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 …

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 …

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 …

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:

Click here to watch video

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 …

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!

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!

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 …

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 …

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.

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