Hello dear rose friends … there were a lot of enquiries about the ‘blind shoots’ which I mentioned in last week’s Rose Rambler.  Because it was raining here, I couldn’t go and take a photo so I did a google search … fabulous photos immediately!  Do take a look because it’s another interesting learning experience for rose gardeners and the sooner you take the ‘blind shoots’ off the rose, the quicker it springs into rose bud development!

ROSE SOCIETY OF VICTORIA, INC. … have asked us to let you all know about their Show:

SPRING ROSE SHOW 2013

Mount Waverley Community Centre

Cnr Stephensons Rd & Miller Crescent, Mount Waverley

(opposite Mt Waverley Railway Station, off street parking available)

SATURDAY November 9^th – 1pm to 4:30pm

SUNDAY   November 10^th – 10am to 4pm

For all enquiries phone Beth Williams 0418 359 996 Website:  www.rosesocietyvic.org.au

Graham used to love exhibiting roses and would encourage you all to have a go at it – they have a special section for Amateur Rose Growers – good fun and seriously, even better when your rose is awarded a prize!  Have a go at it!!!

IT ONLY TAKES ONE … That’s one hot northerly wind to radically change the beautiful rose blooms into a pretty ordinary mess because those winds bring with them the ‘THRIP’ … take a close look at these pics and you’ll never, ever, call an aphid a THRIP again!

Aphids cause their own sort of havoc and they are destructive on newly forming rose buds but the THRIP do a lot of damage too and there’s very little we rose enthusiasts can do but remove the spent/damaged blooms and wait for the next roses.

HERE’S “GRA’S RAMBLE” … (same name as last week I think …?  Starts with the joke!).

Q.  What do you call a horse that lives next door?  A. A neigh….bour!

Eco-Oil (what a great Aussie invention) made from the Melaleuca, Eucalyptus and Canola Oils right here in Australia and now they’ve added HIPPO’s that attract good insects!  CLEVER!  This product will control scale, 2 potted mite (look real close in hot weather), aphids, white-fly and citrus leaf miner and spreads liquid seaweed beautifully over the plant leaf and stems.  There is NO spray resistance,  NOOOOO withholding period and it’s safe for EVERY plant!  It is registered ORGANIC (Cert No. A1222).

WARNING:  DO NOT USE IF TEMPERATURE IS GOING TO BE OVER 28 DEGREES!

Remember to mulch (lucerne is the best!) because:

• It feeds plants and worms
• Saves water
• Feeds soil microbes/mycorrhiza/rhizomes
• Reduces weeding
• Saves digging which saves your back!

Q.  What’s a horses favourite sport?  A. sTABLE TENNIS !!!!

Did you know that research has shown that gardening for 30 to 45 minutes per day is the equivalent exercise to walking 3kms for 40 minutes or cycling 8kms in 30 minutes ..?  That’s not just out walking smelling the roses ….!!!  However, just out walking and smelling the roses will add years and years of goodness to your life and change your day .. every day!

MOON PLANTING GUIDE FOR THIS WEEK … Don’t plant anything on the 19^th October.  The best sowing and pruning days are all day 20^th and 21^st;  from 1.40pm on the 24^th and all day on the 25^th and 26^th.  Best harvest days to 5.30pm on 19^th;  all day on 22^nd and 23^rd to 1.35pm on the 24^th … NO SOWING between 27^th October and 2^nd November and the very best weeding days this month are all day on 27^th, 28^th, 29^th, 30^th and 31^st !

There will be no excuse for weeds in your garden during Cup Day Holiday in early November and I promise you, they will stay away for longer if you eradicate them on the nominated days!  Do it and hold this calendar through to the end of this month – no guide next week!

IN CLOSING … Have lots of happy moments in your rose garden this week … remember to be quick to forgive and love unconditionally … just like dogs do!

