ROSE RAMBLER 15.12.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of the most precious people in our lives, my darling Mother, Miep / Nan / Grandmere, who is 84 years young today!

I (Diana) am one of her four children who produced 11 grandchildren, there are 18 great-grandchildren and more on the way …

All this from a beautiful woman who courageously boarded a ship in Holland back in 1953 to be with my Dad who came some months earlier to find work and sadly died in a car accident way back in 1973 … he missed so much but I missed him more!

GRA’S GARBLE …

Seriously time to get the tap turned on because as soon as we get hot northerly winds you can be sure the soil is drying out and the plants are thirsty!

It’s absolutely essential to have a thick layer of mulch over the soil – mulch is fundamental in Australian gardens to prevent hydrophobic conditions where moisture simply WILL NOT penetrate for lack of humus and microbes.

An irrigation system that’s simple and low-maintenance is dripper hose attached to a battery operated timer at the tap – readily available from your local hardware.

It is imperative that however you decide to water your roses, you DEEP SOAK THEM AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK with say, 20 litres of water per rose.  Roses which receive 40 litres at each watering will retain lush, healthy foliage and produce lots more flowers.

Q.  What do witches like to read at bedtime?  A. Ghoul Deluxe and the three Scares.

LUDWIG TASCHNER has several rose farms in South Africa and I read this in his recent newsletter – “… one statement that always makes me smile is:  “But, they all get the same treatment, so why is this rose not doing as well as the others?”

My standard reply is: “We always try to treat all our children the same way and why do they not all develop in the same way?”

For sure – every rose variety has its own personality and one needs to be a rose whisperer to understand this.  It can often be something small, that needs to be rectified and the rose recovers in no time.”

You are welcome to send photos of any issues you have with your roses to:  info@rosesalesonline.com.au  – we also love to receive beautiful pics of the roses you grow or identify an unnamed rose if possible.

POSTING ROSES FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS …

MONDAY, 19^TH DECEMBER will be the last posting however, if you are planning on sending a GIFT ROSE for somebody, I would be most grateful to have your rose in the post today or tomorrow – Monday is the absolute deadline!  Here are a few suggestions – these plants look sensational in the nursery NOW:

MY HERO
Modern Shrub Rose of extraordinary health and vigour
as a pleasant reminder of the hero in your life!

GRIMALDI
Floribunda/Modern Shrub rose with splashes of pale creamy salmon-pink with flecks of darker salmon-pink, constantly in flower.

APRICOT NECTAR
A wonderful floribunda rose which produces clusters of perfectly formed Hybrid Tea shaped blooms. There is a very unique fragrance, a true favourite and highly recommended rose!

HOMMAGE A BARBARA
Delbard Couture Collection Shrub Rose which produces one of the most durable flowers of any rose we have ever stocked – it lasts and lasts on the bush.

GUY SAVOY
One of the MOST stunning roses to place against a post, in a pillar frame or create a hedge-row of continual blooming, fragrant, vase-quality roses

ROSE RAMBLER 10.11.2016 …

Whoo, whoo, we’re finally flowering in most areas of the gardens and definitely the potted roses are looking stunning!  It’s been extremely cold with frosts very late – just last weekend, we were pruning frost-damaged foliage on our roses – they’ll recover but will probably only flower for Christmas this year!

Budburst Festival is on in the Macedon Ranges this weekend – of particular note we recommend you call at PARKSIDE WINERY at 308 Parks Road, Lancefield for the official opening of their Cellar Door for budburst weekend (www.budburst.com).

At Parkside Winery (www.parksideestate.com.au) you’ll be treated to taste magnificent wines of our region served in the historical barn which our son Eric has enjoyed restoring during this past cold, wet winter – every bluestone laid with love as only Eric would … a mammoth task he said and so rewarding to be part of the history!   You MUST take a look … mention to Darryl that the timber cobble floor would look much better finished in blackwood and he’ll know exactly who sent you … enjoy!

