ROSE RAMBLER 24TH SEPTEMBER, 2020 – Hello Dear Rose Friends. Today we celebrate Mooi’s 7th Birthday … what a joy she has been in our lives. Her name (say: Moy) is a Dutch word which means beautiful; she lives up to that name perfectly. She certainly misses you coming to the Rose Farm. It is her job to let us know you’ve arrived and then she lines up for your cuddle. If anybody comes here these days, she turns herself inside out with excitement so she’ll be thrilled when we re-open for gate sales soon.
THE ROSES ARE POTTED AND READY TO FLOWER … Yes, incredibly busy times are behind us now as the roses are potted and bursting forth with a delightful display of all the various colours of their foliage. Some are glossy and light green, some have the stunning dark almost black red, some feature the browns and dark greens, some feature serrated edges, some have dull-matt grey/green. They are all really beautiful and fresh with the rose buds forming within this colourful display.
To ensure this bounty of foliage stays lush and healthy, if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to fertilize your rose garden.
Timely also to do the spray maintenance program by mixing the following amount of product to 10 litres of water:
- Seaweed (follow directions on pack of whichever product you use)
- ¼ cup Eco-Oil (insecticide)
- ¼ cup Eco-Fungicide
- Eco-Neem (if you have a massive outbreak of aphids or other insects!)
All of the products we use and recommend are entirely natural and organically-certified. They are designed to assist Mother Nature when weather conditions or environmental variables occur that create an outbreak of pests/disease and can be used on your vegetables and fruit trees, knowing that you can confidently harvest within hours of spraying!
NEVER SPRAY IF THE TEMPERATURE IS PREDICTED TO BE OVER 30 DEGREES! Morning application of the spray maintenance program is preferred because the stomata (pores) of the plant are open and very receptive to nutrient uptake. If time does not permit morning application, do it in the cool of evening. Just DO IT so that you can enjoy the glory of beautiful, healthy roses with an abundance of flowers.
There has been a shortage of products due to the massive increase in numbers of people working in their gardens and we no longer stock Eco-Rose as Organic Crop Protectants Pty Ltd streamline operations. We now have just one product: Eco-Fungicide.
Eco-Fungicide (formerly called Eco-rose) is highly recommended in our organic rose management spray program to reduce the possibility of fungus diseases like black-spot and powdery mildew.
Eco-Rose and Eco-Fungicide were always the same product but since we worked very closely with OCP in the creation of these organic products, the fungicide was originally named Eco-Rose. You can now find this product on our site as Eco-Fungicide. BUY NOW!
Here's a quick giggle: Q. What do you call a pig doing karate? A. A pork chop!
When customers send through pictures of roses which are struggling to establish well in their garden, it’s gravely concerning to see bare, un-mulched soil. Every garden should be mulched for the following reasons and more:
- Saving water and reducing weed infestation
- Adding nitrogen, potassium and a host of other nutrients and minerals to the soil
- Improving fruit and vegetable yields
- Strengthening flowering plants like roses
- Fantastic for no-dig gardens
- Worms love it!
Premium mulch is lucerne or pea straw … small square bales which are easy to manage, can be purchased from produce stores. Lightly mulch around your roses NOW!
FINAL DAYS TO PURCHASE BARE-ROOTED ROSES – from close of business on Monday, 28th September, all roses will be posted in their 20cm pots of quality coir-fibre potting media. Prices will then reflect postage price increases and limit of posting four potted roses in any one shipment. Experience has shown that heavy, cumbersome articles move more slowly through Australia Post and we want our beautiful roses to arrive fresh and nicely established, ready for planting straight into your garden!
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDED ROSES
Any of these gorgeous yellow roses will add stunning colour to your garden this spring and beyond – yellow roses indicate ‘friendship’ so gifting one has significant meaning.
The Poet's Wife: A beautiful yellow David Austin rose that produces masses of large cupped blooms of a lovely rich yellow, which pale as they age & are produced in small clusters. Fully double blooms contain a wonderfully rich fruity fragrance with hints of lemon.
Shop Now!
Soul Mate: Such a wonderful modern shrub rose which produces a tidy rosette of muddled warm yellow petals on a very free-flowering, healthy shrub which branches to about 1 metre. Shop Now!
The Golden Child: A magnificent Modern Shrub Rose which produces masses of bright canary yellow clusters of fragrant blooms on a beautifully healthy shrub with glossy mid-green foliage and magnificent crimson new foliage - very highly recommended rose! Shop Now!
Have a great, happy week in your lush spring garden – Graham, Diana and the birthday girl, Mooi.