Learning Center

A one stop place to learn everything you need to know about pruning your Roses and Fruit Trees.

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Tools

How to Care for your Tools

Rose Care University

In this video series (8 videos) we will cover how to prune the different types of roses to have the best blooms in Southern California.

Rose Pruning Guide Link

1) Hybrid Tea vs. Floribunda vs. Grandiflora

2) Hybrid Tea Winter Pruning

3) Floribunda Rose Winter Pruning

4) English Rose Winter Pruning

5) Groundcover Rose Winter Pruning

6) Tree Rose Winter Pruning

7) Winter Dormant Sprays for Roses

8) All Done

Fruit Trees

Information on planning and caring for your backyard orchard.

Winter Structure Pruning

Structure

Fruit Tree Thining

Summer Pruning

Light Summer Pruning - Nectarine

Cindy's Kitchen (snack time!)

The best part of learning about roses is the snacks. Enjoy these great recipes between caring for your roses and fruit trees.

Fresh butter tarts on a plate

Pecan Tassies

Combine with pastry blender:
¼ cup margarine
¼ cup butter
1 cup flour
3 oz cream cheese
Press into 24 mini muffin tins.

In small sauce pan combine:
1 Tbsp melted butter
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of salt
1 egg
¾ cup chopped pecans
Spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

PDF of Recipe

A tea setting, rose patterned, with chocolate-pecan-pretzel bites

Pretzel Turtles

20 mini square or round pretzels
20 rolos
20 pecan halves

Heat oven to 300.
Place pretzels on parchment paper lined cookie sheet with a Rolo on top of each.
Bake 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven and press a pecan half on top of each. Cool.

PDF of Recipe

A playful red ceramic truck full of monster cookies

Cindy’s Original Toll House Cookies

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup butter flavor Crisco
¾ c sugar
¾ c packed light brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups chocolate chips or M&Ms
1 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter, Crisco, sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Slowly add flour, soda, and salt. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-9 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.

PDF of Recipe

Fresh ginger snap cookies

Gingersnaps

½ cup shortening
¼ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2 cups flour
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg, then molasses. Slowly add dry ingredients.
Chill at least 1 hour. Roll into small balls and roll in white sugar.
Bake in 375 oven for 8-9 minutes. Makes 5 dozen

PDF of Recipe

Key lime sugar cookies, with limes hanging in the background

Lime Coolers

½ cup butter
½ cup margarine
½ cup powdered sugar
1 ¾ cups flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp grated lime peel
½ tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Beat butter, margarine, and sugar. Add rest of ingredients until well blended.
Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart of cookie sheet. With flat glass bottom dipped in sugar, press ball until ¼ inch thick.
Bake 9-11 minutes until edges are light golden brown. Cool then frost by dipping top in glaze.
LIME GLAZE
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp grated lime peel
4 tsp lime juice

Make 4 dozen cookies. From Gold Medal Holiday Cookies Booklet #24

PDF of Recipe

Coconut-pecan bars fresh from the oven

Magic Cookie Bars

¼ cup margarine
¼ cup butter
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (9-10 crackers)
1 14-oz can condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips
¼ cup butterscotch chips
1 ½ cups shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350. In 13x9 pan, melt margarine and butter in microwave or oven. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over melted butter. Pour condensed milk evenly over graham crackers. Top evenly with chips and then nuts. Press down lightly.
Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Cool slightly and loosen sticky edges with a thin spatula. Cool completely and cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

PDF of Recipe

Lemon Icecream

Ingredients

    1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
    1.25 cup sugar
    2 cups whole milk
    2 cups Heavy whipping cream
  1. Combine lemon juice and sugar in a sealable container. Mix well and let sit together for 1-2 hours mixing every so often to help the sugar dissolve into the lemon juice
  2. Mix Heavy whipping cream, whole milk and the sugar/lemon mixture in a large bowl until well mixed
  3. Pour mixture into frozen vessel of ice cream maker and make ice cream according to your machine
  4. Enjoy