Ditto all of Rhythm's ideas. I grow a bunch of roses as well as lots of cacti. Between the two I've been cut up much more by the roses than the cacti. Usually it happens when I'm weeding between plants, come to a rose and decide to try to go in unprotected. You'd think I'd learn. I do have a pair of gauntlet gloves I use when pruning the climbers and larger shrub roses and they work great. When I'm not rushing, I use a large slip joint pliers to weed around roses and cacti. Some people use tongs but I have some pretty tough weeds that get in there and I find the pliers work better.
Many of my gardening friends are surprised I grow as many as I do. But show me another plant that has as showy a flower over as long a bloom time in so many colors and shapes while also possessing (at least in some) outstanding scent. But give me one with disease resistant foliage. Some are really hopeless so I mercy kill them and try something else. Edit ruthlessly. If you don't like it, it doesn't belong in your garden.
Many of my gardening friends are surprised I grow as many as I do. But show me another plant that has as showy a flower over as long a bloom time in so many colors and shapes while also possessing (at least in some) outstanding scent. But give me one with disease resistant foliage. Some are really hopeless so I mercy kill them and try something else. Edit ruthlessly. If you don't like it, it doesn't belong in your garden.
