ROSE RAMBLER 13.11.2014

And better a week late than never!  Hello dear rose friends during this most glorious of rose seasons where roses are featuring in all their beauty everywhere.  Here at Clonbinane we have still been experiencing cold nights but gorgeous sunny days which has produced the most magnificent garden and potted nursery display that we have had in some years – we were starting to think our garden was just a ‘summer garden’ which became a picture very late November-early December but this year the weather has been kind.

A violent windy storm late this afternoon reminds me to tell you that staking your standard/weeping roses is a most imperative task in the rose garden – one that screams ‘DO IT NOW’ … you might see a slipped tie or a broken stake as you’re racing into the house after work … please do stop and tie the standard/weeping roses appropriately – re-stake with steel as necessary!

Yes, you might think it’s great for the industry when a gardener has to re-invest in a new rose… I despair at the waste which could well have been avoided – it also improves the overall aesthetic of the garden when your standard roses are appropriately staked.

I really like the ‘look’ of the ‘rio-rod’ because it is almost invisible and very, very easy to use – my local hardware cut the rod into 1.8metre lengths and they were simple for me to (standing up on a wire crate) bang into the ground.

When you purchase standard roses, they usually come with a cane stake which is totally inadequate for long-term support.  The rubber tie is designed to rot after a while – please make it a high-priority task to properly stake standards!

GRA’S GARBLE …

Gotta start with a funny one:
Q.  What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple?
A.  Finding just half a worm in the apple!

This applies to harvesting organic fruit and veg from your garden and you can be assured that you won’t die from eating a grub in an apple or a caterpillar on the lettuce or silverbeet; earwigs which are in the broccoli will float to the top when you cook it.

So important that you get out in the garden – whether it’s harvesting veggies, mowing lawns, trimming the roses – oh, by the way, be sure that when you are trimming roses, use sharp secateurs.  Blunt secateurs ‘tear’ the stems of the rose which will almost definitely result in dead/woody ends which may take time to recover with healthy new growth.  Good sharp cuts – whether to an outward-facing bud or not will result in healthy new shoots and flowering stems – time now to trim, trim, trim and don’t be shy.

Cut 30cm lengths of spent flowers and you’ll have an amazing display of roses for Christmas.

Q.  What do you give to a sick lemon?  A. Lemon aid.

ROSE OF THE WEEK …

There are so many glorious roses but EYES FOR YOU is outstanding with the most amazing fragrance which is distinct from other rose perfumes.  The eye-catching blooms are continual and the rounded, healthy bush is ideal for pots or garden borders.