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ROSE RAMBLER 6.10.2016

RAMBLER 06.10.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends … welcome to October which is the month when we’ll start to see lots of roses blooming here at Clonbinane … oooh, so, so exciting!

Because of their warmer climate, the gardens at CHARLTON will be in full flower for their open garden weekend … take a drive and support this magnificent community of country folk who have experienced hard times in recent years!  WE LOVE CHARLTON AND KNOW YOU WILL TOO!!!

 

 

GRA’S GARBLE …

We gardeners are being challenged by unprecedented, record-breaking rain – conditions which our plants are unfamiliar with so they’re lush and loaded with nutrients, possibly sitting in sodden soil too.  Be wary and lift any newly planted roses into pots as they will be unable to produce new roots while sitting in sopping soil!  If you are seeing new shoots and the roses seem happy, LEAVE THEM – only lift them if they appear to be stressed!

It’s important not to go ‘overboard’ and create built-up garden beds during this unusually wet time – the rain will dissipate and you’ll soon have the hose watering your garden!

The higher the garden bed, the more quickly the roots dry out thus more water will be required to sustain plants in a normal summer – these rainy conditions definitely won’t last forever!  Frogs are enjoying the wet so, … Q.  What kind of shoes do frogs wear?  A. Open toad shoes – naturally!

I’ve given my gumboots a great workout this winter/spring … it will be nice to hang them up when the ground dries out a little …

Aphids are having a party
And mildew
Or blackspot


Might be evident on the roses but because of our organic / biodynamic garden management program, we have lots of beneficial insects and birds who are our army of helpers keeping insects in balanced numbers!  It is VITALLY IMPORTANT to the health of your garden that you see aphids, spiders, critters of all kinds because they are evidence of an environmentally healthy garden which is a food paradise for them all in turn!

Q.  What is the most faithful insect?  A.  A flea – once they find someone, they like to stick to them!

Weekly applications of the organic management spray program is keeping leaves reasonably healthy but the roses will love it when we get a few days of hot sun which is guaranteed to ‘burn off’ mildew spores – four hours over 27 degrees will do the trick!

RICH GARDEN SOIL will guarantee intense colour in your roses – to enrich your soil, apply natural manures – sheep and cow manure are ideal and best sourced in bags at your local garden centre.  (Fresh manure should be heaped for about 6 weeks prior to applying to garden beds.)

When you apply seaweed over the entire plant and soil at least monthly, the seaweed activates microbes in the manures making them readily available to the plants!

ROSES THAT ARE HEALTHY AND WELL FED – ESPECIALLY JUST BEFORE FLOWERING – ARE YOUR BEST GUARANTEE OF PEST AND DISEASE-FREE PLANTS!

NOTE:  If using horse manure add this to compost FIRST to reduce the possible impact of worming chemicals which have been used on the animals as it will definitely reduce worm numbers in your soil if applied fresh with active chemical in the manure!

Poultry manures can be very acidic so are also best left in a heap mixed with old leaves and wilted weeds for 6-8 weeks prior to application to garden beds.

CLEMATIS IN STORE NOW …

I urge you to put at least one of these magnificent plants next to a climbing rose in your garden – they are sensational together and will give you such enormous pleasure!  Hybrid Clematis flower at the same time as your roses – they’re tough, tough plants as long as they are deeply planted to keep their roots cool and they enjoy exactly the same cultural management as roses – we have a beautiful selection of varieties at the Rose Farm NOW!

Please call me on 03 5787 1123 if you would like one posted – they are not available in the online store at www.rosesalesonline.com.au as I would prefer to speak with you!

LAST BARE-ROOTED ROSES BEING POSTED 18TH OCTOBER …

This has been the longest season due to extremely wet/cool conditions – take advantage and place your order during the next 10 days – the roses are well packaged, endure transit well and will flower beautifully in your garden this season … 100% guaranteed!

From 25th October to 1st November there will be ONLY GIFT ROSES POSTED as Graham and I will sneak a bit of time out to attend the National Rose Trial Gardens Awards in Adelaide – we’ll print results in Rose Rambler 3/11/2016 so you can get your orders in for winter 2017 for the Medal Winners.  I’ll take lots of pictures of the Rose Trial Gardens too … enjoy the early rose blooms …

Diana, Graham, (guard-dog) Mooi and (assistant) Tova at Clonbinane

 

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ROSE RAMBLER 29.9.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 29.9.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends as we say goodbye to the first month of spring and hello (maybe???) to warm sunny days … finally!  It’s raining again as I write and our rose bushes are growing rampantly – everything is lush and green; it’s so beautiful everywhere you look.

Please, don’t be complacent – it is so unseasonably damp and our roses will need to be protected against fungal disease and potentially rampant insect attack since the foliage is so compromised by the incredible amount of rain – when a window of opportunity presents, get out and apply the organic management program:

To 10 litres of water add:

  • ¼ cup Eco-rose (fungicide)
  • ¼ cup Eco-oil and
  • 1 tsp Eco-seaweed or follow directions on the pack of your preferred seaweed product!

Mix the products well and spray foliage to run-off … if you can, spray under the foliage too!

Nutrients which have been applied to our soil over past years is now being made available because of the wet conditions – all plants are enjoying incredibly rampant growth – notice the red tips of eucalyptus trees?

It’s party time as the roots of plants are able to forge their way into mineral rich clay where soaking rain has drenched deep down, filled underground streams and ensured moist garden beds for this coming season and potentially beyond …?

 

GRA’S GARBLE …

We may have some challenging times in our rose gardens around Australia because of significantly variable weather events – let’s share a few emails which might offer assistance to ensure your roses remain healthy and flower beautifully in coming months …

Good morning, this seasons roses from you are all firing well and looking fantastic! Even the ones that were held up by Aust Post already have buds!  A question if I may?

