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ROSE RAMBLER 14.1.2016

We hope you’re still enjoying the holidays and can take time to read this article from Biodynamic Agriculture Australia newsletter:  Between the Leaves …

Calculating the Value of Organics
(including biodynamics, of course –ed)“A team of international scientists has shown that assigning a dollar value to the benefits nature provides agriculture improves the bottom line for farmers while protecting the environment.  The study confirms that organic farming systems do a better job of capitalizing on nature’s services than do conventional farming systems.

‘By accounting for ecosystem services in agricultural systems and getting people to support the products from these systems around the world, we move stewardship of lands in a more sustainable direction, protecting future generations’, said Washington State University soil scientist John Reganold.

Earthworms turning the soil, bees pollinating crops, plants pulling nitrogen out of the air into the soil and insects preying on pests like aphids – these are a few of nature’s services that benefit people but aren’t often factored into the price we pay at the grocery store. The research team quantified the economic value of two ecosystem services – biological control of pests and the release of nitrogen from soil organic matter into plant-accessible forms – in 10 organic and 10 conventional fields on New Zealand grain farms.

The values of the two ecosystem services were greater for the organic systems, averaging $146 per acre each year compared to $64 per acre each year for their conventional counterparts.

The combined economic value, including the market value of the crops and the non-market value of the two ecosystem services, was also higher in the organic systems, averaging $1165 per acre each year compared with $826 per acre each year in conventional fields.  The study showed that the value of the two ecosystem services on the organic farms exceeded the combined cost of traditional pesticide and fertilizer inputs on the conventional farms”.

(Extracted from ‘Science on Your Side’, Acres USA June 2015)

GRA’S GARBLE …

Using organic and biodynamic management practices in your home garden is very economical and will definitely afford you better health and a sense of satisfaction that you’re working alongside Mother Nature providing a safe and inviting environment for you and your family to enjoy!

Some websites I suggest you log onto for more information:

Q. What do you call an ant sitting on a $10 note?  A. An antenna

MY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ROSES WITH HUGE FRAGRANCE …

HEAVEN SCENT
Large, orchid pink blooms with split outer petals on long single stems that have few thorns on the flowering stem.  Lush, healthy mid-green foliage – beautiful!

MOTHER’S LOVE
Palest pink blooms gently deeper pink towards the centre.  Abundant blooming with dark glossy foliage, medium-tall spreading shrub – stunning!

BEST FRIEND
Vibrant blooms of deep, hot pink this tall grower was named by the RSPCA to honour the unconditional special friendship that comes from loving your pet!  Every single bloom deserves to be vased for the pleasure of fragrance in your home!

Q.  What lies around, one hundred feet up?  A.  A dead centipede.

Remember, when watering your garden during this hot summer, deep soak once a week with at least 20 litres per rose delivered at the same time!  Stay cool … Gra

WINNING OR LOSING WITH POSSUMS …

Here’s another good idea to help you wage war against the little blighters –

Dear Diana,

About this time last year, I wrote asking if you had any tips for deterring possums from eating the buds on my climbing roses.  At that stage, I was tying bags of naphthalene to the climbing frame, as well as smearing Vicks Vaporub liberally along the branches.  That worked, but it was unsightly, so this year I am trying something different, so far with success.  I pruned the roses to a lower point and am allowing new canes to grow outwards, away from the trellis and therefore away from the possums.  All the climbers are blooming and the canes are a manageable length if I keep dead-heading and cutting back just a bit more than in previous years.  The big test was the recent very hot day with strong winds, and all survived.

The possums don’t touch my standard or bush roses, and obviously don’t feel sufficiently stable to climb out on the flowering canes of the climbers, whereas anything tied to the trellis is fair game.

Of course, you could also grow climbing roses away from fences in an obelisk/pillar frame such as we stock at the Rose Farm … lovely sturdy supports, not too decorative which can makes them VERY AFFORDABLE – they certainly look beautiful in my new garden.

They come in two sizes – short 1.5mts $150 and tall 2mts $195 both 55cm diameter. These pillars would be suitable for a large pot/wine barrel to add a column of flowering beauty in your space!  There is a new addition to these obelisks which suit CLEMATIS 1.5mts tall x 30cm diameter $75.00 – these frames are ‘pick-up’ only as they are very sturdy and are not bolted together out of a ‘flat pack’ from China – a local guy constructs them for us!

Hope you continue to enjoy your garden despite the ravishes of this summer…
Diana, Mooi & Graham with a final word to share:
George Bernard Shaw said:
“I am an atheist and I thank God for it”… 

 

 

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ROSE RAMBLER 7.1.16

We trust you’ve enjoyed the Festive Season as much as we have – we wish you health and happiness during this year!  We re-open tomorrow and will be here every FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY and MONDAY throughout this year from 9.00am – 4.00pm – www.rosesalesonline.com.au, www.giftroses.com.au and www.allaboutroses.com.au with an encyclopaedia of roses and lots of helpful information along with all past issues of this Rose Rambler are there for you 24/7 – enjoy!

