concrete. This form is usually made from wood. It acts as a frame of sorts to keep the gravel and concrete in place, instead of spreading beyond the confines of your patio. The form can be constructed from wood or strong plastic or rubber, and should be sunk into the ground lining the entire border of the patio area. If you want the patio flush with the ground, the top of the form should be level with the surrounding lawn. After that is done, put in the gravel. Make sure you tamp it down firmly to avoid shifting later on. Two-inch high flat pieces of rock should be installed as well, on top of the gravel, to act as supports for rebar reinforcing (the rebar will be built in the middle of the four inch slab of concrete; two inches of concrete below the rebar and two inches above).

Rebar is not solid, but rather a grid consisting of the rebar. You should install the rebar by putting the pieces every two feet front to back and right to left. At places where pieces of rebar intersect, secure them together with wiring. The rebar acts as a concrete unifier and also provides additional support to your patio. It is an integral part of the patio building process.

Next, mix the concrete in the automatic mixer. Make sure that you follow the directions for adding water. It is best to start by adding water with the garden hose, then adding the concrete. Add water again until the concrete is a uniform and medium shade of shiny gray. Pour the concrete into the prepared site. Begin at the end of the patio farthest away from the location of your mixer. If you need to, you can build a ramp to make it easier to transport the concrete (usually in a wheelbarrow). Have plenty of filler rocks on hand to add to the mixture. You should pour as fast as possible, and in order to do this, it is crucial that everything be prepared as much as possible beforehand.

Using the form boards, use a creed to smooth the concrete and bring off the excess. Cut initial control joints in the patio using a mason’s trowel. Joints should be 2 inches deep, and located every three or four feet. As you do this, watch for a watery layer to appear. It will disappear on its own, but you should wait for this to happen before proceeding. A jointer will help you finish the control joints. Make a clean groove about one inch deep.

Finally, finish the surface with any desired design elements. A push broom lightly run over the surface can create an interesting design and create a surface that is slip resistant. Lay plastic over the patio for properly “curing.” This prevents the patio from drying too fast. Leave the plastic on for a week and then do not subject the patio to a great deal of stress for at least two more weeks.