It can sometimes be difficult to Eco spray early in the morning using the program you suggest because we get plenty of days over 30 degrees or if you are lucky enough to get the spraying done, it rains late in the day or we get a storm washing the spray off.  Would you see any problem in spraying late in the day when the roses don’t have any direct sunlight and the heat is abating?  Thanks – Brett

I cannot share an email response because Brett and I spoke later that day and the conversation went a little bit like this …  “Although we don’t necessarily promote spraying in the evening, there are definitely situations where evening spraying is better than not spraying at all!  There’s a good reason why we recommend morning spraying.

Did you know your body is actually taller in the morning and shrinks during the day?  Roses are rather the same … their stomata (pores if you like) are open and receptive early in the day and they start to close down – especially during extreme temperatures – when, late in the evening, the stomata is closed and the plant ‘shuts down’ for the night.

Hence, morning spraying is highly recommended but spray in the evening if/when it suits.

NEVER MORNING SPRAY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS EXPECTED TO EXCEED 30 DEGREES

Q. Do you know why my little brother is built upside down? 
A. Because his nose runs and his feet smell.  

MULCHING …

There’s been lots of weeding happening in our gardens and probably yours too so you’ll obviously be mulching your garden beds as we are here and Natalie emailed this query which we forwarded to Organic Crop Protectants for clarification:

I hope you are all going well.  Craig and I have been busy through the winter mulching all our garden beds and between this weekend and last this fungus has popped up all throughout the garden.  

It was a wood chip mulch from our local garden supplier.  I haven’t gone around any roses so I am glad about that!

  1. Do you know what it is?
  2. Is it poisonous?
  3. How do I get rid of it?

We have very damp gardens due to epic rainfall.  Do you have any suggestions?  Thanks so much.  Natalie  

The response from OCP:  “Don’t know the name of the fungus growing through the mulch but I wouldn’t be at all worried about it. They’ve just dumped a whole load of carbon on their ground (the mulch) and its common to get a surge of fungal growth appear not long after. The fungus is just feeding on the carbon and won’t harm any plants. Usually the fruiting bodies will fade away and you won’t notice it again.

Steve Falcioni, General Manager, eco-organic garden range”

Whilst weeding rose garden beds, be sure and trim perennials or completely remove plants which have ‘done their time’ like these …

To ensure good ventilation around rose bushes – especially during such damp/humid conditions!

Q.  Why don’t deer have uncles?  A.  Because they only have antlers …

FINGER PRUNING …

We talk about this every season around now – by learning this technique of easy pruning, you will definitely encourage more even flowering throughout spring/summer – check out our colleague, Ludwig in South Africa as he demonstrates this pruning technique on Youtube:


We are looking forward to blooming roses soon – we can hardly wait to smell the fragrances once again … Diana & Graham at Silkies Rose Farm, Clonbinane

 

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ROSE RAMBLER 22.9.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 22.9.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends from a still wet and soggy Clonbinane where there’s a promise of sunny days ahead.  In between showers we’ve been pulling wheat straw weeds from the bales Gra mulched with last spring – great piles of green weeds everywhere so he’ll have compost like never before.  As usual with Gra’s gardening, there seems, retrospectively, to be method in his madness!

 

GRA’S GARBLE …

I’ve got a few hessian bags filled with above mentioned weeds now submerged in 40 litre drums of water and seaweed powder.  In four weeks, I’ll add about one litre of this ‘weed wee’ to a 9 litre watering can and pour it over all plants in my garden!  I’ll be able to see the plants smiling and I’ll get way more flowers too … I will think about sharing some for Diana to use on HER gardens since I was clever enough to create them, all she had to do was remove them!

Q.  What belongs to you but is used more by others?  A. Your name!

If you haven’t already done so, now is a great time to mulch the garden – LUCERNE is without doubt the most supreme mulch

  • as it breaks down, nitrogen and beneficial nutrients are added to the soil
  • it is expensive but seems to go further than other mulches
  • lucerne stimulates biological activity and improves soil structure
  • highly recommend placing around the base of plants then use cheaper mulch product over entire garden bed

PEA STRAW is also a very high-quality mulch

  • is nitrogen-rich straw which breaks down to condition soil around roses
  • is easy to pull apart and spread around garden beds
  • pea seeds may germinate but are easy to pull out
  • place a ‘biscuit’ of straw along garden border to hinder birds flicking mulch off the garden beds

ALL OTHER STRAW is good to use as mulch – certainly better than no mulch and the benefits are:

  • provide feed and protection for earthworms
  • feed soil microbes which in turn feeds plants
  • conserves valuable moisture for worms and microbes
  • prevents top-soil erosion
  • cools the garden
  • stops soil compaction – always walk on ‘biscuits’ of straw when walking in the garden!

Mulching soil is very environmentally friendly and in Diana’s book ALL ABOUT ROSES, she lists 30 reasons to mulch your garden and explains all types of mulch products and what results you can expect from using any of them – highly recommended reading!

It is worth noting that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REMOVE MULCH WHEN FERTILIZING THE GARDEN – whether using pelletised fertilizer or liquids, the fertilizer will move through the mulch either when it rains or when the garden is watered!

 

BEE-ATTRACTING ROSES …

There is no doubt that all flowers attract bees to your garden but these ‘single-petalled’ varieties of roses are particular favourites because bees can forage easily in the pollen-laden stamens …

EYE OF THE TIGER
Branches of stunning bright yellow blooms with
crimson ‘eye’ enmasse throughout the flowering season.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
Unusual rusty pink petals with crimson ‘eye’ clothe
this bush continually; sweet fragrance is a bonus.

