ROSE RAMBLER 10.3.2016

Hello dear rose friends from a very hot, very dry Clonbinane in autumn when I was looking forward to crawling under the doona at night – not yet, obviously!  Our roses are enjoying the dry heat and flowering magnificently – amazing plants they are for sure!

I’d like to share this quote I read recently:

We are still frequently asked to supply thornless roses – not even our growers are budding the ‘smooth touch’ roses which were released many years ago – seems that a rose without (some) thorns just isn’t a great, enduring rose for planting in our gardens.  Graham trialled several thornless ‘smooth touch’ varieties and established that they were generally disappointing both in pots and in garden beds.

There are several highly recommended roses which have few or no thorns on the flowering stems which makes them an absolute pleasure to cut and put in a vase.

FIREFIGHTER
One of the most highly fragrant, abundantly free-flowering, tall and healthy bushes which produces THORNLESS long-stemmed, darkest crimson red blooms ideal for placing in vases …

THE CHILDREN’S ROSE
Perfectly formed pale pink THORNLESS-stemmed, highly fragrant blooms on a very robust, healthy bush continually throughout the season – one of our most highly recommended roses …

MONICA – THORNLESS
Long-stems of pure dark orange with yellow at the base of each petal and glossy, dark crimson new foliage on a tall, robust bush which flowers freely all season providing bunches of blooms which last for days in the vase …

The list goes on and on but I think it is imperative that whenever you are working in the garden, you must take care – quality gloves protect your hands from contact with biting insects, spiders, and thorns!   When you’re visiting Silkies Rose Farm, please take time to FIT a pair of our recommended garden gloves which afford you the ability to FEEL what you’re doing because they fit snuggly to most hands and are wash ‘n’ wear durable quality!

Gloves available in small (7), medium(8), large (9) and extra large(10)
@ $14.50 per pair

GRA’S GARBLE…

This weather isn’t funny but this joke is …

Q. What do you get if you cross a chicken with a cement mixer?  A.  A brick-layer!

Some varieties of roses are amazing performers in very hot weather – here is my absolute stand-out selection –

PLAYBOY
What a rose!  Strong healthy, glossy dark crimson foliage which turns dark green with age – there’s slight fragrance in the single-petalled gold/bright red blooms which are produced in clusters with amazing continuity – one of my favourites!

DOUBLE KNOCKOUT
A really handy performer that maintains flowering through intense heat and well into colder months.  Masses of darkest hot-pink blooms on an easy-care, very tough and disease resistant bush – amazing rose!

EDGAR DEGAS
One of the most stunning Delbard roses which performs by free-flowering on a lovely rounded shrub which has mid-green, very healthy foliage.  Most delightful for me is that the flowers are always different colours so there’s a surprise every time you look!

One more joke, but before I give you that, please, please use seaweed solution over your roses at least every couple of weeks – add foliage fertilizer like AMINOGRO once a month and you’ll have beautiful blooms right into winter – this weather is definitely no joke … Gra

Q.  What sort of nails can you find in shoes?  A. Toe nails

ART & ROSES TOUR 2016

Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th April

Get your group bookings in as soon as possible – with a $10 per person travel subsidy for groups of 12 or more, gather some friends to car-pool with or hire a mini-bus; come along and visit our region – you’ll be spoiled with Devonshire Tea and walk and talk in the gardens with Graham here at Silkies Rose Farm, entry and catalogue for the Art Show – just pay for lunch and morning or afternoon tea at the delightful Hidden Valley Country Estate – we promise you a great day out!