I have wild roses growing in the area where I planted quince bushes 5 years ago. I never have planted wild roses and neither have my adjacent neighbors. How would these wild roses be growing there? Stray seeds? Would the quince plants have been grafted onto wild rose roots?

I suspect the wild roses (Rosa multiflora) came to your yard by way of birds dropping seeds from the rose fruit or “hips.” Your next-door neighbors don’t need to have wild roses for the birds to find the tasty 1/4-inch fruit, which appears in August through winter. They then travel to the densely protective, shrubby nature of your quince to enjoy their meal. The fruit’s small size makes it great “take-out” bird food. Because both Rosa multiflora and quince are in the rose family (Rosaceae), they flourish in similar growing conditions and share a number of plant attributes. The named cultivars of flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) are propagated by softwood cuttings, dipped in root stimulus compound, and planted in peat-perlite mix. Seed collection from named varieties is also a means of propagation for quince, but grafting is not.

When do I uncover my roses in the spring? I have rose cones on some and mounds of soil around the base of others. Also, does it depend on the type of rose it is?

The type of roses you have determines if winter protection is required. Many species roses, shrub roses, old roses, miniatures, and climbers, as well as some of newer hybrid teas and floribundas need little protection. Since you indicate they are all protected in one fashion or another, I will assume they are varieties non-hardy to zone 5. That being said, you do not want to uncover protected roses until any chance of hard frost is past – in Michigan we can have frost until Mother’s Day. Rose cones can be removed on sunny, warm days to prevent moisture accumulation inside. Check from time to time for new growth at the base and uncover the plant slightly as new growth appears, but be prepared to cover (at least lightly) in the event frost is predicted. Prune away winter-killed canes to healthy wood when the winter protection is removed for the season.

Some general rose culture notes to keep in mind: In southeastern Michigan, grafted roses should be planted with their bud union 4 to 6 inches below the ground surface. Roses grown on their own root stocks are typically hardier than grafted ones. Many roses have been developed that are quite winter hardy and do not need protection much past their first year. Good cultural care is also important for winter hardiness. Adequate water and fertilizer throughout the growing season combine to produce healthy plants that better withstand Michigan winters. Finally, roses should not be pruned after September 1 in order to allow the plants to properly harden off.

We moved into a new house last spring, and there is an old clematis vine scrambling up and along a fence. It bloomed fairly well last year, but it looks to me like it needs some pruning – it has some pretty scraggly-looking sections in it. I don’t know what variety it is. How and when should I go about pruning it?

Clematis can be a confusing group of plants to prune, since they vary in flowering times, and therefore are not all pruned the same way. They are generally divided into three categories: clematis that flower in spring require little pruning (pruning group 1); those that flower in early summer require light pruning (pruning group 2); and those that flower from midsummer onward require hard pruning (pruning group 3). Without knowing which category your plant falls into, you may want to just do some renovation pruning this year, by removing most of the old, scraggly-looking growth, and retaining a few good long shoots. These may need fanning out and retraining, but your clematis should flower at some point during the summer, helping you to identify which group it belongs to.

Group 1 or spring-flowering clematis bloom in April and May from buds produced during the last growing season. Prune these plants immediately after blooming, but no later than the end of July in order to give the plant enough time to produce new buds for next year. Start by removing shoots that have bloomed; the only other pruning you will have to do is to remove any weak or damaged stems, or to control the size of the plant.

Group 2 clematis are the large-flowered hybrids which bloom in mid-June on stems from the previous season and often will bloom again in late summer on new growth. Remove dead or weak stems in late winter or early spring, leaving the best of last year’s buds. Once they finish blooming, deadhead all flowering stems or cut the plant back to 12 to 18 inches to force new growth for a second round of flowers.

Group 3 is made up of the late-flowering clematis, whose flowers are produced on the current season’s growth (these are the easiest to prune). In early spring, cut the plant back to 24 to 36 inches. Once the young shoots have grown to about 12 inches, prune half of them back to encourage more new shoots that will bear their flowers later than the first.