BRIGHT AS A BUTTON
Striking medium-pink with crimson ‘eye’
on a superbly healthy, glossy-foliaged plant.

ALL the above varieties were bred by WARNER, UK, are AVAILABLE AS 90CM STANDARD ROSES, are EXTREMELY HIGH HEALTH and would make a spectacular display in your garden!

Q. Where does a bee sit?  A. On its bee-hind of course!

 

SHARING EMAILS …

Love this one …

“Hi Diana, Thanks very much for your help with this it’s been terrific. Can’t wait to receive them. We purchased a half dozen last year and were really pleased with the quality. They were great plants and had some beautiful and fragrant blooms last summer. So looking forward to this year’s flowers on our thriving plants.

I do look forward to your newsletters as well. I must admit that I occasionally text the jokes to my son in law. They are so funny but also pathetic, chuckle. Great grandfather fodder. Regards – John”

And I’m so pleased that Del sent this email because it hadn’t occurred to me to remind you all that yes, our organic management recipe has indeed changed since we now use ECO-SEAWEED POWDER rather than liquid which really means we’re not buying WATER but adding our own!

“Hi Diana, I just read in your newsletter, the organic treatment was using 1 teaspoon of seaweed.  I have been using this treatment for a few years, but your original recipe was using a quarter cup of each.  Have you changed this for any reason? Thanking you, Del“

My response:  Hi Del … yes, we are now using ECO-SEAWEED which is POWDER so only a TEASPOON is required per 10 litres of spray solution.  When we used LIQUID SEAWEED we needed a 1/4 CUP for 10 litres of spray solution.
This is a HUGE DIFFERENCE!  Obviously, the ECO-SEAWEED POWDER is very, very economical which is why I’m happy to send it to customers through the post – 1 x 600g pack makes up to 6,000 litres of seaweed solution.  Hope your local garden centre stocks these great ECO products or add it to your next rose order where it fits snugly into the pack and there is no extra postage cost … best wishes – Diana

Feel free to email us at info@rosesalesonline.com.au if you have a query about your roses or to share something with other gardeners through this network …

Have a great week in your spring garden and hope you jump in the car to visit Graham at Yea Garden Expo or Diana at the Rose Farm this coming weekend … it will be a beaut day out as part of the school holiday entertainment program!

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ROSE RAMBLER 16.9.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 15.9.2016 …

HELLO DEAR ROSE FRIENDS … rain, rain and more rain which is magnificent for filling the underground streams, dams and water tanks.  For those who have installed water tanks so that you have good water supplies for your garden, please don’t resort to being a WALLY WITH WATER because your tanks are full … preserve what we can while we have it!

GRA’S GARBLE …

I’ll be implementing the organic spray management program as soon as there is a ray of sunshine and clear weather because within a blink, it will become very humid and our roses will show immediate signs of mildew and black spot.  The foliage is very soft and lush which makes it susceptible to disease and insects will also take advantage of these conditions … see the aphid cycle on this magnificent photo Diana took and which Steve at www.ocp.com.au  (Organic Crop Protectants) has labelled so you now know more about aphids and their cycle …

  • White stuff – these are the shells of the aphids which they’ve shed when moulting
  • Winged insect – these are winged adult aphids and not lacewings.  When aphids enter their final moulting stage they can emerge as either winged or wingless adults.  They produce wings if the area they’re in is already heavily populated with aphids so it allow them to emerge with wings and fly off to find a new feeding ground which is less crowded.  Clever trick really.
  • Brown blobs – these are aphids which have had a parasitoid wasp inject an egg into them.  When the juvenile wasp hatches it feeds on the insides of the aphid before pupating and then cutting a tiny hold in the shell of the aphid and emerging as an adult wasp.  During the whole process the aphid swells up, turns brown and dies.

Both the potted and garden roses look magnificent right now but it won’t take much to ‘tip them over’ because of these exceptionally wet conditions.  We ‘southerners’ will now have a taste of what it’s like to grow roses in northern Australia where humidity is a constant battle for rose lovers!

Q.  How do fish go into business?  A.  They start small-scale.

ORGANIC SPRAY PROGRAM

TO 10 LITRES WATER ADD

  • ¼ CUP ECO ROSE (FUNGICIDE)
  • 1 TSP ECO SEAWEED
  • ¼ CUP ECO OIL

Dissolve the powders and add the oil last – shake the contents well in your spray container and wet foliage to run-off.  Suggest spraying at least fortnightly while these very humid conditions are prevalent – remember to NEVER SPRAY IF THE TEMPERATURE IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER 30 DEGREES!

Q.  What does Willy Wonka use to clean his teeth?  A.  Candyfloss.

An email exchange which is very topical …

I have now seen THE CHILDREN’S ROSE looking beautiful twice in your newsletters.  I have one given to my wife as a ‘must have’ from a friend but I would rip it out as the blooms are hopeless despite it being the healthiest bush in my garden. Nothing I do prevents the dull moth eaten blooms from disappointing us for years. Any tips before it happens again? Roger

My response after Roger told me he was using the hose to blast the insects … “Hey Roger … blasting aphids with the hose is not a really great idea at all – while you’re blasting them off the stems, you’re most definitely blasting all their predators off as well … all those wonderful ladybirds and lacewings, even spiders which will be working overtime to eat the aphids!  The predator insects will get robustly healthy, breed profusely and be garden guardians at your place!

