Hello dear rose friends … Did you have an adventurous and creative time in the rose garden this past week … sure hope so! I planted my bean seeds – just to be pedantic, I did it on the no planting days and then came along, in the same soil zone, and planting in between those seeds on the moon planting days. Yes, of course, I marked them accordingly!!!
Your feedback this past week has been amazing … thank you! Here we go with what to do according to the moon planting for this week:
Best sowing and planting days: tomorrow 11th and then best sowing/pruning days from 7.10am on 15th, all day 16th to 11.20am on 17th. No sowing on 12th!
As an extension to this, do some of your own research into when to have your hair cut – I know for 100% that there are times when, after a hair cut, my hair grows faster and there are times when it grows more slowly – I’m sure it’s relative to the same principles as when to remove weeds or prune according to the Moon phases.
I’m too busy mowing lawns and pulling weeds to do the research – maybe if you’re sitting at the computer and curious, you might do the research for all of us and I will pass the information on!
STATE ROSE & GARDEN SHOW … Yes, of course you’re all right … I got the date wrong and it is definitely SUNDAY, 1ST DECEMBER – we’ll attach the poster to remind yourself to take a day out and visit the State Rose Garden at Werribee … we’ll be there!
GRA’S RAMBLE (another new name and one day, just for the fun of it, I’ll type it exactly as it is written for me – you can try and decipher it … the funniest joke you’ll ever read!!! But meantime, I’ll correct it and make it legible for you to enjoy and take heed of … Diana)
Thinking of using manure in your compost or as a mulch for the rose garden? Horse manure is readily available in country areas and if you’re taking a drive out here, go along some of the minor roads and you will see gate signs ‘HORSE POO $2.00 A BAG’ (sounds a bit like Mary Poppins!). Q. What do you call a pony with a sore throat? A. A little horse (hoarse).
Back to the compost … add all sorts of manures – horse, cow, poultry, pigeon, etc. to a mix of lawn clippings/straw/lucerne/leaf litter and leave for 4 weeks; water every 3rd day to get the microbes and worms working!
This rapid time of Spring growth needs feed, feed, feed but in small amounts, often! Liquid fertilizing is great and you can make your own ‘green manure brew’ by placing weeds and herbs in a hessian bag and plunging in a drum of water – dunk the bag up and down every day and within 4 weeks you can water this brew at the rate of one part to ten parts water over all plants – parsley is great to add because it adds calcium which plants need! Add liquid seaweed to the mix and you’ll apply up to 70 minerals as well!
One of my favourite roses: OKLAHOMA – what a perfume, big darkest red flowers, strong bush and great in a vase … everybody loves this rose and it will be featured on our new catalogue which will be available soon … Enjoy brewing – Graham
A QUEENSLAND BEAUTY … We are so lucky here in the southern states with regular rainfall since the end of the long drought … spare a thought for our northern rose gardening buddies who grow the most glorious roses in the toughest of conditions! Laurel sent me this photo of the magnificent Maurice Utrillo
N CLOSING … Finger prune all the blind shoots caused by the cold nights and if you’re planning for a special occasion at your house in the coming months, remember to prune at least 45 days prior to the event and you will have a spectacular display of roses to show off! Enjoy this week in the rose garden …
Diana & Graham at Clonbinane