Diana & Graham Sargeant at Clonbinane

Hello dear rose friends … well, the race is on – which roses are going to be the first to flower in your garden?  Here at cold Clonbinane where we have had two frosts this past week, the old-fashioned roses are winning … Rugosa Scabrosa, Stanwell Perpetual, Mrs. Fred Danks and Nancy Hayward with the modern rose winner, Gold Bunny doing as expected … the first to flower in most years!

How exciting and how beautiful and how very lucky we are that we all love roses – I think we’re in for a stunning flowering season, the rose buds are so pumped full of deep soaking rain … sorry to our far north friends who are experiencing drought!!!

Because of all the humidity, it is imperative that you continue the rose spray-maintenance program – people who are continuing with this program on a fortnightly basis are enjoying their roses … no black-spot, no aphids!

Please don’t wait until problems occur – to 10 litres of water add:

¼ cup Eco-Rose/Fungicide (powder should be dissolved in water first)

¼ cup liquid seaweed

¼ cup Eco-oil

If the aphids have beat you to the punch and your roses are covered in them, you need to add 20ml of Eco-Neem to the above recipe for quicker, effective control.

GRAHAM’S INPUT …  What about Spring?  It is a time for massive growth on all plants .. I MEAN MASSIVE!  Go for a drive and see the GREEN – it is the most relaxing colour of all of Mother Nature’s colours.

Did you know that going for a drive in your car is the most popular of all recreational activities that Australians do?  Not the footy or sports viewing on TV or going to the theatre …

FEED THE SOIL … especially at this time because of the massive growth surge – we use and recommend Complete Organic Fertilizer – clean to distribute, no smell and loaded with a balance of nutrients suitable for all plants except Natives!  Liquid seaweed is a tonic which contains over 70 minerals …

• Great for seedlings and newly planted roses
• Used fortnightly on your roses there will be 30% more flowers than normal!
• Nourishes the worms and soil microbes

Just mix ¼ cup liquid seaweed to a watering can and pour over all the plants … as Diana says:  JUST DO IT!

Lastly, question:  What do you call a fairy that hasn’t taken a bath?  Answer:  Stinker Bell

Love your garden … Gra

MOON PLANTING AND BEST GARDENING DAYS … If you’ve spent the last couple of days weeding, you’re totally in sync with the moon and the weeds will have pulled up very easily.  Continue weeding and get your hair cut until 1.00pm on the 4^th October.

Don’t bother sowing anything on 5^th October.

Best sowing/planting days:  all day on 6^th, 7^th and 8^th;  all day on 11^th.

No sowing on 12^th October

For the sceptics, plant some seeds on 5^th and 12^th October but please, also plant some seeds on the recommended days and you be the judge of which plants perform and produce the best and which plants require less management for pests and disease.  Please have a go at this and if there is enough interest in this gardening method, I will guide you through October in next week’s issue of the Rose Rambler.

Keep us posted through www.allaboutroses.com.au or simply email your thoughts to info@rosesalesonline.com.au – we enjoy your feedback.

IN CLOSING …  “Until you try, you don’t know what you can’t do.”   Have a go at something new and adventurous in your garden this week – I bought some packs of flower seeds the other day and randomly threw them in around the rocks near the back door … the excitement and anticipation is a wonderful experience – must go now and put the snail bait out too!  Have a really lovely week …

Diana & Graham Sargeant at Clonbinane

Hello dear rose friends  …   Oh, what an interesting week … the panic of acquiring the last bare-rooted roses of this season with roses being posted all about the place.  Naturally, they’re all leafed up and some even have buds on – just remember to keep the liquid seaweed up to your roses – weekly for the next couple of weeks and then routine monthly maintenance thereafter!

Also, there have been panic calls about aphids!  Apparently the populations in some gardens are quite extensive.  Usually, the aphids are congregating and breeding rapidly in the less windy part of the garden … under the eaves, in the corner, around other large shrubs, etc.

The ladybirds will catch up although I haven’t seen any here yet …?  All the little birds will be having a feast and they need the aphids as a food source while they are nurturing their young.  That doesn’t resolve your problem … they’re destroying your roses!  So apart from using the Eco-oil insecticide, you might add some Eco-Neem!