May I suggest that you do NOTHING but quietly observe by looking really closely at the insects on your roses … do it daily, several times a day even – aphids and ladybirds are fascinating to watch and small birds will start to be active in your garden because you’re not spraying lethal chemicals but using ECO-OIL and maybe ECO-NEEM to keep a balance happening in your garden … please be ECO-FRIENDLY and work with MOTHER NATURE!

You will be fascinated and truly enjoy watching this whole process unfold in your garden …!”

Oh, and one other reason why Roger’s blooms on THE CHILDREN’S ROSE are always “….dull moth eaten looking …” is because he’s spraying water on the flowers!  When hand-watering roses, always position the hose as close to the ground as possible – avoid wetting the foliage (thus reducing mildew/black spot because foliage stays damp) and flowers (water stays in the petals and they’ll go mushy for sure!).   Gra …

IN THE NURSERY …

As long as we continue to get positive responses about the roses we are posting as bare-rooted specimens …

Hi there Just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU from my son and I. We LOVE the roses ❤❤❤  They are super healthy and doing great   P.S next year I want to order 4 dark desire standard roses. How early should I order them to ensure availability?  Thank you, Carmen

We will continue to offer them in the online store at www.rosesalesonline.com.au but if you’re visiting us here at the nursery, we recommend you purchase the roses as potted specimens for minimal extra cost.

Remember next weekend 24th & 25th Graham will be at Yea Garden Expo – if you want to hear his presentation, he will be speaking at 2.00pm on SATURDAY, 24th SEPTEMBER.

See you at Clonbinane soon … Diana, Graham, Mooi & Tova

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ROSE RAMBLER 8.9.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 08.9.2016…

Hello dear rose friends where we’ve got the mower bogged because the ground is so wet but the sun is shining and there is a definite hint of spring happening … thanks to the local Shire team who hauled the mower out … just gotta love living in a country location where Aussies helping Aussies works!

GIFT ROSES …

There are all sorts of reasons and occasions which deserve a magnificent potted rose – just last week I received an order from Elaine in UK and I want to share with you how significant our GIFT ROSE is in people’s lives ….

Thank you Diana … Kylie and I have been friends for 40 years this year. I opened my first ‘pen friend’ letter from her on my birthday 40 years ago. A special year for lots of reasons. She is a florist so will love the idea of a rose bush and David Austin Roses is based a few miles from where we live and somewhere we visit often. MOLINEUX is a lovely rose but also chosen because it is the name of our local soccer club grounds and as it happens, Kylie is a big fan of Robert Plant – a board member at the club!!! Fingers crossed she loves it.  ElaineMy response:  Gosh but I’m so, so lucky to be part of these beautiful events in people’s lives … here’s a whole history of two people who met as pen-friends and now 40 years later I step in and provide a magnificent rose to celebrate that!  I’m respectful and feel privileged to be part of the celebration … thank you!  Enjoy the phone call when Kylie calls to thank you too … best wishes

When you have an occasion in your life that deserves a really beautiful rose which will be planted in the recipient’s garden to be enjoyed for many years, please let me send them one of our gorgeous GIFT ROSES for $73.90* which includes postage along with a 20cm potted rose with colour-matched gift wrapping, a lovely rose card with your personal message and packed in a beautiful, sturdy gift box.

*You can select any variety of rose from www.rosesalesonline.com.au to be presented as a GIFT ROSE or go to www.giftroses.com.au for ideas as to which rose suits the occasion.

GRA’S GARBLE …

It’s that time of year when pesky insects like aphids start to invade but we urge you not to be too concerned and let nature take its course as it most surely will and the roses will ‘tough it out’.   While aphids are evident earlier than ladybirds, the organic spray program will keep things in order as the Eco-oil will suffocate larval stage insects … read more here

Is the spray program supposed to kill the sucking bugs or mainly to strengthen the roses to cope with the bugs?  Please help, Thanks, Jo

Hi Jo … if you have an infestation, the eco-oil will suffocate SOME of the adults, definitely the larval stage babies and some of the ‘in between’ so you repeat the spray according to all the directions until the breeding cycle is reduced … whatever you do, DON’T go and buy a chemical spray – not even PYRETHRUM as it will start the cycle all over again because you’ll have killed ALL THE PREDATORS!

If you have flowers in your garden (any flowers, daffodils for example) you’ll soon start to see ladybirds – let them help with the clean-up of aphids … they’ll love them!

It’s about a balance – hope you have the patience to continue … your garden will eventually be an ecologically balanced space where everything works together … cheers

Q.  Why are adults always complaining?  A.  Because they are ‘groan ups’ … with school holidays around the corner when lots of Grandparents step up to the plate and entertain their grandchildren at this time, use this as an opportunity to share your garden knowledge with the gardeners of the future.

Do you know, most frequently, when people ask for a heritage/old-fashioned rose, they want it because it was grown in their grandparents’ garden and has significant memories which they want to replicate in their own garden today!  True!!!  One of the most popular heritage roses this past winter is:  R. CHINENSIS ‘mutabilis’ … unbelievably awesome rose which we are pleased to see back in fashion …

Last week I talked about our STANDARD ROSES … here are a few more which you are most unlikely to find anywhere but at Silkies Rose Farm, rosesalesonline.com.au and they’re still listed online as bare-rooted plants for $42.50 each.

FRANCE LIBRE
A Delbard rose of immense beauty and bright colour –
lovely, lovely cut flower and beautiful shape on a standard stem …

SUMMER MEMORIES
What a spectacularly healthy, robust and free-flowering this
glorious modern shrub rose is as a standard specimen …

BRIGHT AS A BUTTON
Stunningly free-flowering and healthy,
awesomely eye-catching mass of blooms
and bee-attracting fragrance… highly recommended rose

Q.  Why were the strawberries always late?  A.  Because they kept getting stuck in a jam!

YEA GARDEN EXPO …

24th and 25th SEPTEMBER … and I will be there hosting a site as well as presenting on the speaker program at 2.00pm SATURDAY 24TH … will keep you posted on this time slot!

