Patent ID: 6889470

Claim:
A method protecting a rose bush comprising the steps of: providing a protective covering; positioning the protective covering over the rose bush; providing a flexible panel, said panel having a top side, a bottom side, and a peripheral edge, said peripheral edge comprising an elastomeric loop, a portion of said panel positioned within said peripheral edge comprising a resiliently elastic mesh material; providing a plurality of elongate members each having an attached end attached to said peripheral edge and a free end extending away from said panel, said elongate members being spaced from each other, each of said elongate members being flexible, each of said elongate members being resiliently elastic, said plurality or elongate members including at least four elongate members; providing a plurality of spikes, each of said spikes being attached to one of said free ends of said elongate members; and positioning said bottom side of said panel against an upper side of the protective covering and driving said spikes into a ground surface such that said elongate members are in a stretched state.