Our roses have loved the heat and because of the late frosts we kept the garden beds well irrigated to encourage regrowth and flowering after -3 frost on 30th November with a follow up -1 frost on Saturday, 12th December.  Saturday, 19th December, we recorded 45 degrees and Saturday, 26th December, we recorded 21mm of rain.  A season to remember!!!

Fortunately, we’ve also been blessed with a significant 40mms of rainfall over the past week so it’s a picture here again – all in less than 5 weeks since our garden was devastated by frost during December!

GRA’S GARBLE …

Saw this ad in a local paper:  “Sheepdog for sale – will eat anything. Very fond of children.”

If your kids need entertainment, get them out in the garden – over the next THREE DAYS until Saturday, 9th January, there is a moon phase which indicates a brilliant opportunity for weed eradication.  Offer the kids 5 cents for every weed they pull out – have them count them, write up an invoice and suggest they’ll then have to put 50% of the earnings into their bank account and spend the rest on something they ‘have to have’.  You’ll have a weed-free garden in no time and the kids will have had a great experience!

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.
He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it.”
ALBERT EINSTEIN

Scientists tell us that people average around 70% of each day sitting whilst working in the garden for around ONE HOUR is equivalent to a 4KM walk!  Get out in the garden but do remember to be kind to yourself in extremely hot weather – half an hour in the morning and then another half hour after dinner in the evening.  Let your garden be your doctor!!!

Here are some beautiful pics  of potted roses taken around the nursery last week …

NOVALIS
Amazing proliferation of blooming clusters on a stunningly healthy shrub to 1.5mts tall with a fresh, citrus fragrance – highly recommended rose!

EYES FOR YOU
Always different, depending on the weather – cream buds open with crimson centres which pale to dark mauve as the flowers age.  A healthy, rounded shrub to 1.2 mts ideal for borders of continual, highly fragrant clusters of blooms

CHIHULY
One of my absolute favourites in the front garden – always stunning blend of eye-catching colour with dark, dark green healthy foliage on a neat bush to 1.2 mts tall.

When you’re out and about, please call in and visit our Rose Farm
– bring a picnic and let the kids frolic in the gardens and have a play with Mooi …
see you soon at Clonbinane
~ Diana, Graham & Mooi (below)

 

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ROSE RAMBLER – LAST ONE FOR 2015

ROSE RAMBLER 17.12.2015

ROSE RAMBLER …
LAST ONE FOR 2015!

So we’ll leave you with some delightful testimonials along with beautiful rose pictures to relax and inspire you during this Festive Season; there’s also some great information about beetles/bugs and how to ensure your rose garden is well maintained this summer!

ROSESALESONLINE IS AN OUTSTANDING SUCCESS  – If only we could employ our very own personal ‘carrier pigeon’ to deliver your parcels – there have been some unfortunate glitches with AustPost more recently but we press on, knowing you’re reassured by our 100% guarantee and the quality of our roses!

Because we are now EXPRESS POSTING ALL PARCELS through December/January
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY you can order to guarantee
CHRISTMAS DELIVERY * 
*MELBOURNE METRO LAST DAY FOR ORDERS IS MONDAY, 21ST DECEMBER
Most roses arrive like this:

And we graciously acknowledge delivery of our beautiful roses with emails similar to this one from Jennifer in Port Macquarie …

“Hi Di – Thank you for your lovely email and all the information, much appreciated.  I was reminiscing today whilst dead-heading … my first order with you was Dec 31st 2014 at about 5pm and I remember you saying I was the last order for the year and what a lovely selection I was ordering.  My how time has flown!!!!!!!!

I truly hope you and yours have a wonderful time over the coming weeks and I’d sincerely like to “THANK YOU” for all the beautiful roses I have accumulated over the past year, along with your never-ending dedication, sense of humour, expertise and of course your always efficient friendly, prompt service.

It’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know Rosesalesonline and I look forward to many more spectacular roses in the future… (if I can only find somewhere to put them hahahahahaha).  Cheers, Jen”

Our spectacular GIFT ROSE arrives like this and
will grace the Christmas dining table for sure
FORGET ME NOT

GRA’S GARBLE …

We’ve received ‘HELP PLEASE’ emails from customers who are dealing with a variety of ‘pests’ on the roses so we asked Steve from Organic Crop Protectants (who produce our organic rose management products) to shed some light on the situation – this is great reading, worth printing and keeping in your garden folder for future reference!

Before we get serious, here’s a joke:
Q.  Did you hear about the little pig with a rash?   A. He needed OINKMENT!

Please note:  During this dialogue, I have put some of my own comments in brackets.

“There are so many weird and wonderful beetles out there we’d really need an entomologist to identify them.  By definition beetles are chewing insects (bugs conversely are sap suckers) and so you can possibly blame some holes in rose flowers on beetles.”  

