Gardener Joe Pelz of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Culture department clears mulch from around the roots of a Morden rosebush in City Hall Park Monday. Fall mulching of the park’s 72 roses has enabled Pelz and other gardeners to keep the roses, including some less hardy varieties not suited to Central Alberta’s growing zone, alive instead of replanting in spring. The thousands of annuals the park boasts each year won’t be planted until after the May long weekend to ensure they survive the vagaries of spring weather.