I suggest you make your way to Yea for this weekend event – Yea is one of my favourite destinations when I have a free day – the local Café’s serve magnificent coffee and food; the ambiance within the lovely country town atmosphere is relaxing and special – hope to see you at Yea later this month.  Gra.

BIT OF HOUSEKEEPING …

Please note that the nursery is open every FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY and MONDAY when we are ALWAYS here and you don’t need to phone us to let us know you are visiting!

EVERY TUESDAY IS OUR ABSOLUTELY FREE DAY ALWAYS – phones will not be answered on any TUESDAY.

If you leave a message on our phones, I will respond but please when you record your message/phone number SPEAK SLOWLY so that I can transcribe it.  Please be sure that if you leave an email at info@rosesalesonlines.com.au your email will be responded to within 24 hours.

BARE-ROOTED ROSES WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL END SEPTEMBER

Continue to order roses NOW and I guarantee you will be delighted with how the roses transit so well with their roots nestled in moist coir-fibre, wrapped in damp newspaper and sealed in plastic bags.

When you receive your roses, plant them asap and they will be flowering from October / November onwards – remember, our roses are 100% GUARANTEED to give you pleasure for many years to come.

Be happy in your garden this spring …
Diana, Graham, Mooi & Tova at Clonbinane 

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ROSE RAMBLER 1.9.2016

WELCOME TO SPRING 2016

Dear rose friends!
Just in time, the sun is shining and the garden is green, soooooo green.  Camelias and daffodils are flowering – the pansy border so pretty; roses bursting forth.

Spring is such a spectacularly special time for we gardeners – the soil is moist so digging a hole for planting something new is not a chore but a gleeful, happy experience.  Weeding is also not so bad – get it done sooner rather than later though as once the ground is dry, the weeds are way harder to remove!

There are always emails requesting advice … here are a couple of conversations from this past week … hope you learn from this information sharing …

Hi Di – A moment of your time please…I desperately need some advice.  Most of our roses are upside down…drooping.  The bushes seem quite healthy, the flowers are beautiful, but are all facing towards the ground.  I think they’ve got the right amount of water and I use Seasol.  Suggestions please?  Many thanks, Jen from Port

My response:
Hello Jen … I think you’ve been putting way, way too much NITROGEN FERTILIZER on the roses!!!  What have you been using and how frequently have you applied ANY PRODUCT to your plants?  I need to know EVERYTHING so that we can get to the bottom of this!

It is almost certain that with all the heavy rain we’ve had recently, previously applied fertilizer is now being released so apply very light application of low nitrogen, high phosphorous and potassium fertilizer – definitely no animal manures!  Talk soon – Diana

Hi Diana, recently we purchased some David Austin roses from you & have planted them in the past week – they are looking fantastic!  On your website, you have an organic fertiliser product in 25kg bags.  


As we are in Adelaide it wouldn’t be practical to post, so can you please suggest an alternative that we can source locally?  Many thanks, kind regards, Ruth

My response:  (which applies to all of you who are looking for quality fertilizer)… Lots of customers cannot drive to the nursery to collect this complete organic fertilizer … many seem happy with SUDDEN IMPACT FOR ROSES.  Otherwise, go to your trusty local garden centre and see what ‘local’ product might be as good as or perhaps better than that!  I don’t like the smelly fertilizers and recommend an all-purpose type so that you can use it freely around the whole garden.  Also, select a fertilizer which has minerals and trace elements!  Good luck with that and glad your roses are great!  Cheers – Diana

We love to receive emails about your gardening experiences – I do all the typing but believe me, Graham is the brains behind a lot of the responses as he is our ‘plant manager’ and is a font of information about soil, fertilizer, organic spray management, composting, etc. etc. and is always good for a joke too …

GRA’S GARBLE …

Do you remember the days when milk and bread were delivered to your doorstep every day?  Here are a few funny notes which were left in empty bottles for the milkman …

  • Dear milkman:  I’ve just had a baby, please leave another one.
  • When you leave my milk please knock on my bedroom window and wake me because I want you to give me a hand to turn the mattress. 
  • My back door is open.  Please put milk in fridge, get money from cup in drawer and leave change on kitchen table in pence because we want to play bingo tonight.
  • Pease leave no milk today.  When I say today, I mean tomorrow, for I wrote this note yesterday.

The list goes on and on and you would laugh till you cried – these are actual ‘real-life’ stories!  Getting back to roses, I wanted to tell you about our fabulous range of TREE ROSES … I hear you ask?  What are they?  Lots of people refer to STANDARD ROSES as in some countries, they are actually called TREE ROSES … the joys of internet!

Because the rose bush is actually growing on a stem 90cms (3 foot) above the ground, they are very easy to prune and care for … yes, to smell the flowers, you don’t have to bend too far so they’re great for old blokes like me!

Some of the unusual varieties we have are:

WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL
Purest white David Austin rose with delicious fragrance.

FIRE-FIGHTER
Exceedingly highly fragrant, darkest red, almost thornless
flowering stems are outstanding features of this lovely rose …

THE CHILDREN’S ROSE
Stunningly fragrant, free-flowering, very robust bush … delightful!

One last joke … Q.  Why does your Dad jump up and down before taking his medicine?  A. Because on the label it said “shake well before using” …


HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all the wonderful Dad’s
– we’ll see you at Clonbinane soon …
Graham, Diana, Mooi and Tova
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ROSE RAMBLER – WELCOME TO SPRING 2016

WELCOME TO SPRING 2016 dear rose friends!
Just in time, the sun is shining and the garden is green, soooooo green.  Camelias and daffodils are flowering – the pansy border so pretty; roses bursting forth.