(Gra:  we found earwigs had chewed holes in rose buds this week!  Maybe earwigs are classed as a beetle too?)

“However there is a group of beetles loosely called pollen beetles and they mostly feed on pollen and do little or no damage to rose petals or leaves.  I think the small black beetles you have are pollen beetles for sure.  The other ones I can’t say for certain.” 

(Gra:  Here in Victoria we have ‘soldier beetles’ which are totally harmless to roses but can arrive in massive infestations which cause rose gardeners to panic!)

“My plan of attack would be to spray with eco-neem.  While the label in Australia shows 9 insects (including caterpillars) the overseas label lists more than 200 pests (including various beetles).  A rate of 3ml per litre of water would be the way to go and to spray weekly until the problem resolves itself.  If you have a very bad outbreak then you could spray every 5 days.  I’d also add some eco-oil (at 2ml per litre) in with the solution.  This will help the spray stick better on the roses and improve the results.

Eco-neem works in several different ways including suppressing appetite, preventing insect growth and repelling insects in general.  Different insects are more vulnerable to different modes of action at different stages in their lifecycle.  Sounds a bit complicated I know but ultimately it means caterpillars die in a couple of days but harder body insects can sometimes take longer before the impact on their overall population shows (hence doing repeat sprays).” 

The great thing about eco-neem is there is no known cases of pest insect resistance, it’s safe for good insects (like bees and ladybeetles) plus it’s independently Certified Organic.

WATERING YOUR GARDEN THIS SUMMER …

To conserve water, the first and most important product in your garden is MULCH-MULCH-MULCH!!!  We use and highly recommend PEA STRAW as it provides insulation to the soil yet allows water, air and fertilizer to penetrate as it slowly decomposes to create humus which has wonderful water-retaining capacity.  You can use lots of other mediums:  redgum/eucy mulch, pebbles/stones or any other straw without seeds!

What water you apply to the garden MUST REACH THE ROOTS of the roses – deep soaking with no less than 20 litres per plant, delivered in the same application once a week will force root growth downwards, deep into clay sub-soil.

Remember this:  IF YOU CANNOT WATER YOUR ROSES, DO NOT FERTILIZE THEM!
And this:  Organic fertilizer is ONLY taken up by the rose WHEN IT NEEDS IT.  Chemical fertilizer is water soluble so is taken up whether a rose needs it or not!

Q.  What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?  A.  It’s Christmas, Eve

Please know that sharing our knowledge and love of roses every week through this Rose Rambler is enormously pleasurable – the statistics tell us that you enjoy reading our ramblings; Gra’s Garble and jokes make it extra special I know!!!

Enjoy all the moments of Christmas with your family and friends
– the Rose Farm will re-open on Friday, 8th January, 2016 …

MERRY CHRISTMAS from CLONBINANE!

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ROSE RAMBLER 10.12.2015

ROSE RAMBLER 10.12.2015

Hello dear rose friends … it’s overwhelming to see how magnificent the potted roses are looking and it is sheer joy to go there and water them every morning – we use it as a time for quiet meditation and love the peaceful moments surrounded by heavenly fragrant roses in every colour, shape and form!

GRA’S GARBLE …

There is no doubt about it, roses LOVE to be fertilized when they’re doing all this flowering and rather than wait until they’re ‘burnt out’ we highly recommend you fertilize WHILE THEY’RE FLOWERING as this will sustain healthy foliage.  When spent flowers are trimmed, the bush will respond with healthy new foliage and another round of flowers on the trimmed stem within 40-50 days!

Rules for managing your summer rose garden:

  • Water regularly – maybe twice a week with at least 20 litres per rose bush
  • Fertilize NOW – before it gets really hot!  If you don’t have irrigation, the plants shut down to survive
  • Fortnightly applications of seaweed solution will offer 3-5 degrees of heat tolerance and maintain healthy foliage – water SEAWEED OVER THE ENTIRE PLANT
  • Trim constantly – the sooner you trim spent flowers by removing 20-30cm long stems the more quickly healthy new growth will produce more flowers
  • Surely your garden has a good thick covering of mulch!  So, so important to sustain worms, soil microbes and retain what moisture is available!

Q.  Why did the surfer cry?  A.  Because the sea-weed

MY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TOUGH ROSES …

ROSENDORF SPARRIESHOOP
Foliage is plentiful, thick and highly disease resistant.  Semi-double flowers are borne on long, strong canes with several to a head and look stunning in a vase as they slowly open and hold well.  Mid-pink colour is quite distinct and highlighted by crimson stamens – an extremely healthy, hardy rose.

LIONS ROSE
The health and flowering ability of this beautiful shrub rose has to be seen to be believed!  Lightly fragrant, fully double, creamy white blooms with an apricot eye produced in clusters which hold well in a vase.  Glossy, dark green foliage is highly disease-resistant.