CORRECTION FROM LAST WEEK …

There was a bit of a glitch in last week’s Rose Rambler – my rose in the trial gardens is this beauty which we propose to call JUST LOVELY…

Pictures in last week’s R/R are the rose which I hope is released in 2017 because it was so delightful and I fell in love with it!  Sorry for the confusion and thank you to those who responded with such enthusiasm.

RETAINING A ROSE IN PERPETUITY … SAVING A PIECE OF HISTORY …

We get stories from rose lovers wanting to retain a special rose just like Susan’s and NOW is the time to take action – read on …

I wanted speak to you about the other roses your two have come to live with. They belonged to my grandfather and I transplanted them about 3 years ago from his garden to mine before we had to sell the family home. I know that goes against the gardening rules as the nurseries all told me in Sydney that roses can’t be moved but I moved these successfully. I only lost one rose following the move with 7 of them now living in my garden and doing very well about 3 years on. These roses are quite old and one my mother tells me is over 100 years old and it has now lived in 3 gardens, as my grandfather moved it in the 1970’s from my great grandmother’s place to his.

My question is how do I grow more of these original roses? I’ve tried cutting, growing from seeds, I’ve watched lots of videos online and tried a range of different cutting liquids recommended by the nurseries. Can you please give me any suggestions on how to grow more so as other members of the family can have a little part of history growing at their place. Many thanks for any suggestions …Susan

My response:  Hello Susan … it always staggers me that nursery personnel suggest it is impossible to shift / re-locate old roses!  Of course, there can and might be fatalities but one should always TRY no matter what the weather or season!  As long as the gardener puts their head and heart into the task, it will generally be successful!

Seems you have been successful in the relocation – AWESOME!  Now you wish to propagate and share plants of those precious old roses so you need to send me some canes that we can have ‘contract budded’ this budding season from Nov-Jan … please don’t wait but send wood sooner rather than later!!!

Here’s a pic of what you need to send me …

This wood is around pencil-thick and there was a flower or bunch of flowers at the end of the cane which are now finished.

This part you’re going to send me is really the length of cane which you would normally cut back and throw away!

Here is a pic of what the bud eyes look like when they’re cut from the cane and ready to be budded …

Most important that you send the freshest canes wrapped in damp (not sopping wet!!!) newspaper, sealed in plastic and placed in a post pack via EXPRESS POST to

SILKIES ROSE FARM,
C/- WANDONG POST OFFICE,
WANDONG, VIC. 3758

We, in turn, can check the wood prior to forwarding for budding … best wishes … DIANA

It is important for ALL to note that any CONTRACT BUDDING requires no less than 5 plants per variety to be budded so you will have to purchase those 5 plants the following winter.  Contract Budded Roses cost $32.50 per plant and will be available no earlier than late July/August; bare-rooted plants will be supplied with a hand-written identification tag.

We will not take responsibility for failure of any variety to bud successfully – you will only be charged for plants supplied in winter.

Please don’t race out into your garden and take budwood from all the ‘old’ roses in your garden as lots of old roses are still in production and we are EXCLUSIVELY offering this service to customers who wish to retain rose varieties in perpetuity – varieties which are almost certainly not in production today and which are as significant as those in Susan’s story above.

GRA’S GARBLE …

ROSES & RECONNECTION WITH OUR SENSES THROUGH THEM …

Our roses, when we experience them with ALL our senses, can make our soul sing!

• SIGHT – be drawn to your favourite colours and love them all together;
• SOUND – be with the sounds of nature, close your eyes and hear frogs, birds, the breeze;
• TASTE – run your tongue around your mouth and swallow right then – so sensitive;
• SMELL – aah, take note of all the fragrances as they can literally take your breath away;
• TOUCH – feel the texture of rose petals, so soft – wiggle your toes, feel the ground or ‘Mother Earth’.

Experiencing all our senses to connect with the beauty of nature, keeps us vibrantly healthy and alive.  Q.  Why did the lizard cross the road?  A. To see his flat mate!  

Slugs and snails are very predominant in our gardens due to unprecedented rains so I urge you to protect your plants by using an Australian product called ERADICATE which is safe to use around your pets and birds!