Spring is such a spectacularly special time for we gardeners – the soil is moist so digging a hole for planting something new is not a chore but a gleeful, happy experience.  Weeding is also not so bad – get it done sooner rather than later though as once the ground is dry, the weeds are way harder to remove!

There are always emails requesting advice … here are a couple of conversations from this past week … hope you learn from this information sharing …

Hi Di – A moment of your time please…I desperately need some advice.  Most of our roses are upside down…drooping.  The bushes seem quite healthy, the flowers are beautiful, but are all facing towards the ground.  I think they’ve got the right amount of water and I use Seasol.  Suggestions please?  Many thanks, Jen from Port

My response:
Hello Jen … I think you’ve been putting way, way too much NITROGEN FERTILIZER on the roses!!!  What have you been using and how frequently have you applied ANY PRODUCT to your plants?  I need to know EVERYTHING so that we can get to the bottom of this!

It is almost certain that with all the heavy rain we’ve had recently, previously applied fertilizer is now being released so apply very light application of low nitrogen, high phosphorous and potassium fertilizer – definitely no animal manures!  Talk soon – Diana

Hi Diana, recently we purchased some David Austin roses from you & have planted them in the past week – they are looking fantastic!  On your website, you have an organic fertiliser product in 25kg bags.  


As we are in Adelaide it wouldn’t be practical to post, so can you please suggest an alternative that we can source locally?  Many thanks, kind regards, Ruth

My response:  (which applies to all of you who are looking for quality fertilizer)… Lots of customers cannot drive to the nursery to collect this complete organic fertilizer … many seem happy with SUDDEN IMPACT FOR ROSES.  Otherwise, go to your trusty local garden centre and see what ‘local’ product might be as good as or perhaps better than that!  I don’t like the smelly fertilizers and recommend an all-purpose type so that you can use it freely around the whole garden.  Also, select a fertilizer which has minerals and trace elements!  Good luck with that and glad your roses are great!  Cheers – Diana

We love to receive emails about your gardening experiences – I do all the typing but believe me, Graham is the brains behind a lot of the responses as he is our ‘plant manager’ and is a font of information about soil, fertilizer, organic spray management, composting, etc. etc. and is always good for a joke too …

GRA’S GARBLE …

Do you remember the days when milk and bread were delivered to your doorstep every day?  Here are a few funny notes which were left in empty bottles for the milkman …

  • Dear milkman:  I’ve just had a baby, please leave another one.
  • When you leave my milk please knock on my bedroom window and wake me because I want you to give me a hand to turn the mattress. 
  • My back door is open.  Please put milk in fridge, get money from cup in drawer and leave change on kitchen table in pence because we want to play bingo tonight.
  • Pease leave no milk today.  When I say today, I mean tomorrow, for I wrote this note yesterday.

The list goes on and on and you would laugh till you cried – these are actual ‘real-life’ stories!  Getting back to roses, I wanted to tell you about our fabulous range of TREE ROSES … I hear you ask?  What are they?  Lots of people refer to STANDARD ROSES as in some countries, they are actually called TREE ROSES … the joys of internet!

Because the rose bush is actually growing on a stem 90cms (3 foot) above the ground, they are very easy to prune and care for … yes, to smell the flowers, you don’t have to bend too far so they’re great for old blokes like me!

Some of the unusual varieties we have are:

WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL
Purest white David Austin rose with delicious fragrance.

FIRE-FIGHTER
Exceedingly highly fragrant, darkest red, almost thornless
flowering stems are outstanding features of this lovely rose …

THE CHILDREN’S ROSE
Stunningly fragrant, free-flowering, very robust bush … delightful!

One last joke … Q.  Why does your Dad jump up and down before taking his medicine?  A. Because on the label it said “shake well before using” …


HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all the wonderful Dad’s
– we’ll see you at Clonbinane soon …
Graham, Diana, Mooi and Tova
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ROSE RAMBLER 25.8.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 25.8.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends as we farewell a cold, wet, bleak winter which reminded me of when I was a kid walking to school breaking ice on puddles.  Of course, because of the great rains experienced around Australia, we’ll enjoy a bumper season of spring gardening!

CLEMATIS PRUNING …

Although I’ve successfully grown clematis for more than 25 years and wouldn’t consider my garden ‘complete’ without their magnificence, I was shocked when I started pulling weeds in the front garden yesterday to note that all the clematis are loaded with lovely foliage … I HAVEN’T HAD TIME TO PRUNE THEM! 

Normally, I prune every branch down to around 30cms and remove the spent foliage but I’ve spent all my time up in the nursery these past months and totally neglected my front garden so I had to resort to assistance from our clematis guru for advice as to what I should do … just in case you’ve not pruned your clematis this winter, here’s some helpful advice:

Hi Diana, You can prune now or leave them and prune after flowering.  Just give them a good feed with rose food.  Regards, Judy

I definitely WON’T be pruning the clematis now but WILL definitely be placing a heap of compost and Complete Organic Fertilizer then pea-straw mulch around the base of every one of those magnificent plants – I’ll do the same for my asparagus while I’m down there.

And, I suppose, while I’m pulling all the weeds which I told you about last week, I will make an effort to prune the roses too … maybe they will wait for summer pruning …???  I’m quite sure they’ll forgive me – let’s wait and see how they perform this spring/summer.