DAME ELISABETH MURDOCH
An exceptional Hybrid Tea rose which produces a proliferation of perfectly formed, subtly fragrant, large flowers with blends of apricot/pink/yellow and a splash of red bordering each petal – stunning in a vase.  Magnificently showy rose which is always reliable and highly recommended.

Q. What is rude and only comes at Christmas?  A.  Rude-olf

Just realised that all the roses I’ve recommended this week are bred by Kordes, Germany – one of the great rose breeding houses in the world!  Enjoy them all … Gra

CHRISTMAS IS COMING VERY FAST

And because Australia Post are inundated and going slow, we’re closing www.rosesalesonline.com.au NEXT THURSDAY, 17TH DECEMBER so get your orders in NOW.

All rose parcels are now being sent EXPRESS POST and this won’t necessarily GUARANTEE your parcel will arrive within 24 hours but it will have a way better chance of being delivered in optimum time than when it is delivered without EXPRESS POST labelling.

There is a slightly higher postage charge for ALL PARCELS DURING DECEMBER/JANUARY to save you and us the stress of delayed parcels and we will subsidise the shortfall of the higher postage rates – our CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU along with this little bonus to get you excited…

15% OFF ANY INSTORE PURCHASE
– use COUPON CODE:  HAPPYCUSTOMER15
to redeem your 15% DISCOUNT
until Christmas Eve at www.rosesalesonline.com.au


This great offer is AVAILABLE at the Rose Farm too but you MUST ask for it … our Rose Rambler subscribers are SPECIAL CUSTOMERS – remember the CODE: HAPPYCUSTOMER15 to be eligible for 15% off all purchases!

This lovely email came yesterday:

“THANK YOU so much for solving my Christmas present dilemma. My mother in law was thrilled with her new rose!  Regards Melanie”

One more Rose Rambler to go … talk to you next week but meantime, if you live close, do pop into the Rose Farm, it’s absolutely beautiful here right now!

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY TODAY to our very cheery, ‘know all about gardening’ grandson, COOPER who is an excellent pruner already and is featured with his wheelbarrow in my book:  ALL ABOUT ROSES!

… cheers from Diana, Graham and Mooi at Clonbinane

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ROSE RAMBLER 4.12.2015

ROSE RAMBLER 4.12.2015

Hello dear rose friends … we celebrated Graham’s birthday on Monday down in the front garden pruning away the devastation of a severe frost which occurred here the previous Friday morning – yes, minus 3 degrees frost on 27th November!

We participate monthly as presenters on 3CR Garden Show talk-back radio in Melbourne and it was ME calling in on Sunday morning for advice from Pam, Stephen and the panel on how to deal with recovering different varieties of plants which, by Sunday, we could see were not going to recover without intervention – what to do?

Our orientalal lilliums won’t flower this season, potatoes will recover, so will the dahlias; buddleia will flower later – all affected plants needed to be trimmed and it was recommended we fertilize and deep-water the garden beds – seaweed solution would be beneficial but we had already done that!

So, how did the roses fare?  We trimmed them on Monday too but today, nearly a week later, we have done a complete summer prune of all the roses in the front garden because the buds which were frozen indicated they were not going to flower and there were new shoots producing below the frost damage … so interesting!

My CLEMATIS were unaffected with only slight burning at the edge of flowers – they do make me smile at their toughness while so many gardeners are shy of them!  PENSTEMONS sagged a bit but have pressed on and recovered without trimming.  New shoots on several of the oak trees are burned; we won’t have flowers this season on any of the CREPE MYRTLE down in the front garden but the driveway plants were spared – thank goodness!

There you go, we’ve lived in this garden for 16 years and NEVER had such a late frost!  What it means is that our garden will be ‘different’ through summer and autumn because we’ve had to prune heavily ‘out of season’ but it will survive and the difference will be lovely to witness and record for experience!

GRA’S GARBLE …

With all the variable weather, we’ve been maintaining regular applications of our organic management spray program which will guarantee lush, healthy foliage on our potted roses – interestingly, none of them was affected by frost – fair to say the nursery is on ‘higher ground’ than the front, south-facing garden but the potted roses are getting fortnightly applications of seaweed solution so they’re more pampered!

Q.  What is the easiest way to double your money?  A.  Put it in front of a mirror!

This lovely email is so worth sharing –

Hi Graham and Diana,  How are you?  I hope you are well.  The roses I bought from you last year are doing really well. FORGET ME NOT’S fragrance knocks my socks off.  Here they are…
CHILD’S LOVE also has amazing fragrance
– I managed to capture some photos.

And PARFUM DE PARIS is the bloom machine.

