ROSE RAMBLER 8.8.2013
Hello dear rose friends … happened to see a young guy mowing his lawn this afternoon … there were a few things I noticed ..
- He was wearing a tee-shirt and it was seriously cold;
- There was 15mm of rain the evening before and the grass must have been wet;
- He put the grass clippings from the catcher into a garbage bag!
The last point brings me to giving some recommendations regarding the disposal of your lawn clippings – we’ll all be mowing lawns during the coming weeks and there are some serious considerations of how you deal with the refuse of your lawn mowing.
Several years ago, a long-time customer of the Rose Nursery in Kilmore became seriously ill as a result of putting her lawn clippings into green garbage bags, allowing them to rot down after placing them in a sunny location and then distributing them over her garden as mulch!
Lyn has never recovered from the debilitating lung condition she acquired as a result of inhaling the ‘mould’ from what she distributed about the garden from those garbage bags!
When you mow your lawns in the future, consider the following:
- Mow without the catcher on so that the clippings ‘self-mulch’ your lawn;
- Find a corner of your yard where you can compost the clippings in thin layers, adding other garden and kitchen refuse to create humus to redistribute on the garden;
- No room at your place? Find a neighbour or other place where you might be able to place your clippings for use as compost – neighbourhood community garden maybe?
- Place the lawn clippings in bags and bring them a.s.a.p. to Silkies Rose Farm, Clonbinane; we will add them to compost areas here.
Provided you only use very light layers, the lawn clippings can be distributed over existing garden beds. If you have ‘feral’ weeds in the lawn, those weeds will have the opportunity of spreading throughout the garden! If you’re not sure, don’t put the catcher on the mower, mow more frequently and let the clippings mulch the lawn!
Please take serious heed of this warning when mowing your lawn in the coming months!!!
WINTER ROSE SEASON WIND-UP … The roses for this season are now potted into high-quality potting medium … they’ve been cut back to within inches of their lives and by doing this severe prune, we know that they will produce the most astounding potted specimen roses which will be flowering in November!
www.rosesalesonline.com.au offers you the opportunity to order roses at any time of the year – these beautifully potted roses will be packaged and posted direct to your door for any occasion! On a whim, if you want to treat yourself to a new rose for a special location in your garden, just log-in or call me at the Rose Farm and I will happily pack a rose for you or somebody you love that needs a rose to cheer them up!
For that really special occasion, ask me for a gift-wrap …. the rose looks so special in the beautifully coloured wrap – even though there might not be any flowers
I usually select a paper and ribbon colour which matches the rose of your choice and this service costs only $4.50 – it’s a very thoughtful and precious, living gift!
GRAHAM’S GARDENING TIPS….
- If you haven’t pruned your roses yet, DO IT NOW! All old foliage should be stripped because it is still photosynthesising and making sugar and carbohydrates which results in a concentration of these nice food sources which can attract aphids and spider mites. The insects go into multiplication mode and it won’t take them long to invade!
- Once pruned, wash-down or spray to run-off with the rose management program as follows: To 10 litres of water add: ¼ cup Eco-rose, ¼ cup Eco-oil and add liquid seaweed to the mix to increase strength in the cell walls of the foliage.
A recent ‘green space’ report has shown that 91% of people believe that parks and gardens have a positive effect on our quality of life, contributing more to our wellbeing than our jobs, our sex-life, money or religion! Is it natural to want to be with Mother Nature? The plants and flowers, of course, are essential to meet the needs of all our senses and roses are great because they flower for up to eight months of the year!!!
Did you hear about the race between the lettuce and the tomato? The lettuce was a ‘head’ and the tomato was trying to ketchup …. Enjoy the rain on your garden … Graham
IN CLOSING … Every time I try to follow Gra’s tip to go and prune the roses NOW, I kit up, get a few bushes done and it starts to rain … or the phone rings and I have to go and pack up another lot of roses for the post. The ground is all ‘mooshy’ so I try and lay pads of mulch rather than compact the soil around the roses … buds are bursting and Spring is in the air …
Cheers from Diana & Graham Sargeant