Fertilizer

An early Hot Cocoa rose. 

It has been a crazy week!  Occasionally I have to stop and remember I work.  I may not have an ordinary job, but the multifaceted one I do have sometimes takes quite a bit of time.  This morning I finally had time to get out into the garden in thankfully cooler air to spread compost on the roses and other heavy feeders.  This should have been done in May or early June I think.  For years I sprinkled the cheapest available synthetic fertilizer over the entire garden every month.  Eventually I began to see an unexplainable decline of my plants.  Then I heard Paul James, the HGTV gardener from Gardening by the Yard, explain that synthetic fertilizer contains salts that build up in the soil over time.  Since our valley soil tends to be salty (as in mineral salts) anyway, it apparently wasn't helping as much as it first seemed.  So now I add compost and other organics to my soil.  I find the roses in particular really show when they are not getting enough, as they become smaller and sparser.  So nice yummy breakfast today for hungry plants via N Rich by Kellogg.  I do make my own compost but it isn't enough for year long feeding.