GRA’S GARBLE …

Q. Did you hear about the magician who sawed people in half?  A.  He had lots of half-brothers and sisters. 

As of tomorrow and until the end of August, we move into a very favourable moon phase for weeding … if you weed any time during the next week, you will experience the weeds pull from the soil a lot easier.

It is important to always look after your back and knees while weeding so take your time, do half-hour stints!  Extensive research has proven that gardens and gardening reduce stress, moderate anxiety/depression and assist those with post-traumatic stress.   Being in your garden – whether you’re weeding, pruning, fertilizing or even sitting on a chair contemplating which task you might do next – its ALL GOOD FOR YOU!

There has been increased interest in CLIMBING ROSES … we guess it’s because people have smaller gardens, they still want colourful, fragrant flowers for at least 8 – 9 months of the year so they’re going ‘upwards’ … here are a few of my favourite climbing roses which are sure to delight you in your garden …

DUBLIN BAY
Grows to around 3 metres in a beautiful fan shape against a wall with pure, bright red, moderately fragrant blooms continually throughout the season.

NAHEMA
Light pink, full-petalled blooms with the most amazing fragrance.  This rose is the most-used flower in bridal arrangements in Europe … awesome rose!

LAGUNA
Strong pink/magenta intensely fragrant blooms cover the vigorous branches of this supremely healthy, disease resistant climber.

This week Diana received an on-line order from MR. LAJOIE … and responded:

Hi  .. thank you for your order.  I saw your name first and thought “oh, I hope he’s getting JEANNE LA JOIE” and sure enough you are!!!  So pleased as you will be thrilled with it in your garden.  Your roses will be posted today … enjoy!

His response:  Cheers!! Not a common name here. We’ve planted one in every home we’ve had. Many thanks … K Lajoie

We both absolutely love this miniature climbing rose and highly recommend it where you want prolific cover and masses of blooms continually – ideal to espalier.

My dear mate Barry (Bawwy) has a rabbit (wabbit) that’s always getting tired so a friend suggested that he place the rabbit in the refrigerator.  Why?  Because it’s a Westinghouse.  Read it again and you’ll get it … Enjoy the last days of winter – Gra

ORDERING ROSES ONLINE …

Got space for another couple of roses this season?  You’ll notice in the online store that we are now posting POTTED ROSES but unless you absolutely have to have the roses in pots, please continue ordering BARE-ROOTED ROSES because I pack them so well, they continue to grow in transit!  Yes, they do because there is coir-fibre potting medium at their root-zone, they’re moist and travel extremely well!

When you get your roses, I suggest you plant them as soon as possible – not necessarily as urgently as Jenny did …

Good evening, Diana.  My lovely new rose arrived in the mail yesterday in perfect condition. I planted it last night in the dark when I arrived home from work. I am very happy with my new purchase and am looking forward to springtime. Many thanks. Regards Jenny

By mid-late September I will cancel the BARE-ROOTED ROSES option in the online store so please, if you need more roses this season, take advantage of acquiring magnificent quality bare-rooted roses NOW!

See you at Clonbinane soon … Graham, Diana, Tova and Mooi
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ROSE RAMBLER 18.8.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 18.8.16 …

Hello dear rose friends in another week of brighter weather alluding to spring around the corner … we still haven’t done the rose garden pruning but feel the weather is definitely on our side now so it will happen in the next week or so.

Once we’ve pruned the roses, we’ll have to weed the garden beds … unfortunately, Graham mulched with wheat-straw which was ‘left over’ from the hay bales we used for seating our guests during the Art & Roses Expo.

Any field-grown mulch products – lucerne / pea straw will probably contain some weed seeds which are generally very easy to pull out but you can guarantee significant weed production if you use wheat/barley/oat straw mulch or in fact, manure from animals who have eaten these straws!

With wonderful wet conditions, we’ve watched the weeds grow in this mulch so they’ll be pulled and placed over the existing mulch as a ‘green manure crop’ of mulch!

I’ve already saved my dollars for a bulk load of pea straw to be delivered.  Once the beds are weeded, we will fertilize with Complete Organic Fertilizer and throw rock dust over the beds before we place layers of pea straw.

Oh my word, it will be a huge task but the gardens will look sensational afterwards and the results will be immense throughout this coming flowering season.

Heads down, bums up and into it!

GRA’S GARBLE …

Now is a great time to re-pot roses that you’ve had growing in tubs for more than 12 months – here’s a simple guide to follow to ensure your roses continue to flourish in pots:

  1. Select a pot which suits the type of rose you’re growing – the larger the pot for a climbing rose, the greater growth the rose will produce; miniature/patio roses will be happy for a whole season in a 400mm pot while any shrub/HT rose will perform exceptionally well in a 500mm pot – try the self-watering pots!
  2. Use a quality potting mix which is guaranteed to contain a blend of nutrients to sustain healthy growth for months
  3. Select a sunny location with no less than 5 hours of direct sunshine per day
  4. When you lift the rose, cut roots back by about half after removing all the old potting mix from around the roots – take advantage of severely pruning the rose while you have it ‘bare-rooted’ – remove all old branches and dead wood
  5. Once re-potted, soak and re-soak the new medium to expel all air around the roots and water when necessary
  6. Pour seaweed solution OVER THE ENTIRE PLANT at least fortnightly to maintain healthy foliage

Q.  Why did the little cookie cry?  A.  Because his mum was a wafer so long.

If you happen to have potted plants which are impossible to remove from the pots because of their size, I suggest you gently fork out as much of the old potting mix as you can reach, deep down into the base of the pot and refill the pot with high-quality potting mix then top up with compost, a sprinkling of rock-dust and soak with seaweed solution – plants which have been flowering in pots for several seasons deserve rejuvenating!

