Did You Know... 2008 IN NASHVILLE WAS NEAR NORMAL IN TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR 2008 WAS 59.4 DEGREES...WHICH IS 0.5
DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS 9 DEGREES ON DECEMBER
22ND. THIS WAS THE FIRST SINGLE DIGIT READING AT THE NASHVILLE AIRPORT
SINCE JANUARY 2003. THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE WAS 97 DEGREES ON JULY
21ST AND AGAIN ON AUGUST 5TH.

RAINFALL FOR 2008 TOTALED 48.17 INCHES WHICH IS 0.06 INCH ABOVE NORMAL.

SNOWFALL FOR 2008 TOTALED 2.2 INCHES. 1.2 INCHES FELL IN FEBRUARY WITH
ANOTHER 1.0 INCHES FALLING IN DECEMBER.

THE WEATHER EVENT OF THE YEAR FOR THE NASHVILLE AREA WAS THE SUPER
TUESDAY TORNADO OUTBREAK OF FEBRUARY 5TH AND 6TH. 23 FATALITIES
OCCURRED TUESDAY NIGHT NORTHEAST OF NASHVILLE...13 IN MACON COUNTY...8

Did You Know? 'Miss Flippins' and 'Cachet' are two of the most popular miniature roses in the US. Both were hybridized by Robbie Tucker of Franklin, TN. For more information on these and other roses and rose care products, see www.rosemania.com

Did You Know?  All roses are rated by a scoring system developed by the American Rose Society. The rating is based on reports by rose growers in different parts of the country who rate the roses on flowering habits, disease resistance, growth, and overall value as a garden plant.

Roses are rarely given a rating above 9.3. Any rose rated above 8.5 is outstanding. A rose rated 7.5 - 8.5 is considered excellent. A rose rated 7.0 - 7.5 is average in performance. The American Rose Society does not recommend buying a rose rated below 7.

Ratings are reported in The Handbook for Selecting Roses. This handy publication is available from the American Rose Society  for $3.

Did You Know?  The average last frost date in the Nashville Area is generally considered  April 10 - 15. The actual last frost dates for the last ten years are:

  • 1999    March 28
  • 1998    March 13
  • 1997    March 16
  • 1996    April 9
  • 1995    March 11
  • 1994    April 1
  • 1993    April 3
  • 1992    April 3
  • 1991    March 31
  • 1990    April 12

Did You Know? That roses love tea? Howard Walters who writes a column for the American Rose Society has a wonderful recipe for "rose tea".

COW TEA, ALFALFA TEA, AND FISH EMULSION solutions  work the best with roses of all types, including miniatures. These mixtures feed the soil, supporting the organisms that convert nutrients into forms available to plants.

FERMENTING METHODS:Add the active ingredients to the garbage can, fill nearly to the top with water and stir. COVER TIGHTLY. Let steep for 2 - 3 days, stir again. Recover. Stir and steep off-and-on for no more than a week. The result will be a green fermentation solution with a foamy consistency. It's ready to apply. It also smells.

APPLICATION:Use an old bucket to bail out a gallon or so per large bush. Miniatures can use about half as much. Can safely be used every 6 weeks during the active growing season. Works great on all sorts of plants in containers. Leaves green up, new growth appears, blooms take on a richer hue. When the garbage can is nearly empty, there will be a rich sediment left. Fill with water, steep a day or two and apply again. One loading of organic ingredients will make up two batches.

WHAT HAPPENS?Alfalfa contains a growth hormone called Triacontanol and an organic base on which organisms can feed. Alfalfa meal or pellets broadcast and scratched into the soil do the dame thing, but tea works much faster.

FORTIFIED TEA:To the finished teas, add 8 Tablespoons of Sesquestrene 330, ½ cup Epsom Salts, and I cup of 20-20-20 soluble fertilizer (or a 20-20-20 mix with trace elements). Stir well. Apply one gallon per established plant, but only about a quart per miniatures. It's the best treat your roses ever had

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