TRAVELLING INDEPENDENTLY IN CARS … means you can incorporate this delightful tour …

Another Reason to visit Kilmore!
Kilmore Historical Society are conducting a
Historical Houses Tour
Saturday 8 April, 2017 – 10am – 4pm
Tickets: $15 person / $25 couple / family
4 Powlett Street, Kilmore –  from 9.45am – 3pm 

The Old Courthouse is 500 metres from the Art Expo venue
Ranging from humble, beautifully restored cottages to substantial large homes,
five owners of historic houses in Kilmore have very generously
opened their homes to the public. 

Please, if I can assist you with arrangements for your visit to Kilmore, the Art Show, and our gardens along with a visit to Kevin & Rhonda Butler at the BLAZEAID SHEARING SHED, contact me as soon as possible and I will do my absolute best to make your visit here a memorable occasion!

With a good drop of rain, our gardens will now flourish well this autumn – I can hear the roses breathing a sigh of relief!

It’s amazing really, roses LOVE deep soaking water during their flowering season but gosh, overdose them with water and they will turn up their toes VERY quickly!  Unfortunately for us Rosarians, the visible symptoms of UNDERWATERING are exactly the same as OVERWATERING …

Yellow leaves in the understorey of the plant, wilting foliage and buds; generally poor plant performance!  So what is the issue when your roses aren’t flourishing?That we have to leave to YOU – gently fork into the soil around the rose and you’ll soon know how wet or dry it is.  When conditions prevail that you are irrigating the garden, be diligent and follow these simple rules for watering in a rose garden:

When you’re planting roses this autumn, soak them to a slurry when you plant them and then turn your back on them while they get on with getting settled and establishing their roots into the new soil – once a week you can spoil them with a light watering of seaweed solution and as long as they’re well mulched, the roses won’t need deep watering again for a couple of weeks.

Stay diligent and if weather conditions prevail where your gut tells you that the roses need another deep soak, give it to them!  DEFINITELY NOT EVERY DAY!

Q. What would happen if pigs could fly?   A. The price of bacon would go up!

I’m looking forward to this rose which is a new release for 2017 – I love the name EARTH ANGEL and I hope it’s a ripper for all of us.

We are always happy to assist if you have an issue about where to plant roses and Diana offers a free service on rose garden design.This is the type of issue which you might confront … Where would plant roses in this situation?  Inside the front boundary where there is limited sun and obviously, a bit of root competition from existing plants …

Or outside the boundary and cover the wall completely?

I suggested to Ash in North Queensland that she might look at planting on the street side by creating three garden beds 1 x 1 metre or a complete bed along that front wall for ease of management with mowing and mulching … can you imagine driving into your home being greeted by not only the mass flowering beauty of RENAE but the fragrance … yes, it would be awesome!

One of the most spectacular THORNLESS climbing roses with perfect small rosebuds in massive clusters continually throughout the flowering season … a very lush, healthy-foliaged plant with glorious fruity fragrance … I hope Ash sends us photos of this when established in a couple of years …Q. What did the computer do at lunch time?   A. It had a byte!

Have a beaut week in your garden.  We suggest you have your wish list of roses available for ordering at www.rosesalesonline.com.au … there will be a few surprises for you as the online store opens for bare-rooted rose orders – we’re excited and hope you will be too … talk to you next week – Diana & Graham