The insect eats the Eco-Neem sprayed plant material;  the insect then fails to moult (shed their skin) which severely disrupts growth, development and reproduction.  The insect also loses the desire to feed, resulting in starvation.  Yes, it works but it may take up to 10 days before you see a significant reduction in the population of aphids which now, because they are weak, become prey for other insects, birds and reptiles in the garden!

Meantime, removing heavily affected foliage by finger-pruning is very effective in reducing numbers of aphids thus interrupting their breeding cycle.

We urge you not to resort to systemic chemical use!!!  Also, don’t use pyrethrum sprays as they will also kill all the other beneficial insects in the garden and so a very vicious cycle of chemical sprays will be required throughout the season.

Nature is a bit out of whack right now … please nurture the biodiversity in your space by letting things take their course and so what, if you don’t get the most abundant show of roses in the coming weeks, the next round will be glorious!

If Nature ever needed you to be kind and patient, now is the moment!!!

SOMETHING WORTH SHARING …  This beautiful quote came to me from a friend and I would like to pass it on …

“Today may there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.   May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.   May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you.  May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”

GRAHAM’S TIPS …  If you’re at all concerned about the fact that your pets might eat the fertilizer you apply to the plants, how about tossing the fertilizer into a 44 gallon drum (or other suitable container) filling it with water and then after about 10 days, using the now dissolved fertilizer as a ‘tea’ … water a well diluted solution over the plants – say 1:10 (one part solution to 10 litres water) and you can add liquid seaweed plus the Eco-products all at the same time!

We waste all our urine by flushing it in the toilet… pee into the above solution – girls, get creative but don’t ask me to help you here –  If any of you Rose Rambler readers notice how your pets react to this application of liquid fertiliser rather than pellets, can you please let us know your findings … thanks – have a great week!

Joke of the week … Q. What do you do if a truck runs over your toe?  A. Call a toe truck ..!

Graham’s joke leads me to tell this story … grandson Cooper was here and I helped him climb the large oak tree in the front garden – up and down, bouncing, swinging off like a monkey – all great fun until at the last minute, he fell and hurt his back and backside!  Walking to the house he asked me:  “Oma do you have bum cream?”  … yes, of course Oma has bum cream!  He laid on the floor while I applied the “that’s cool Oma” bum cream … little one’s have a way of melting you!

FINGER PRUNING …   So that all the flowers don’t emerge at the same time and also to strengthen the branches for beautiful, sturdy bushes throughout this flowering season, go around the rose bushes now and pinch out the top leaflets of half of all the new growths.  You could use secateurs but because the growth is very lush, it breaks off easily.

If you do this ‘finger pruning’ now, you are guaranteed to have a very consistent production of flowers throughout the season – the bush will branch out very well and the flowering stems will be strong and robust.

You will also be reducing aphid activity on some of this lush young growth – they’ll move into your neighbour’s garden because you’ve taken the ‘easy bits’ away!  It works, believe me!!!  If you’re at the Rose Farm in the next few weeks, ask me how to finger prune – always happy to show you this skill because it definitely lengthens the flowering season!

Alan in central coast N.S.W. is way beyond ‘finger pruning’ … he’s been sending me beautiful photos of his rose blooms and here’s ‘SUMMER OF LOVE’ … a glorious replacement for the old rose ‘JOYFULLNESS’ which has lost it’s vigour and is no longer worth having in the nursery … take a look at this beauty and if you, like us, don’t have rose blooms yet, here’s what we have to look forward to …

Have a wonderful week in the Spring garden … cheers from Clonbinane … Diana & Graham

Hello dear rose friends … “I love Spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would greet it in a garden” … and there is no other place but the garden, where this glorious season delights all the senses quite so magically!  Have you heard a thrush call in the evening or maybe a wattle-bird in the morning – the kookaburras, the magpies and the tweet of the pardalotes and the wrens – all busy harvesting nesting material … what a business!

