Q: Remaining calm is one of the first rules to follow when in an emergency situation. If someone is extremely angry, you need to treat the situation as if it is an emergency.  Being calm will help you make on-the-spot decisions. This can be difficult, so remember to breathe. Your body will be telling you it’s an emergency, but you need to tell yourself you are going to be okay. The person is angry, so you need to show him the opposite emotion: calm. If you match his anger with your anger, then negative emotions will escalate. Don’t allow him to antagonize you into a negative reaction. Take a step back to get some space. Hold both hands up in a peaceful way in front of you to gesture that you do not want any trouble. Determine if the situation is safe. There is no reason why you should put yourself in harm’s way. Many lives have been changed forever due to mistakenly participating in volatile situations. Self-preservation is a primal instinct. Pay attention to it.  At the first sign of a threat to your safety, leave the area as quickly as you can. If you are forced to stay, or sense that you can handle the situation, you will need to shift into problem solving mode. Clarify what situation has triggered the person's outburst. Every situation is going to be different. Anger runs on a spectrum, from irritation to rage. If you are more familiar with the angry person, then you may be more aware of what triggers this person’s outbursts. Clarifying what the person is angry about will allow you to make the next decision on how to handle the situation. Listen to what the person has to say and do not interrupt him. Interrupting or talking over the person will only escalate the situation. It is time to take action to resolve the problem. You need to address four things: define what went wrong; generate alternatives for how it can be fixed; select an alternative; and implement your plan. This is the type of discussion that can take place immediately, or you can make plans to discuss it at a later time.  Be clear and tell the person that you are not going to fight with him. Assure the person that whatever the problem is, it can be resolved. You may need to suggest that the person take a break or a walk. Or, you may want to do the same and come back later to discuss the problem. Cooler heads prevail. The goal is to create some distance from the negative emotions. Apologize if and when appropriate. You will need to use your judgement as to when to say this. If you say it too soon, it may make the person angry. Enlist the support of others. If the situation escalates and you have tried unsuccessfully to calm the situation, then you will need to call for reinforcements. It takes courage and strength to admit that help is needed, but it is necessary.  Call the police to restore order or report a crime if one has occurred. It is their job to protect and serve. You need to be willing to ask for their help. Family members or friends may be able to help resolve the matter at hand. If you are dealing with this type of behavior in your home, then contact a domestic violence hotline in your area for advice and assistance.  If this situation occurs in the workplace, contact your Human Resource Representative to discuss your options.
A: Exercise self-control. Establish safety. Clarify triggers. Resolve the problem. Get help.

Q: Prune the Meidiland rose during the late winter after all of the foliage has fallen from the plant but before the spring temperatures begin to rise and new growth forms. Prune your plant in January if you live in a warmer region. In warmer regions where it does not get cold enough for roses to shed their leaves, pruning should be done in January and all of the leaves and flowers should be pruned off. This will allow the shrub to have a brief rest before producing new foliage and flowers in late winter or spring. Use bypass or hand pruners that are sharp. Dull pruners will crush the stems and damage the growth buds. Always wash your pruning shears before and after you prune plants to control the spread of any plant diseases that may be in your garden. Remove all dead growth and debris from around the plant to make the pruning process a bit easier. Rake the area around the plant and remove any trash, leaves or other items. Place this debris in a composter, or in a bag in the trash if you are concerned that the debris might have a plant disease or fungus of some kind. Remove any black or dark brown stems because these colors indicate that this growth has died. Dead growth should be cut back in order to help the plant produce healthy, new growth. If no healthy buds remain on a particular stalk, cut the stalk to the ground to encourage the plant to produce new stalks. When cutting make vertical, angled cuts directly above the first healthy bud. Diseased parts of the plant should be removed as soon as you spot the disease. Check your roses through their growing season to make sure that your plants have not developed any diseases. Trim these branches off entirely or back to where the  center of the stem tissue is a healthy white. Remove diseased parts of the plant from your yard. These cuttings will have to be burned or thrown away. You cannot place these cuttings in the compost bin, as the plant disease could still spread from within the compost bin. Once you have removed any dead, damaged, or diseased growth, cut your plant back to height that you would like it to be. The height of white Meidiland roses can be reduced by four to eight inches, if a shorter height is preferred, but it is not necessary. Simply trim each branch back to the desired height. Prune off any branches that are growing at odd angles and branches that are growing across other branches. If a branch is growing across another branch, it could rub against the other branch, causing injury and opening up the shrub to disease. White Meidilands that are more than a few years old should have up to one-third of the oldest, thickest, woodiest branches removed completely. This will open up the center of the shrub to better air circulation and sunlight exposure. It will also keep the shrub “younger” since the leftover branches will be less than a few years old.
A:
Know when to prune your rose. Use the proper tools for pruning. Remove any debris that has collected around your plant. Cut off dead growth. Cut away any diseased parts of the plant. Prune your rose to your desired height. Prune off branches that are causing problems. Remove most old growth.