ROSE RAMBLER 02.03.2017 …

Hello dear rose friends on this very special day … the second day of AUTUMN and the season to enjoy true splendour in a rose garden – we all know how tough roses are, how they endure extreme weather conditions and produce flowers throughout those harsh times …

Then, as sure as the sun sets every day, autumn arrives and they say “… aaaah, time to show our true magnificence and really, truly, put on a grand show of colour.”

Although we’ve been planting throughout summer in various parts of the garden, we’ll be planting a lot throughout this autumn – there’s a bed I’ve been preparing for some time now and since there are quite a few potted varieties which I’ve had my eye on to plant in this new bed, now is my perfect opportunity to proceed with mass planting!

RETRACTION FROM LAST WEEK’S ROSE RAMBLER … sometimes I get too enthusiastic in my ramblings and I thank my beautiful friend Shelley for calling me about last week’s newsletter referring to ART & ROSES …

This statement needs clarification:  “All visitors on this weekend will be welcomed here at Silkies Rose Farm, Clonbinane too … importantly, once you arrive here, EVERYTHING except lunch is FREE”

Please understand what I mean by this:   As long as you are part of a booked group during Art & Roses weekend, once you have paid for your travel and around $12.00 for a magnificent lunch at the Art Expo Café, ADMISSION to every aspect of your visit will be FREE.

You will partake in FREE ENTRY along with a guided tour of the Kilmore Art Expo hosted by a member of the Kilmore Art Society – this includes a FREE CATALOGUE.

At 10 Curry Road, Kilmore, you will enjoy a tour hosted by both the previous and current owners of this awesome, most plant-diverse garden– this is A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY and is TOTALLY FREE for all BOOKED TRAVELLERS!  

ALL OTHER VISITORS WILL PAY $10.00 ADMISSION for this very special garden tour!

No, of course the roses you might purchase here at SILKIES ROSE FARM are NOT FREE … however, you will once again enjoy a cuppa and “Walk and Talk in the Rose Garden with Graham” absolutely FREE OF CHARGE!

GRA’S GARBLE …

… This is my kind of weather when I can get out in the garden and trim everything because it’s autumn … just love this time of year!

Q. What robs you while you’re in the bathtub?   A. A ROBBER DUCKY!

It’s time to fertilize the rose garden – a good handful per bush of COMPLETE ORGANIC FERTILIZER (COF) or top quality (preferably organic) fertilizer from your local supplier will guarantee another constant supply of beautiful flowers through autumn and into winter.

If the mulch is light-on, get a good thick layer on NOW so that when the soil starts to cool down, the mulch acts as a blanket and keeps the soil warmer for longer; this can extend the flowering season.

There’s no doubt that whatever goodness you offer your garden, you will be rewarded over and over with the joy of coming home to a lovely space with flowers and perhaps your own fresh veggies; a nice green lawn … aah, the joy of entering your driveway after a busy day!

Treat your garden during autumn to all the luxury you can afford and you’ll enjoy the rewards throughout all of this year!

perfect timing because I will now have lots of compost available when Diana is planting her new rose garden in coming weeks.  Notice how much material I have collected ready to re-use the straw bales for another compost heap …

I hope to be able to repeat this process at least once more since the straw bales cost $11 each and there are 22 used in construction of the heap.  When the bales no longer hold up to create a wall, they’ll be composted along with other material to ensure any weed seeds are well decomposed!

I think I’m very clever – although it was originally Diana’s ‘straw house’ constructed to compost all the weeds (and me) which flourished after I had spread oat straw as mulch!

Moving on … just one more instruction for NOW!  Use ECO-SEAWEED POWDER which contains a range of naturally occurring plant hormones, antioxidants and nutrients which stimulate beneficial responses within plants.  Research has shown that where eco-seaweed is used regularly, say, twice a month, it will

• enhance flowering
• improve root shoot and leaf growth
• reduce transplant shock
• increase ability to cope with drought/frost to 3-5 degrees tolerance
• boost resistance to disease and insect attack
• strengthen cell wall of foliage
• extend vase-life of flowers
• extend shelf-life of fruits and vegetables

WE GUARANTEE OUR PLANTS WHEN CUSTOMERS USE SEAWEED SOLUTION AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH ALL YEAR!

Add a 600g pack of ECO SEAWEED POWDER to you next online order – use your own water to make 600 x 9 litre watering cans of seaweed solution to protect and enhance performance of all plants in your ENTIRE garden … $32.50 per 600g