Sheryl, thanks for the tip on alfalfa pellets. Giving my roses a few alfalfa pellets to help loosen up the soil at planting time sounds like a great idea. If one is planting very many roses, it proves a great deal more practical than, say, fish-heads (which I have not used, though I am convinced they would work.) I need to add it to my list of planting rituals. A lot of roses don't bloom until they are well established, and good early growth can speed that along. Are these pellets that something you get at a horse-feed store?
I finally broke down and paid a younger person to mulch my garden. The mulch of choice is a three year old product that's about half horse manure and half wood chips and shavings. So I'm counting on it to make some improvement in the soil.
Sorry I'm not going to be able to offer much more help with your soil enrichment project.
