Hello Dear Rose Friends,
As we start the second month of winter, lots of you are now receiving your pre-ordered bare-rooted roses … perhaps a little bit delayed this year due to incredibly wet conditions here in the south.
We’re doing our very, very best to pack beautiful roses in order to receive this kind of email when your roses land on your doorstep.
"Morning Diana, The roses just arrived, thank you. What lovely, strong and healthy plants they are too.... I even received a complimentary strong healthy earthworm in the bit of soil.
Beautiful, thanks so much. Helen the happy."
When we pack the roses, you’ll see that the roots are protected with a scoop of coir-fibre potting mix which is wet with seaweed solution and damp newspaper … yes, we make sure our beautiful roses are packed with loving care so they’ll transit well to your place and thrive happily in your garden once they’re in your loving care.
Please don’t discard the media within the damp newspaper – place it in the planting hole or pot you intend to use for planting.
Now it’s July and I’ve been out enjoying pruning the roses – despite getting dinner ready, Diana came to join me as I was pruning her roses in the ‘kitchen garden’ and we spent some time together, gloved up and pruning … precious moments!
Yes, you can get on with pruning your roses now too … there’s no rush if you’re still flowering or simply haven’t got time. It’s important that when you prune your roses, you’re well-prepared with sharp secateurs and loppers, protective gloves and a relaxed attitude about the task ahead.
More and more of our pruning here is done with a hedger since the modern shrubs are so robust and healthy, they deal with it … sometimes, for my own satisfaction of seeing things ‘right’, I go around and prune the shaggy edges left after hedge-pruning … if I didn’t do that, the roses would regrow perfectly.
If you’re running short of time or you simply want to trial mechanical pruning with a hedger or chain saw, now’s the time to give it a go!
I laughed when I read this because I’m pleased to tell you that I’ve been spared as there were moments in my life when I was in a situation similar to this …
For a giggle:
A police officer called the station on his radio – “I have an interesting case here – an old lady just shot her husband for stepping on the floor she just mopped.”
“Have you arrested the woman?” “No, not yet, the floor is still wet.”
We attended the Rutherglen & District Garden Club last Saturday for a lovely presentation and I want to remind all of you that in your local community, you’ll find a Garden Club – go on, attend their meetings (take the kids along too!) You’re sure to find a most welcoming group of gardeners who will share a wealth of knowledge and friendship, you’ll learn way more there than in google searches!
You’ll find companions in your gardening journey and when you spend three or four hours, once a month, dedicated to just you and a bunch of gardeners sharing knowledge, it has to be right! Don’t just think about it, DO IT!
On that note, we wish you happiness in your garden this week – rug up and go prune some roses. Cheers from Silkies Rose Farm, Clonbinane! Stay safe, Gra, Diana, Mooi and the chickens!