When you are watering pots throughout this coming season remember to WATER OVER THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE POT and FILL THE POT AT EACH WATERING to almost overflowing – this ensures that ALL THE ROOTS of the potted plant are receiving necessary water to sustain healthy growth.

If you water just to the middle of the pot, you can guarantee that roots which have reached the side of the pot will perish, the potting medium will become dry and the plant will not flourish – watering pots is not as ‘mindless’ a task as it might seem!

Q.  How do you catch a squirrel?  A. Climb a tree and act like a nut! 

Here are a few beautiful rose pics in the GIFT ROSE series available at www.giftroses.com.au and www.rosesalesonline.com.au which now have lovely foliage and will soon set flower buds in the recipient’s garden to remind them of your loving thoughts when they needed them …

Enjoy the last days of winter in your garden …
Graham, Diana, Tova & Mooi at Clonbinane

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ROSE RAMBLER 11.8.2016

ROSE RAMBLER … 11.8.2016

Hello dear rose friends from a rather more sunny, warm Clonbinane where the birds a chirping loudly, the morning light is welcoming and lots of our garden roses haven’t been pruned yet!  Nice though, the new-season roses are ALL POTTED into high-quality coir potting mix where the black plastic pot acts as a ‘humid-crib’ so they’ll set roots very quickly to be beautiful plants for those of you who are late with purchasing roses to plant this season.

Don’t panic – our magnificent quality roses are available and can be planted at ANY TIME OF THE YEAR and most especially important – WHENEVER YOUR GARDEN BEDS ARE READY FOR PLANTING … this is such a vital part of gardening which is overlooked as we view TV programs which promote ‘instant gardening’.  There’s really no such thing!

Take time to prepare your garden beds and you will reap the rewards of magnificently flowering roses for many, many years – if you need advice, don’t hesitate sending an email to info@rosesalesonline.com.au and we will give you all the common-sense guidance to make your garden a special place!  Remember too, all back-issues of this ROSE RAMBLER NEWSLETTER are available at www.allaboutroses.com.au so you can always find helpful information when you’ve got spare moments.

ALL ABOUT ROSES

MY BOOK is now being reprinted!  Wow!  If you don’t already have a copy and would like a signed copy of the FIRST EDITION, we have the last 28 available which you can purchase at www.rosesalesonline.com.au or call in at the Rose Farm.  Here is a review published recently:

“Thanks Diana, I settled in to read your wonderful book and enjoyed it right to the end. I looked at the last page and thought I saw a familiar photo and realised that I did! Thank you for remembering this old rose-lady in your superb book. I was so thrilled!  Love Laurel”

GRA’S GARBLE …

Since we’re early riser’s, it’s so nice to see daylight happening earlier so I can get out into the yard, feed the chooks, turn the compost heap and weed and prune the gardens – get set for a bumper spring!

Q.  Did you hear about the two silkworms who had a race?  A.  It ended in a tie. 

Now, I don’t know anything much about silkworms but I do know that if you don’t start the organic management rose spray program NOW, you might have to contend with insect infestation on your roses in early spring!

I urge you to start spraying as soon as the roses are pruned to be effective in controlling aphid/mite/scale and other bugs in the LARVAL STAGE … that’s when they first start breeding – if you reduce the incidence of their numbers NOW, you’ll be more than a step ahead – believe me, when we know we’re going to have a bumper spring because of all the lovely winter rains, the insects are definitely thinking the same thing!

PROTECT YOUR SOIL FROM COMPACTION …

When you’re out in the rose garden either pruning, planting or walking on garden beds, please take biscuits of straw to step on.  If you think your roses have ‘sunk’ due to the wet conditions, fork around them and gently lift them by placing some soil/compost under the upper-level roots so the bud-union is above soil level to ensure the rose can produce lovely fresh water-shoots at the crown.

Birds will often fling mulch over the bud-union which is ok because it’s usually a friable medium and water shoots can push their way through.

Q.  Did you hear about the Frenchman who hated snails?  A.  He liked fast food!

Talking of snails – with recent rains, conditions are PERFECT FOR SNAILS to proliferate in your garden – you can place small trays of beer around the garden for slugs and other pesky insects to drown in but I prefer to use ‘pet-friendly’ snail baits to protect my veggies, bulbs and perennials.  Be vigilant NOW.

STANDARD ROSES

I said to Diana today, “when I plant any rose now, I want to be sure it’s a standard” because I find them just so easy to maintain.  Pruning standard roses is an absolute pleasure because I don’t have to crouch to the ground – I know there’s lots of air-flow around my standards which means I can plant herbs and veggies underneath and standard roses add a lovely high profile in my garden.

The extraordinary quality of our standard roses this year is such a pleasure and I recommend you take a look at the varieties we have to offer – a few UNUSUAL varieties which I recommend are:

ORIGAMI
Such strikingly beautiful form and a strong grower

DARCEY BUSSEL
Most free-flowering, healthy David Austin rose

THE CHILDREN’S ROSE
Beautifully, highly fragrant, perfectly formed blooms on a strong, healthy bush

All the above varieties are pretty rare to find and they would all make a lovely statement in your garden for years to come – I remember visiting gardens in Alexandra years ago whilst researching my family – there are roses in the Church garden there that must be more than 50 years old!  If you’re getting a bit ‘long in the tooth’ like I am, plant standards and enjoy having roses at eye-level and so you don’t have to crawl around the ground when you want to pick a bunch of roses for a vase in your home!

Here’s a pic of our darling little Mooi who loves to be with us up in the nursery – she chose a sunny spot one cold morning this past week … we laughed and want to share the joy.

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Have a beaut week in your garden…
Graham, Diana, Mooi & Tova at Clonbinane