THE ROSES ARE POTTED AND READY TO FLOWER …  Yes, busy times behind us now as all the roses are potted and bursting forth with a delightful display of all the various colours of their foliage – some glossy and light green, the stunning dark almost black red, the browns and dark greens;  some serrated edged, some dull-matt grey/green … all really beautiful and fresh with the rose buds forming within this colourful display.

To ensure this bounty of foliage stays lush and healthy, if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to fertilize the rose bushes!  Timely also to start the spray maintenance program by mixing the following amount of product to 10 litres of water:

¼ cup liquid seaweed

¼ cup Eco – oil (insecticide)

¼ cup Eco – Rose (fungicide)

Eco – Neem (if you have a massive outbreak of aphids or other insects!)

All the products we use and recommend are entirely natural and organically-certified.  They are designed to assist Mother Nature when weather conditions or environmental variables occur that create an outbreak of pests/disease and can be used on your vegetables and fruit trees knowing that you can confidently harvest within hours of spraying!

NEVER SPRAY IF THE TEMPERATURE IS PREDICTED TO BE OVER 30 DEGREES!  Morning application of the spray maintenance program is preferred because the stomata (pores) of the plant are open and very receptive to nutrient uptake … if time does not permit morning application, do it after dinner … just DO IT so that you can enjoy the glory of beautiful, healthy roses with an abundance of flowers.

CLEMATIS … Such a magnificent sight … a rose flowering in all it’s beauty with a Clematis twining it’s way through the rose blooms.  Hybrid Clematis are one of the strongest and most beautiful compliment/companion plants of climbing roses and I urge you to dig a ‘double hole’ when you’re next planting a climbing rose … pop a Hybrid Clematis alongside the rose ensuring the Clematis is planted on the shaded side of the rose.

So many gardeners say they have lost their Clematis … you MUST plant the Clematis very deep in the soil because it requires a cool root-run – put a large rock at it’s base to keep the roots cool but definitely plant it in the sun!

Clematis tolerate frost far more readily than the roses …!!!!  The Clematis in the gardens here are about to flower – roses won’t be flowering until late October.  Truly, they are one of the toughest, hardiest and most spectacular plants!  Buy one this Spring!!!

TOUCHING TESTIMONIAL …  The Winter roses were late, couriers were unreliable and I was missing spending quality time with my gorgeous 80 year-old Mum!  We had a beaut day out!

Hi Diana,

To all  readers of the Rose Rambler I would like to comment on the FANTASTIC personal service with my roses delivery.

As we know due to seasonal conditions deliveries were delayed, mine more so by my absence to “sunnier climes” (DARWIN)! On my return my roses were personally delivered by none other than Diana who took the opportunity to take her Mum for a drive to Bendigo, deliver my roses and have lunch!!

I hope the lunch was nice! My roses have struck beautifully!!

Many Thanks,

Paul Penno Eaglehawk!

So nice when it all works out and there’s a happy customer.  For those who didn’t enjoy such personal service, I do hope our roses are now thriving in your garden!!!

GRA’S BITS …  I will start with a laugh – did you know that humour helps us learn …?

Q.  What do you call a pig doing karate?  A.  A pork chop!

Lucerne mulch actually feeds the plants as well as …

• Saving water
• Adding nitrogen, potassium and a host of other nutrients and minerals to the soil
• Improving fruit and vegetable yields
• Strengthening flowering plants like roses
• Fantastic for no-dig gardens
• Worms love it!

Small square bales can be purchased from produce stores;  we sell it here at the Rose Farm in bags – it’s been milled for easy application – light mulch around the roses NOW!

IN CLOSING …  Have a great, happy week – Diana & Graham Sargeant

P.S.  Write this date in your calendar:  SUNDAY, 1^ST DECEMBER, 2013 – SPECTACULAR ROSE EVENT AT THE STATE ROSE GARDEN, WERRIBEE – FREE DAY OUT WITH ROSES, ROSES AND MORE ROSES!  BE THERE!