ROSE RAMBLER – 27^th MARCH 2014

Hello dear rose friends … no, we’re not at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show this year – I read somewhere that this year is the 19^th MIFGS and we’ve been there every year.

Instead, we propose to have a lot of special seminars here at the Rose Farm, attend more Garden Club meetings as guest speakers and go to a few special events like this one happening at Silvan.

We thoroughly enjoyed the TESSELAAR PLANT EXPO last year so we’ll be there again

This really is a FANTASTIC weekend of good food, great atmosphere and an opportunity to expand your knowledge about all things gardening – Stephen Ryan will introduce a host of expert speakers to talk about their specialised fields. I will be speaking at 10.15am on Saturday and Graham at 11.00am on Sunday in the marquee seating area.

If you’re unable to go to the Tesselaar Plant Expo then be sure to come along to the Rose Farm at Clonbinane the following weekend. We still have space for a bus group who would like to book on SUNDAY ONLY.

Your Probus Club, Gardening Club or other interest group will book their own Coach & receive a subsidy from us for the coach plus other BONUSES:

• SUBSIDY: $10 per person subsidy for Coach transport to and from Kilmore and Clonbinane
• BONUS: Entry & Catalogue at the Kilmore Art Expo
• BONUS: Devonshire Tea at Silkies Rose Farm. Lunches will be available for purchase at: Art Expo Café, One Red Pantry or Royal Oak Hotel – Lunch specials $12 – $15 each.

GRA’S GARBLE …

Ok, so who was a smarty pants and got the answer to last week’s joke?  The answer is of course, CHIM PANSY.

Because of the damp, cool nights, if you haven’t been doing regular applications of the organic rose maintenance spray program, then DO IT NOW!  The spray program will definitely control fungus issues which may occur during this type of weather.  Also, regular applications of liquid seaweed will strengthen the foliage – a healthy rose is better equipped to maintain healthy foliage and with lots of leaves on the bush, the rose is better equipped to uptake nutrients in order to make it healthier and thus more resistant to fungal disease.

Q.  What is smaller than an ant’s mouth? A. An ant’s dinner.

When my Dad died, I inherited his Felco 5 secateurs and they’re really special to me.  Recently, Diana packed them up and sent them and several other pairs off to Felco for an overhaul.

We are both so impressed with the fantastic service, quality cleaning and sharpening of our secateurs that we encourage you to do the same. Quality tools like Felco should be maintained and for a very reasonable cost, your tools will be in mint condition and ready for the hard work of winter pruning.

Send your tools to
Felco Distribution Pty. Ltd.
23 Manton Road, OAKLEIGH SOUTH, VIC. 3167
EMAIL: felco@felcocom.au  PHONE:  03 9544 6976

GROOMING ROSES …

Working on the basis that roses produce a new flush of blooms every 45 days, if you keep on grooming the spent flowers until the middle of April, the roses will, obviously depending on the weather, bloom right up to the end of May.

Grooming is about trimming short stems to keep the bushes looking tidy right up to their winter pruning.  Nothing worse than straggly, untidy rose bushes.  See you at one of our events … Gra

IN CLOSING …

Enjoy all the glory of this beautiful autumn flowering.