Thanks again for such quality roses. Yoda

Q.  Why did the picture go to jail?  A.  Because it was framed … love sharing a joke … Gra

SO CLOSE TO CHRISTMAS …

Please let us make your Christmas gifting an easy but more importantly, most rewarding experience this year.  Any rose of your choice can be selected and posted as a GIFT ROSE – if you’re not sure which rose to send, why not purchase a GIFT VOUCHER which can be sent directly to the recipient so they can select their own roses – online shopping made super easy at www.rosesalesonline.com.au – gift vouchers!

We cannot more highly recommend a LOWE SECATEUR for all rose gardeners – beaut, light-weight and so ‘fit in any hand’ pair of secateurs which will easily and ergonomically cut through thick branches – make pruning a memorable gift this Christmas:

$59.90 plus $15.00 pack and post

Please be reminded that we will continue to post roses until 17th December to ensure your gift rose arrives on time and then we will close the nursery from Monday, 21st December and re-open on Friday, 8th January – online orders will continue to be processed throughout the holiday period for books and products – roses will be posted AFTER 8th January!

Enjoy the moments with your beautiful roses for quiet, peaceful time …
Graham, Diana & Mooi at CLONBINANE 

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ROSE RAMBLER 26.11.2015

ROSE RAMBLER 26.11.2015

Yes, in just a month from today, Santa will have come and be on his merry way home – hope we can help make your Christmas gift a living, lasting and beautiful present for your loved one this year!

Since it’s so close to Christmas we’re taking orders NOW for GIFT ROSES to be posted – please note that NO ROSES WILL BE POSTED AFTER THURSDAY, 17TH DECEMBER, 2015 *
(*only Melbourne Metro can be posted on Monday, 21st December)

Here are some beaut gift ideas – EVERY gift will be beautifully GIFT-WRAPPED for FREE and price includes pack and post:

  • ALL ABOUT ROSES – my book, personally signed with your message if you would like me to inscribe your own words – $44.95
  • ORGANIC ROSE MANAGEMENT PACK – for a person where there’s no space for a new rose but is interested in caring for the roses they have!  Pack includes:  100g ECO SEAWEED, 500g ECO-ROSE and 500ml ECO-OIL and ‘how-to’ information – $76.50 and we’ll put ECO-AMINOGRO (foliage fertilizer) in FREE saving $18.50!
  • There are a host of magnificent roses which would make an ideal gift – maybe these pics will inspire you … $69.90 as a completely beautiful GIFT ROSE …
PEACE
The glorious large pale yellow/cream blooms with a hint of pink at the edge are delightfully fragrant and produce a stunning continual display of blooms.

THE GOLDEN CHILD
Dare you to send this to your parents if you have siblings!!!  This magnificent Modern Shrub Rose produces masses of bright canary yellow clusters of fragrant blooms on a beautifully healthy shrub with glossy mid-green foliage and magnificent crimson new foliage – highly recommended rose!

CLOSE TO YOU
if you cannot be with your family this Christmas, send them this beautiful rose which has a name to suit your message!  CLOSE TO YOU produces long, strong stems of pale lemon perfectly formed large Hybrid Tea blooms continually throughout the season.  There is a wonderful fruity/spice fragrance and dark green glossy foliage.

GARDENERS ARE SUCH CREATIVE PEOPLE …

Maybe this would be a great idea if you have a difficult situation in your garden …

Hi Diana,  We have a very big suburban garden.  Here are the PEACE roses you sent me in your beautiful gift boxes last December after Mum died.  This hedge needs trimming!  The first photo shows the self-watering pots; they are complete with mulch made from Mum’s sympathy cards.  I think the birds have been pinching the shredded cards for their nests.  Better than chucking them in the recycling.  Monica

My response:  That’s such a super idea to hide the pots like that – gives the impression that the roses are in fact, in the ground!  Also, gets you out in the garden daily to water the pots!!!  Good stuff all ’round!  Thanks for sharing … enjoy the flowers!  Cheers, Diana

Hi Diana,  the previous owners established the box hedges but nothing much else would establish under the trees.  The pots only need watering once or twice a week as the reservoir keeps them moist.  They are really quite water efficient.  I water them from the top and any run off goes into the reservoir for use between watering.  The plants are healthier and use less water than those I have in the ground.  I’m thrilled with them.  Monica

GRA’S GARBLE …

Helping roses get through summer … to a 10 litre bucket/watering can:

  • Add ¼ cup of Eco-rose (Eco-fungicide) to protect foliage from black-spot/mildew by altering the pH of the foliage – clever science!
  • In the same mix, add ¼ cup of Eco-oil (Eco-insecticide) which not only makes the products ‘stick’ to the foliage but also deals with pesky insects which can attack roses and other plants in your garden – use on veggies and safely harvest after spraying.
  • Add seaweed solution – follow directions on pack of product you use – we use Eco-seaweed which is 1 teaspoon of powder to 10 litres – very economical!

We recommend you apply the above products IN THE MORNING and NEVER when the temperature is expected to reach 30 degrees!