Obviously use any snail bait wisely – do not place pellets in heaps but broadcast approximately 70 pellets per square metre so they break down readily as soil/plant nutrient and are not easily accessible or attractive to your pets or birds.

Q. Why did the orange stop in the middle of the road?  A. Because it ran out of juice!  

MOST SPECTACULAR ROSES IN THE NURSERY TODAY..

FIRESTAR
You will not EVER find a more spectacularly robust, healthy, free-flowering, fragrant and simply stunning orange/pink rose which is totally suitable for mass planting or hedging … honour our CFA volunteers and pay the $8.50 royalty to enjoy this beauty in your garden …

MY HERO
One of the first to flower with exquisite fragrance … stunning blooms with a mass of petals on a supremely healthy shrub …

HOMMAGE A BARBARA
Darkest black red, most gorgeous waved petal form, longest-lasting flower on the bush … what more could one ask for?  Fragrance perhaps?  It missed out there but ticks every other box for a ‘must-have’ rose!

If you are ever looking for back-issues of this Rose Rambler, you could spend days trawling through www.allaboutroses.com.au where you’ll find no less than four years of publications along with an encyclopaedia of roses which I plan to update in coming months.

Be sure to put www.allaboutroses.com.au in your favourites so that when you need a quietly relaxing place to visit with roses this lovely website is right there – ask questions, get information and see lovely rose photos.

Be sure to take time to smell the roses as we head into hectic times leading up to Christmas; jump in the car on a weekend soon and wander amongst the roses in our garden; have a chat with Graham and let him show you the compost heaps, mulching methods, watering systems – bring the kids because they just love being here to have a run with Mooi …

Don’t forget….
19th & 20th November
STATE ROSE & GARDEN SHOW at WERRIBEE
Diana will be speaking at 3.00pm SATURDAY, 19TH … see you there!

ROSE RAMBLER 27.10.2016 .. Hello dear rose friends as Gra and I are spending a week away from the Rose Farm but Tova is very capably manning the fort and will be here when you call in.

WWW.ROSESALESONLINE.COM.AU orders will continue to be posted this week so order with confidence!

I’m copying sections of the Rose Rambler from this week in past years to give you a trip down memory lane …

REWIND BACK TO… 31.10.2013

Hello dear rose friends… Already passed the middle days of Spring and things starting to ‘hot up’ … a taste of the fast advancing Summer and oh, the joy of the roses blooming and the magnificent fragrance makes all the dipping and dunging so worthwhile!  No time to rest on your laurels though … plenty to do in the rose garden now.

RAMBLE ON WITH GRA …

Ever noticed all the perfumes we could buy – there are dozens.  The perfume in roses is natural and the best time to smell a rose is when the sun is shining on the open flower.  What ENERGY attracting the bees to create the beginning of another rose – the seeds!  The rose fragrance also gives us lucky humans a lift.  Try smelling some coffee first, then smell the rose;  what a delight for our spirit … it takes us to a higher place.

By the way, what did Cinderella say when her photos didn’t show up?
“Some day my ‘prints’ will come.”

• POTTING ROSES: Potted roses can still be planted or re-potted from now on and throughout the flowering season.  If potting, always use a good quality, certified potting mix with added nutrients and water saving granules.  Mulch the top of the pots with compost about 50mm thick and then place milled lucerne or some straw over the compost.  Place the pot on a tray filled with stones and water daily, use Natrakelp or Eco-cweed at least fortnightly.
• ROSE GARDENERS GLOVES:  How good are your garden gloves?  It is so important to use good quality, washable gloves that have material on the back that breathes but also protects your knuckles while moving around the thorny roses as you prune!  Buy two pair so that you can change and wash them regularly – great Christmas present for the avid rose gardener and the one’s we stock here at the Rose Farm come in four different sizes – we’ve used them for years and highly recommend them!!
• MULCH IS CRITICAL:  It is important to mulch the rose garden NOW to save moisture from Winter/Spring rains – plants are 96% water!  Use Lucerne, straw, leaves and soaked newspaper at the edges of the garden beds will keep weeds away and be home to good soil critters and worms.  Place the mulch on damp soil or water before and after mulching.

