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GREEN MANURE CROP FOR NEW ROSE GARDEN

Last Monday I had a machine dig and level the area for my new rose garden … 20 x 20 metres square. Because it is a large area and has never been planted before, it is my intention to plant a green manure crop of oats and vetch, turn that back into the soil to energize and aerate the soil ready to plant the rose bushes in the late Spring.

I spread the seed and raked it into the soil. Since the seed was sown, we have had 30 mls of rain but today I re-seeded because I don’t know how they know about it, but I now have cockatoos and galahs eating the seed! After the first seed was sown, within 24 hours there were about eight galahs and by this past weekend, there were at least 20 of them and more than 30 cockatoos having a grand feed!

Can anybody tell me how these birds know that I planted the seed? I have NEVER had them in the rose gardens before in such numbers – they fly over all the time, they are in this area but suddenly they are in my rose garden …?

Today I re-seeded and raked. On one part I have placed some bird netting and it will be interesting to see how long it takes for the seed under the netting to emerge – I will keep you posted … hopefully with good news!!!

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ROSE PRUNING SEMINARS

PRUNING DEMONSTRATIONS
CALL IN AT THE ROSE FARM WHENEVER WE ARE OPEN AND WE WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO GIVE YOU A PERSONAL DEMONSTRATION – BRING YOUR SECATEURS WITH YOU SO THAT WE CAN SHOW YOU HOW TO CLEAN AND SHARPEN THEM!

REGULAR GROUP DEMONSTRATION DATES ARE PUBLISHED IN ‘ROSE RAMBLER’ our weekly email newsletter – subscribe at the home page of rosesalesonline.com.au to receive your copy!
Each Pruning Demonstration will include a morning/afternoon tea and will only be cancelled if it is ‘seriously’ raining! Your children are most welcome!!
This first weekend in June is the start of a series of pruning demonstrations which I will give notice of in future Rose Rambler editions. There will be at least one demonstration on each weekend throughout June/July so if you have a group of people, please contact me so that we can organise a time which suits.

CALL ME ON 03 5787 1123 and we’ll organise a date and time which suits us both!

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WALK AND TALK IN THE GARDEN

This coming weekend, on Sunday, 5th May, treat yourself to a WALK & TALK IN THE GARDEN at the SILKIES ROSE FARM, CLONBINANE. Apart from the glorious Autumn colour of our newly planted oak and maple trees, the roses are putting on their most spectacular display right now and this is perfect timing to see and ‘stop and smell the roses’ before they go into their Winter dormancy.

Our plan is to demonstrate a number of different pruning techniques so that you will be well informed and well equipped to be able to effectively prune your roses this Winter. We will demonstrate with a range of pruning equipment including our Pellenc – Green Technology Range, secateurs and loppers from: LOWE, FELCO and WOLFF.

We recommend that you bring your own secateurs and other pruning equipment along to the demonstration so that we can assist with sharpening and maintenance of your pruning gear … stick around and have a morning tea with us.

WALK & TALK IN THE GARDEN – commences at 10.00am SUNDAY, 5TH MAY, 2013 and will only be cancelled if heavy rain is forecast … not likely! This opportunity to spend a couple of hours with Graham & Diana Sargeant, Consulting Rosarians, in their delightful gardens at CLONBINANE is a FREE EVENT but booking is preferred … please call 0418 337765 to reserve your place and we’ll see you on SUNDAY, 5TH MAY AT CLONBINANE.

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The ‘REAL’ gardeners …

What a delightful experience it was to be ‘up in the Hills’ at Silvan this past weekend. The Gardening Expo was a pleasure to attend as we found ourselves represented amid the amazing group of specialist growers who want to get out and show ‘real’ gardeners the wonderful array of plants available today. Graham and I were very busy over the weekend chatting with people who are serious about gardening in their backyards which ranged from 400 square metre blocks to large country gardens – the gardeners who attended this Expo overwhelming want a ‘real’ garden.

We gained a lot of ideas about how we can expand on creating a website with loads of information … stuff we know and probably think you know … we are going to ‘get down and dirty’ and make this space a place for you to come and explore all the information and ideas you need to create the space which you call ‘home’ the most beautiful, relaxing and rewarding place for you to spend your spare time – a place where you can rejuvenate your spirit in order to be able to cope with the fast pace and craziness of the world we all live in …

Stay posted for my plan to let you know how to prepare your garden bed ready to plant roses this Winter …

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OUR DINGO ‘BONNIE’

She’s going to be 14 years old in July this year and you MUST take time to visit her when you come to visit the Rose Farm.
We originally had two dingoes but sadly, ‘Chienne’ succumbed to an altercation with a tiger snake a few years back. Her grave is near ‘The Children’s Rose’ in the garden south of our home.
‘Bonnie’ resides in the huge run on the eastern side of the house and you may see her when you drive through the main entrance of the Rose Farm – usually sitting up on her ‘pedestal’ … the massive log where underneath she has created her den.
Unfortunately, we cannot let ‘Bonnie’ roam free in the gardens during Rose Farm open hours … the grass, for her, is definitely greener on the other side of our fence and she has very little road sense so she is confined to her pen when the farm gates are open!
We believe that ‘Bonnie’ protects our Rose Farm from kangaroos and other native animals because she leaves her scent around the Rose Farm. She wakes Graham in the night by pawing his side of the bed when she knows she needs to go out and let the ferals be aware she is here! (I got up for the kids all those years, now it’s Graham’s turn to be woken in the night and he does it so graciously for his ‘other girl’!)
If you arrive here around closing time at 4.30 you’ll probably find the gates closed because ‘Bonnie’ howls some time after 4.00 since it’s her feeding time and also time for her to be free in the gardens – toot your car horn and I’ll come and open the gate for you!