Read a garden club newsletter that said 'treat roses like you treat your mother-in-law' and now I can't stop thinking about what that actually means

It was the February issue from the Austin Rose Society and the old guy who wrote it swore by keeping them at arm's length with plenty of space, has anyone else run into weird flower advice from retired folks that stuck in your head weird?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia_schmidt141mo ago

Oh totally, my neighbor told me to water her orchids with ice cubes and I'm still confused about that one.

hannahk191mo ago

Oh man @patricia_schmidt14, I've heard that ice cube trick too and it sounds so wrong at first! Like, aren't tropical plants supposed to want warm water? But I looked it up and apparently some people swear by it to prevent overwatering and root rot. The ice melts slowly so it doesn't shock the roots as much as dumping cold water on them directly. Still feels weird to me though, I'd rather just use room temp water and check the soil instead of trusting frozen cubes.

adams.spencer1mo ago

Hold on, @patricia_schmidt14, ice cubes can actually shock tropical roots with that extreme cold.