HELP THE ENVIRONMENT… MULCH THE SOIL!  I’m told that 40% of grass is carbon so lawn clippings in light layers must be useful as a mulch too!
Enjoy the beautiful perfume of the roses while you wonder about the answer to this … what has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive … I’ll tell you next week ….

~ Graham.

IN CLOSING …

Last week I was kneeling down while mulching the garden and got bitten – probably one of those big ants, maybe a spider …?  Gentle reminder to me and I wish to pass on to you all that the burning welt on my leg lasted for over a week and I will now use one of the kneeling frames.

No I won’t, I’m not old enough to justify using a kneeling frame for it’s intended purpose ie. assist me in getting up from a kneeling position .. giggle .. so I’ll just use a piece of cardboard or layer of newspaper.  I WILL NOT kneel and crawl around the garden unprotected and I urge you all to take care of the same insects lurking in your rose garden!

Enjoy the Melbourne Cup – a real celebration of roses
– Diana & Graham at Clonbinane

REWIND BACK TO… 30.10.2014

Hello dear rose friends … here’s a pinch and a punch for the LAST day of the month – another one gone and yep, our roses are blooming.  They’re so healthy and robust – inviting you to come and take a look at how beautiful they are and the outstanding queen this week is FIONA’S WISH with her heavenly fragrance and stunning HUGE blooms demanding attention from the moment you step out of your car … gawd, what a rose …

Following on from last week’s Rose Rambler, the sharing continues and we are all benefiting from the input of readers – Noeline has this great contribution which will please those of you who are plagued by rosellas and other birds who strip your roses …

Ok, so what is the product Noeline is successful with?  Here’s the information you need …

It would be most interesting to know if this tape, when attached to roses where there is possibly some night light may deter possums … might be worth a try for those gardeners who despair at the destruction of the rose garden due to possums – let’s keep this conversation alive.

Here’s another tip: Yvonne has the snails stumped …  “Even the snails (of which there were many) are few and far between as we now use coffee grounds around the plants, and snails and slugs do not like coffee grounds.  The lemon tree was being attacked by snails and the fruit skins were snail marked.  So, out came the coffee grounds.  We sprinkled it around the tree and have not been bothered with snails on the lemon tree since that time.”

REWIND BACK TO… 29.10.2015

GRA’S GARBLE …

Q.  Why can’t a ladybird ever hide?  A.  Because it is always spotted! 

You’ll be thinking about which horse might be worth backing in the Melbourne Cup but I would highly recommend visiting FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE just to be up close and personal with the magnificent rose gardens there!  If you get a chance, treat yourself to a spectacular day at the races during these weeks of horse racing and I hope you back a winner!

Q.  Why couldn’t the pony talk?  A.  ‘cause he was a little horse.

Grasses are the essence of Nature! Researchers in Sydney found endorphins given off by lawn mowing keep us feeling good about ourselves!  Aaah, the smell of a freshly cut lawn – you know the smell and feeling – no research necessary because we already know how good it feels and looks!!!

There’s more to it though – grasses are essential because, when they break-down in pastures and gardens, their dry matter and minerals wash into waterways and then into the ocean which then turns into a food source for fish.  Our Oceans are the richest source of nutrients on our planet!  Hence, the seaweed solution we use on our plants, which comes from the Ocean, is vital for balanced plant nutrition and remember, regular applications of seaweed solution will afford your roses up to 5 degrees heat tolerance so liberally pour over the foliage of roses at least monthly to ensure bushes retain lots of healthy foliage!!!

ROSE FLOWERS IN THE HOUSE – there is no greater pleasure than cutting a bucket full of rose blooms to fill vases in your home!  Here are some rules which you MUST stick to which will ensure longevity of the roses you cut for a vase:

• Cut the roses early in the day (when possible) so they are well hydrated and cool;
• Take a bucket of cool, clean water to the garden with you;
• Trim the stems as long as possible and dunk them immediately into the bucket;
• Leave the bucket in the coolest room of your home for a few hours;
• Use only very clean vases to which you can add flower-preservative, if you prefer;
• Remove all the leaves which are below vase water level;
• Freshen water every couple of days – trim stems each time.

