ROSE RAMBLER … 4.2.2016
Hello dear rose friends as time speeds up again with only 10 days to VALENTINE’S DAY … when I send a gift rose to your loved one this year, it will have love-heart chocolates in the box to make your gift even more special! Please get your orders to us AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and definitely by next Monday, 8th February!
Here are a few roses varieties which I highly recommend …
SOUL MATE
Masses of bright golden blooms continually throughout the season with ruffled petals and stunning glossy foliage – yellow symbolises FRIENDSHIP in roses – this glorious rose is an easy-care, nicely rounded shrub which would also be suitable to grow in a large tub …
LINKED HEARTS
Perfectly formed pale-pink buds open to exude a most delightfully sweet fragrance. Dark healthy foliage compliments the continually free-flowering attribute of this highly recommended rose …
MR. LINCOLN
If Valentine’s Day means long-stemmed, darkest red, most highly fragrant roses, this, our Best Selling Rose again this year, is the one you should gift …
GRA’S GARBLE …
To test for fragrance in a rose, pick a semi-open bloom and keep it in your pocket or under your cap for half an hour – you will soon know whether or not it’s a fragrant variety! (Yes, Gra does just this – I get rose petals through the washing if I forget to check his pockets and yes, he wears a cap ALWAYS but I thought it was to keep his bald head warm … there’s always something funny going on here! Diana)
Blooms picked when the outer petals have fully reflected will exude perfume for days in a vase at evenly warm room temperatures!
Q. How do you start a flea race? A. One, two, flea, GO!
ROSE MANAGEMENT FOR THE LAST MONTH OF SUMMER …
Last week I fertilized the whole garden and incorporated rock-dust in the blend – we had good rain within hours! This will guarantee healthy foliage and masses of blooms throughout autumn when I will do another application of Complete Organic Fertilizer to ensure flowers right into winter.
In between this fertilizing, I highly recommend regular applications (fortnightly is great!) of seaweed solution with some Eco-aminogro or other liquid fertilizer added.
When watering, ensure deep, deep soaking – I cannot stress this enough as most customers who have issues with their roses under-performing, the cause is generally lack of adequate water! Yes, roses are very ‘water-wise’ but they are such prolific blooming plants when they have good, healthy foliage cover and to maintain this, they MUST HAVE water deep into the root-zone of the plant! You’ll see the rewards … Gra
Q. Why are mosquitoes religious? A. Because they sing over you before they prey on you!
ART & ROSES – 9TH & 10TH APRIL
It’s that time of year again when we start to round up bus groups for the Art & Roses Tours … please insert flyer here … I couldn’t do it!!
Due to overwhelming interest in this day tour of our beautiful region we needed to find another suitable destination for our visitors to have lunch as our Expo Café has limited space.
We are very excited to announce that the FIRST FOUR BUS GROUPS who book will enjoy a gourmet barbeque luncheon with Kevin and Rhonda Butler in their shearing shed where BLAZE-AID was conceived. Volunteers from around Australia came to assist in recovery after the 2009 Black Saturday fires and the shearing shed became their ‘meet and eat’ destination.
Come and listen to Kevin and Rhonda share their story of BLAZE-AID; how it started, how it works and how it continues to assist Australians wherever disaster strikes! Members of the Rotary Club of Southern Mitchell will host the lunch (cost $12.00).
Have a beaut week in your garden
– don’t forget to organise your VALENTINE’S DAY ROSE BUSHES … DO IT NOW!Cheers from Diana, Graham and Mooi at Clonbinane
