ROSE RAMBLER 14TH MAY, 2020 … Hello dear rose friends – yes, Mother’s Day was definitely very different – Gra shouted me a curry pie and double-shot latte from the local bakery for lunch! I’m sure, when it’s possible, our kids might treat me to dinner at our favourite family restaurant …
We’ve had lots of rain again; very cold, frosty nights and generally damp conditions have spelled the end of our flowering season here at Clonbinane. There is no value in spraying our organic rose management program now, as the natural method for roses to move into their winter dormancy is for the foliage to drop which in turn means the entire plant shuts down for the impending cold winter.
Yes, there will be black spot and yellow leaves whilst foliage on some roses turns all the autumnal colours as we see in deciduous trees – especially Rugosas and other old-fashioned varieties are beautiful as the plants move into dormancy – some of those varieties also produce an abundant crop of rose hips now.
In other words, it’s time to take a break in our southern rose gardens – tidy the bushes by removing spent blooms but generally, leave the roses to get on with their natural wintering and if you leave pruning until later in July or August, by then, there will be shoots developing and those shoots are a guide to show you exactly where to prune!
As usual though, there’s no rest for the wicked because here at Silkies Rose Farm, we have extended the bare-root, heel-in garden area by more than one-third on last year as there has been a significant increase in the demand for quality bare-rooted roses which will start arriving within the next two weeks.
Please, don’t get impatient and start calling or emailing us about delivery of your rose order as all orders are safely filed, ALPHABETICALLY UNDER YOUR SURNAME and you will receive Australia Post notification when roses are consigned to a manifest and delivered to our local post office in Wandong. In case you need to contact us with reference to your order, we prefer you to send an email: info@rosesalesonline.com.au – thank you for your consideration!
Q. What did the dog say to the little kid pulling its tail? A. This is the end of me!
It is important that you know this: every rose which comes into the nursery during coming months is graded, root-trimmed, labelled, soaked in seaweed solution and sorted so that the very best roses are set aside for pre-orders. During this extensive process, the roots of our roses are always covered and kept moist before they are safely tucked into a heel-in bed prior to distribution!
This year, we’re celebrating our 35th year of preparing bare-rooted roses for planting in your gardens and because we are confident of the supreme quality of our roses, we’ll continue to offer a 100% guarantee for three months if you condition your new roses using seaweed solution at least fortnightly after planting!
CLIMBING ROSES – there are lots of reasons to plant climbing roses, so, if you are prepared to BE THE BOSS and train, tie and trim these extremely versatile roses, you will be rewarded with a rose which does exactly as you wish …
- Provide a privacy screen – all climbing roses
- Prevent intruders climbing your fence – Bantry Bay or Papa Meilland
- Decorate a garage wall – Iceberg or Blue Moon have fewer thorns
- Add a pillar of colour in the garden – Iceberg or Bantry Bay
- Cover a large area quickly – Bantry Bay
Enjoy the start of this cosy, fire-burning season to keep you warm – thank you for your continued support of our business during Covid-19 and one last joke to keep you smiling:
Q. What starts with t, ends with t and has t inside it? A. A teapot of course!
Visit us at rosesalesonline.com.au
Email us: info@rosesalesonline.com.au with any comments or questions.
We hope to see you again soon … Graham, Diana, Mooi and the chooks …