Diana devoted a chapter in her book ALL ABOUT ROSES to CUTTING ROSES FOR A VASE – there is an extensive lot of special hints and tips which are useful if you love to have vases of roses in your home during the flowering season … enjoy the beauty of your garden, inside too!

BACK TO… OCTOBER 2016!

If you’re venturing up this way on the second weekend in November, please take a slightly longer drive to visit these magnificent gardens which are about one hour further north than Clonbinane … it will be seriously worth driving the extra kilometres.

Hope you back a winner in the Melbourne Cup and enjoy the long weekend with festivities and most especially, roses …

RAMBLER 20.10.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends as we all enjoy long-awaited moments of smelling the fragrance of our roses at the start of what will be an amazing rose season!

Yes, of course we are still posting roses – they’re a little more expensive now because they’ve been in pots for a while; we’ve sprayed, fed, watered, trimmed and given them lots of loving which guarantees they’ll travel well and be a pleasure in your garden!

To post roses now is easy – I remove them from the pot, dust off any loose potting mix, wrap the roots in damp newspaper, seal in a plastic bag and they travel as though they’re still in their pots!  The roses actually continue to grow whilst in transit … as FORGET ME NOT did for 34 days before it found its way back to us recently …

The rose was posted as a bare-rooted plant in mid-August and the roots were still damp in their original package after 34 days so I immediately potted it, watered with eco-seaweed and placed it in a sunny location so the branches could photosynthesise – within two days there was a noticeable change

The GIFT ROSE is different because it is posted in a specifically designed, elegantly printed box which locks a gift-wrapped, potted rose (flowering now through to June, 2017) together with your personal message written in a gift card; including postage, this costs $73.90 – lovely Christmas gift idea!

GRA’S GARBLE …

The race is on for the first roses to flower here at Clonbinane …

ORIGAMI
Has stunningly healthy foliage that clothes long, strong stems which produce unusually shaped blooms of cream with a dark pink/red edge – most unusual and interesting rose!

JUST JOEY
It’s easy to overlook some of the ‘old’ varieties which we’ve sold for the past 30 years and assume every gardener knows this glorious rose!  Deliciously fragrant, waved petals on huge flowers … highly recommended rose!

MRS. B.R. CANT
Is definitely the Queen of our garden as she flounces against the spruce she respectfully shares space with and will produce abundant masses of blooms until late June next year!  Awesome rose!

POT LUCK ROSES

These are roses where labels have blown away, faded or inadvertently been removed so we don’t know who they are … that is until they’re flowering!  See if you can beat us to it … buy them, plant them in your garden and wait for a surprise … daily we go to this group of roses to see if we can retrieve a ‘stunner’, pop it’s label on and it will be sold at recommended retail price!

Some days we forget to go there – you get in first and we’ll gladly identify the rose for you!

Q. What goes up a downpipe down but won’t go up a downpipe up?  A. an umbrella (thanks for this reader contribution – it had me stumped too!)

If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you get a good cover of mulch on the garden NOW if for no other reason than to offer protection for the worms which have been breeding since May and they are the army of workers who will aerate the soil, fertilize it with their castings whilst improving the overall structure and condition of your soil!

Diana was distressed when her recently applied pea straw mulch started to grow.

but I assured her this rather new garden bed will benefit in the extreme because of the nitrogen fixing which is guaranteed to occur due to the peas growing deep roots – being the ‘tidy freak’ she is, she is going to try and encourage my Langshan fowls over to that garden to eat the peas.  (She’ll be like the Pied Piper – throw morsels of bread in a trail to the garden bed???  Not sure she’ll be successful but will keep you posted!)

I, on the other hand, would like to see a good cover of ‘green manure’ and perhaps wait to see if/when the peas flower how decorative this might be before they simply dry up and cover the ground with another layer of pea straw!

