Hello dear rose friends … today it’s my immediately younger sister’s birthday – we’ve always enjoyed joshing with people about her being older than me … as sisters do! My sister Veronica has an interesting birthday because when we were kids, we celebrated her special day on the 7th of June. When she went to get a passport, her birth certificate stated 6th June as her birth date – relatives in Holland have shown me telegrams dated 1st June?
She’s lucky really because I applied for a passport when I was nearly 18 and wanted to travel overseas … I didn’t even exist! Many statutory declarations later, together with a letter from the Hospital where I’ve been told I was born in Leeton, NSW stating that my mother had “a living female child on …” were evidence enough to get my passport.
In this glorious Winter, I’m happy to be alive and so thankful that I live in this wonderful country where we grow the finest wool … there is nothing quite like being out in the rose garden rugged up in Australian woollen clothing … highly recommend that you treat yourself to at least one Australian woollen garment to keep you snug and warm in the Winter rose garden!
YES, IT’S OK TO START PRUNING YOUR ROSES … IT’S JUNE! … I know you’ve been waiting for me to give the ‘go ahead’ for you to get stuck into the rose pruning. Remember, however, what I mentioned last week … treat yourself to the opportunity of becoming skilled at pruning and come along to one of the PRUNING DEMONSTRATIONS – still vacancies in the following AND A QUICK PHONE CALL TO : 5787 1123 OR 0418 33 77 65 WILL RESERVE YOUR PLACE:
TOMORROW … FRIDAY, 7th – 1.00pm
MONDAY 10th (PUBLIC HOLIDAY) – 1.00pm
SUNDAY, 16th JUNE – 11.00 am
SATURDAY, 22nd JUNE – 1.00pm
Please bring your pruning equipment with you so that we can go through the sharpening and maintenance of your gear to make the pruning experience so much more ergonomic and safe for you and your plants! Please also bring your children along so that they can be pruning our roses while we’re teaching you how to prune yours!
‘GREEN CLEANING’ WITH TRI-NATURE … It is important to let you all know that we are still distributors of the fabulous Tri-Nature range of cleaning and skin-care products! Just the other day, I was cleaning the glass on our fire-place and I had the most amazing experience … the laundry is closer than the kitchen and rather than traipse up to the kitchen I grabbed the ENHANCE PRE-WASH SPRAY – as the name suggests, usually used on dirty clothes prior to washing them. I couldn’t believe how well the cooled glass was sparkling clean so easily! For the glass on the fire-place and the stove, I usually use BLITZ OVEN CLEANER. Another one of the wonderful Tri-Nature products which is ‘multi-use’ and so economical too!!! It has taken me 8 years to use 1 litre of SPHAGNUM MOSS DISINFECTANT … diluted to hospital-grade at 5ml : 500ml water!
If you have a septic system or sewerage treatment unit at your place, can I recommend that you swap over to using these great AUSTRALIAN products – treat yourself, your family and our environment – the products may seem expensive when you first purchase them but over the long-term you will see they are extremely economical and they, above all, make cleaning easy and very pleasant with natural, lasting odours. You’ll also enjoy skipping the dreadful smell of the ‘cleaning products’ aisle at your supermarket … a treat in itself!! I would be happy to send a catalogue and price list – if you are interested please phone 03 5787 1123.
THE ROSES ARE DUG … Yeah! The report from Brian, our rose grower is that the two-year old roses are magnificent plants and are now ready for grading, sorting and despatch. We will have roses here at the Silkies Rose Farm within the next week and then we have to sort, label, heel-in and contact you all once your order is ready for collection/despatch!
Because the standard roses are still flowering, digging them will be a bit longer yet. If your order contains standard roses, those orders will be processed late June/early July … the Winter rose season is exciting and well under way!
PROPOSITION LIKE NO OTHER … The new Langshan chooks are different to what we’re used to … they fly around the pen, sit up on high perches and poop everywhere! The Silkie fowls always nest in a huddle on the ground and they don’t fly wildly around the pen. In an effort to ‘train’ these new chooks, Graham found an old fishing net so he got busy stitching one of his old singlets around the edge of it, knotted the shoulder straps and so had invented a way of being able to gently catch the Langshan’s … anyway, he got the thing together, was trying it out on a pair of boots on the lounge-room floor and then nicely asked me to “get down on the floor, make like a chook and I’ll see if I can catch you” – we laughed till we cried!
The following morning I asked him how his ‘chook catcher’ worked; he smugly told me “the three roosters are up in the training cages” … jeez, I’m really pleased I didn’t get down on the floor and make like a chook … ! Here’s Graham stitching …
Have a happy long weekend – hope the weather is fine enough for a spell in the rose garden … enjoy the moments!
Diana, Graham and dingo, Bonnie
SILKIES ROSE FARM, CLONBINANE
OPEN FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY
9.00 am – 4.30 pm
silkiegardens@bigpond.com or info@rosesalesonline.com.au
www.rosesalesonline.com.au AND www.allaboutroses.com.au JUNE, 2013