Q.  What does Santa say in a race?  A.  Ready, set, HO! 

During summer, continue to fertilize the soil with quality organic fertilizer – we use and recommend C.O.F. – Complete Organic Fertilizer with high quantity of humates which enrich the soil and assist in moisture retention!

Q.  What do you get if you cross Santa Claus with a duck?  A.  A Christmas quacker! 

If you have any particular issues with your roses, don’t hesitate to send through photos so that in consultation with Diana, I can answer your queries.  We enjoy receiving pics of your rose gardens too!!

Take it easy in the lead-up to Christmas – give yourself a break with time to ‘smell the roses’ … Cheers from us here at Clonbinane – Diana, Graham & Mooi

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ROSE RAMBLER 19.11.2015

ROSE RAMBLER 19.11.2015

Hello dear rose friends.  Well, it’s sure been a very busy time and we welcome all the new subscribers to our newsletter!

It’s lovely that we have no more planned events away from the Rose Farm and can now revel in the glory of our own garden!  Do come and share it with us when you have a spare day in the busy lead-up to Christmas – rose plants are a very beautiful gift so make your present shopping easy and special by gifting a living, flowering rose this Christmas!

My book, ALL ABOUT ROSES would make a lovely gift for a novice rose gardener or offer insight to organic rose management for all rose gardeners!  If you would like to post it as a gift, let me offer to beautifully Christmas-wrap a signed copy for you!

GRA’S GARBLE …

The COMPOSTING SEMINAR was great – we’ll do another one in 2016 because I realise how much gardeners want to be involved in waste-management and doing ‘their bit for the environment’ in their own backyards!

Q.  What kind of undies do reporters wear?  A.  News briefs

SUMMER PRUNING …

When roses finish flowering on a stem, prune them back along the stem/branch by at least 20cms/8” and if you cut just above an outward facing bud, you’re sure to promote another strong, healthy growth which will produce many more blooms.

Now that it’s getting really warm/hot, you can guarantee that there will be flowers within 40-45 days from the time you pruned – some varieties might produce new flowering stems earlier but 40-45 days is the bench-mark if you’re planning an event or want flowers for a particular occasion.

It is imperative to retain as many leaves on the rose bushes throughout this hot summer so that the rose plant circulates moisture and nutrients to sustain continual flowering!  Leaves on roses keep the plant cool and maintain photosynthesis.

Continual applications of seaweed solution all over the leaves, adding products like Eco-aminogro (fertiliser) will toughen your plants up and assist the plants to produce more flowers despite the hot conditions.  Seaweed solution toughens the cell wall of foliage and thus offers plants between 3-5 degrees of greater heat tolerance – very important!!!

Q.  How do you make a tissue dance?  A.  Put a little boogie in it

There are so many glorious roses in the nursery now … this very old variety is so over-looked and yet so easy-care, amazingly free-flowering, healthy, suited to almost any location in the garden … one of our favourites that we are pleased to grow and highly recommend … APRICOT NECTAR …

 

Have a beaut week in your garden … remember to water your roses in the morning rather than in the evening – enjoy this most magnificent rose flowering season …

Graham, Diana & Mooi at Clonbinane

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ROSE RAMBLER 12.11.2015

ROSE RAMBLER 12.11.15

Hello dear rose friends … We’re gearing up for the State Rose and Garden Show at Werribee this weekend – so hope you make it ‘high priority’ to come for a visit – the Victorian State Rose Gardens are a sight to behold; a hidden treasure so very close to home for lots of us and a MUST SEE!

QUESTION ABOUT CLIMBING ROSES …

Thank you so much for your newsletters they are not only helpful hints but a good read also;

Q1:  My question to you is l have a weeping rose (crepuscule) do l have to behead the dead flowers on it or do they just fall off

Q2:  l bought 2 climbing roses from you,(jeanne la joie)  neither of them are flowering, yes l have fertilized, mulched, watered well and good drainage , all of my other roses in the area are doing very good, what could l be doing wrong?  

Many Thanks … Bernadette

My response which is relative to those who grow and love climbing roses:

Thank you Bernadette … you can trim finished flowers from ALL roses and they will re-grow and re-flower more quickly!

About JEANNE LA JOIE… is she growing lovely strong canes?  Sometimes, climbing roses will set all their energy into GROWTH in the first year of planting rather than flowering … if they flower along the way it can be at the expense of massive growth canes!  My JEANNE LA JOIE here produced lovely growth canes last season with very few flowers – this year she’s going to flower and flower – also, there are wonderful NEW water shoots happening too … that’s what climbing roses do!!!  Patience is a virtue with them but they ALL reward in the long term and then you be THE BOSS about how much growth you want where the rose is planted.

You’re doing absolutely NOTHING wrong!  Hope this is helpful … cheers – Diana

Whilst in Adelaide recently, we had the pleasure of visiting Melanie & Kelvin (President, World Federation of Rose Societies) Trimper’s garden – this is Melanie’s photo of 6 x JEANNE LA JOIE plants espaliered on 6 metres of wall  – breathtaking!!!