Q.  What does MOTHER GIANT say to her children at the dinner table?  A.  Don’t talk with someone in your mouth!

RAMBLER 13.10.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends as we welcome warmer, dryer conditions with lots of roses blooming early …

FINAL
OPPORTUNITY FOR

BARE-ROOTED PRICED ROSES FOR 2016 –

FIVE DAYS REMAINING –
LAST BARE-ROOTED ROSES WILL BE POSTED ON MONDAY 17TH OCTOBER, 2016.

GO TO www.rosesalesonline.com.au NOW!

GRA’S GARBLE …

Q.  What comes down but never goes up?  A.  Rain … which is now easing but left us with a sodden garden which the roses are enjoying now they’re setting flowers ready for a bumper season for sure!

PLANTING ROSES IN A SHADY LOCATION …

Monica sent this tip – “to be sure a new rose will flourish in a less than full sun spot in the garden, plant it WITH THE POT – that way, if you see the rose stressing, you’re easily able to lift it out and take it to a sunnier location.”

Monica’s roses in quite shaded location in large self-wateringa pots … magnificent!

And this is a good idea too:  Two standard JUST JOEY roses either side of the front porch in large tubs – one side gets full-sun all the time but the other side only gets morning sun so my clever customer gets hubby to load them onto a trolley and swap them around every couple of weeks!  She’s been doing this since July; both roses are flourishing and growing evenly!

Normally, when a customer tells us that there is less than 5 hours of direct sun on the location where they’re planting a new rose, we won’t sell them a rose!  Yes, a rose might ‘cope’ in that location but wouldn’t you rather it ‘flourish’ and be magnificent?  Always trim overhanging tree branches or plant roses in the most open, sunny location of your garden!

A FEW ROSE FACTS …

• A variety of rose which normally grows 1.2 metres tall can grow much higher in some gardens, simply because it is pruned lightly.  However, there is no way of keeping a tall growing variety short.  If you were to continually cut back a climbing rose, it might NEVER FLOWER – important that you select the right rose for your situation!KNOCKOUT PRUNED
  

  UNPRUNED MUCH TALLER
  

• Fragrant blooms don’t exude their fragrance the whole day.  It can happen that you smell no scent at eight in the morning, then by midday the fragrance of the same bloom is overpowering.
• After smelling less than three highly fragrant roses, you will lose your sense of smell – carry a tea-bag or some coffee beans in your pocket when visiting a rose garden this season – they’ll clear the olfactory glands and give you a far greater sense of smell as you sniff your way around the roses!

Q.  What has twenty eyes, four tongues and smells?  A.  Two pair of jogging shoes!  Yuk!

CLIMBING ROSES WHICH INSPIRE ME …

There’s really no more beautiful a sight than a flowering climbing rose and here are a few of my most favourites:

TWILIGHT GLOW …
If this rose never flowered, I would love it for the lush, light green, very healthy foliage – however, it flowers and flowers with the most HUGELY MAGNIFICENT blooms which I love to bring to the house for a vase … gorgeous climbing rose …

PINKIE CLIMBING …
Almost never without massive clusters of candy pink flowers which smother the rambling but very manageable rose for most of the season.  The foliage is lush bright green and healthy with a burr at the back – the wood is thornless – an amazing and rewarding climbing rose in all climates …

JEANNE LA JOIE, CLIMBING MINIATURE …
What a magical sight this rose is – whether sprawling and clambering over a stump or contained within an obelisk, espaliered on a frame, JEANNE LA JOIE is indeed a JOYFUL rose which can be grown in large tubs too …

ALL ABOUT ROSES

The photographs on our websites and in my book were mostly taken on my mobile phone camera.  I photograph the blooms when they are at their most beautiful opening or fully open stage.

Climate and seasonal conditions, overcast or sunny weather most certainly can influence aspects of photo reproduction, so it will happen that a rose looks slightly different when it flowers in your garden.

I was particularly pleased to receive an email from a NZ rose lover this week:

I am truly pleased that with all the photos we present on our websites, we have never been and can never be accused of misleading anyone because the pictures are our own!  This is one of my most favourite photos … TROPICAL SUNSET which is always so pretty anyway, grows on a most robust bush and produces the most stunningly perfect blooms …