GRA’S GARBLE …

Q.  When is a car not a car?  A.  When it turns into a parking lot!

CLIMBING ROSES FOR IMPACT

You might only have a tidy garden space but still want to grow roses … grow CLIMBING ROSES on walls, in tubs and up posts!  These are two of my favourite climbing roses:

DORTMUND
A great healthy rose, crimson red with a white eye it flowers freely in clusters throughout the season and you will see it from kilometers away – if you stop dead-heading in late autumn, this rose has the most amazing hips of any rose!
It makes a lovely vase specimen and attracts the bees …

and, DUBLIN BAY …
bright red fragrant blooms continually throughout nine months of flowering season.  Blooms are produced from low down on the canes which reach a height up to 3 metres and fan out beautifully against a wall/fence – one of the best!

A SOLUTION TO THRIPS …

Good afternoon.  I notice you mentioned something about thrips in your latest newsletter.  I was taught to get a WHITE piece of material and tie it stretched out between two bean poles, close to the affected roses.  I used to use torn up white bedsheets. The material needs to be about the size of a pillowcase and stretched out.  Thrips are attracted to white.  Don’t know why.  They will often leave the rose and jump onto the material.   Then you can either roll it up and put in a snaplock bag and put in freezer to kill them or dunk in a bucket for a while.  Meanwhile replace the material.  You need to do this several times a day until the population diminishes.

My gran taught me this as she noticed that every time she hung out her white sheets when we had a hot humid spring, they got covered in thrips!  So she devised this method of attracting them when her flower and veg were under attack!  This has often lessened the damage to my roses.  Try it!

Diana’s response:  I’m an ‘old timer’ Mum … I used to LOVE hanging nappies out on the washing line and would get peeved when the northerly winds brought in thrips – took me a while to work out what went ‘wrong’ with my beautiful white wash!!!  Never thought to suggest to rose gardeners that they should span white cloth to attract thrips to the white cloth rather than the roses … thanks for sharing!  Cheers – Diana

Q.  What do you call an insect on the moon?  A.  A luna-tick

IS THIS HAPPENING ON ANY ROSE IN YOUR GARDEN?

Take a look at the plant label which reads:

PIERRE DE RONSARD
– a pale pink-cream climbing rose…

oh, oh, it’s producing CRIMSON ROSES which are DR. HUEY UNDERSTOCK which may, if left to grow, take over the whole rose – NEVER prune this growth at ground level!!!  Here’s what you MUST DO if you see understock growing on any roses in your garden – quoted from my book, ALL ABOUT ROSES (always handy to have a copy of my book when things don’t quite go as you anticipate!) …

“Put your garden gloves on.  Once you’ve revealed the source of the understock branch, grab hold of it and yank it really hard and fast – I liken it to when the kids had a loose tooth and I would ask them if I could take a look and wobble it maybe.  Quick yank, tooth gone and kid wondering what the heck happened but excited about the tooth fairy coming that night. When you’ve yanked the sucker away from the understock it is very important to check if there is a nice rounded end on what you pulled away.  If you can see an ‘eye’ which could be compared to a corn on your toe then you have been successful in removing the sucker.”

The story goes on in further detail but you MUST remove those suckers as soon as you see them or they will in fact grow very rapidly and potentially take-over and the budded rose variety will lose vigour and die!

Enjoy all the glory of your rose garden in this magnificent season … see you at one of our events or come and take a walk with us in the garden here at Clonbinane any Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday when we are sure to be here … Diana, Graham and Mooi 

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ROSE RAMBLER 5.11.2015

ROSE RAMBLER 5.11.2015

Hello dear rose friends – hope you backed a winner in the Melbourne Cup and enjoyed the magnificent roses shown at every single angle the cameras were throughout the coverage!

We are both at OAKS DAY events today – Graham at Seymour entertaining the ladies who are raising funds for LIONS CLUB and CANCER COUNCIL so his roses will be wrapped in cream/pink (no, he won’t be dressed in a skirt with a fascinator – he has no hair to keep one in place!!!).  I’m over at Yea where table decorations are wrapped in red/blue as funds raised will go to support their local AMBULANCE.

GRA’S GARBLE …

Q.  Where do tadpoles change into frogs?  A.  In the croak-room! 

Here’s a pic of the frogs which LOVE my ‘weed tea’ … I would make the tea just to enjoy seeing frogs when I open the lid to use the tea … beautiful critters which we should all encourage in our gardens …

 

Every single person I meet is saying how sensational the roses are – BEST YEAR EVER they say but you know what?  They say it every single year because roses are SIMPLY SCENTSATIONAL at this time of year and we should all take time out, quiet, slowly, revel, enjoy and inhale their magnificent fragrance.

This is SCENTIMENTAL …
A magnificent shrub rose which produces masses of highly fragrant roses
on a superbly healthy rounded shrub

and HEAVEN SCENT …

Two most highly fragrant, easy-care roses which are guaranteed to delight you!

WHAT CRITTER MIGHT BE EATING YOUR ROSES? …

Here’s Sallie’s picture asking what?

Hi Sallie .. this is NOT a disease … this is SOMETHING eating the underside of the leaf … I think on one of the leaves I can see where the little caterpillar is tucked in … you go take a closer look – maybe with a torch tonight and you’ll find the little critter!  Suggest you might use ECO-OIL to hinder the breeding of whatever insect it is you have … might also be earwigs!  Beer in little shallow bowls will do the trick on them – do you get our Rose Rambler Newsletter?  Subscribe and lots of answers to queries are there or www.allaboutroses.com.au is a good source of information … cheers, Diana

After checking the roses, here’s Sallie’s response:

Thanks Diana, you are dead right!  The teensiest green caterpillars and aphids.  I missed them completely. I will start getting the newsletter. 
Kind Regards, Sallie

So glad I’m right … definitely not dead!  Aphids will never do this type of damage to leaves as they are on the flower buds … ladybirds and other insects will take care of aphids!

There have been a lot of phone calls and inquiries about what is damaging the outer petals – making them all brown, looking yukky and then the buds not opening … it’s THRIP and there is very little any of us can do to avoid their onslaught!  We suggest removing all affected buds as quickly as possible so that the rose can invest energy into new blooms for Christmas time!  Please don’t spray harsh chemicals around – it won’t help but will reduce predator insects who abound in an ecologically friendly garden.

Make your place a safe haven for all the beautiful insects/birds/frogs – as well as YOU / YOURS / OTHER HUMANS!!!

LOTS OF EVENTS …

This Saturday Graham is conducting COMPOSTING SEMINAR here at the Rose Farm and up at the Clonbinane Community Hall – it’s not too late to book for this FREE event organised in conjunction with Mitchell Shire Council – call 5787 1123 NOW!

On Sunday morning you should tune your radio to 3CR GARDEN SHOW where Graham will be on the talk-back panel – do give him a call – find 3CR at 855 on the am dial (close to 774 ABC) … the BEST GARDENING RADIO TALK-BACK!

There are the open gardens at Yea, the Victorian Rose Society Rose Show at Mount Waverley (see details in previous Rose Ramblers); all the while, I’ll be here at the Rose Farm to assist you when you drop in!

Happy rose gardening from us at CLONBINANE … Diana, Graham & Mooi 

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ROSE RAMBLER 29.10.15

ROSE RAMBLER 29.10.2015

Hello dear rose friends as we are about to board our flight back to Melbourne after a most exciting visit to Adelaide!  We were invited guests to….

The National Rose Trial Garden Annual
Awards Presentation Dinner

because Graham’s very own rose ‘GRA’S BLUE’…
was awarded a BRONZE MEDAL

and THE GOVERNOR OF GIFU’S AWARD (JAPAN)
FOR MOST FRAGRANT ROSE OF TRIAL IN 2015!

We have experienced the most amazing few days – Graham was overwhelmed and near speechless (believe me, that’s a VERY rare experience!!!).  I feel so proud that his dedication, commitment and love of roses has produced such a stunning Award Winning Beauty and he has been recognised for his passion!

To witness his delight when receiving each Award was sensational  – we stand here with Kelvin Trimper, President, World Federation of Rose Societies for Graham’s award presentation:

The bronze medal and certificate for MOST FRAGRANT ROSE IN TRIAL!

We spent hours trawling through the International Rose Trial Garden of Australia in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens and are excited to report that there are some absolutely magnificent roses being trialed there; if they perform well in the very hot Adelaide conditions, without any pampering – no chemical spray (good!!!), just regular fertilizer regime, water and mulch as you would grow them in your own garden, they will be released in the next few years and we have lots of great roses to look forward to!

We met with our growers, peers in our industry and have had a most relaxing, totally enjoyable time in Adelaide.  Our own roses will be at their absolute BEST from this weekend onwards so you MUST put a visit to SILKIES ROSE FARM, CLONBINANE on your list of ‘things to do’ …

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!

Here is a pic of GRA’S BLUE which was picked on Sunday, conditioned as per above instructions, wrapped in wet tissue and sealed in a plastic bag, placed in luggage for our Monday flight to Adelaide, put back in clean water on arrival at our motel in Adelaide, presented for display on Tuesday night for the Awards Ceremony.

GOLDEN CELEBRATION is one of the first roses flowering in our display gardens ..
aaah, what a sight and fragrance sensation …

and MAURICE UTRILLO … the most stunning and healthy,
robust striped DELBARD ROSE begged to be shared with you …

Also don’t forget to tune in to
ABC RADIO 774 at 10.30am (AEST)
this coming Sunday 1st November

Diana will be in the studio on Sunday morning doing a radio segment so don’t miss out!

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