Hello Dear Rose Friends,
We say goodbye to a most wonderfully spectacular autumn. The fire is lit, the doona on the bed and we’re wearing warm winter woollies to ensure working this winter is a pleasure and we stay fit and well. Very important since we know that once more roses are dug, we’ll be flat out posting roses to you all!
Meantime, let me apologise profusely for technical issues which prevailed just as this Rose Rambler landed in your inbox last week. The hard-drive on my computer died which meant no emails from info@rosesalesonline.com.au
We are now restored and will claw our way back through emails which you may have sent this past week, a stress we don’t need at this time of year but aaah, it’s done now and won’t happen for a few more years I guess …?
We are happy to share more great exchanges with fellow rose gardeners …
"Hi and thank you for yet another great rose rambler email … Could you ever so kindly please help me? I would like a calendar-style list highlighting what roses need on month-to-month basis... E.g.
- Jan- light prune
- Feb- fertilise
- March....
- April..... May
- June... prune?
- July- lime sulphur spray (start of Organic Rose Management Program highly recommended! Gra)
- August- sea mungus
- Sept- watch for black spot/rust... aphids etc???
- Oct... mulchNov... Dec....etc
I've just made all this up but something accurate would be great!!! Thanks so much in advance. Rachael (From Adelaide)"
My reply:
"Hi Rachael … What a really great thought to do this, however, we all live in climatically different States in this great country which means that there are lots of variables in what works for a rose grower in QLD to one who lives in southern VIC or where you are in SA and of course, everywhere in between!
I wouldn’t entertain putting such a document together since this Rose Rambler acts as a weekly reminder of what might be appropriate to do seasonally. Last week I mentioned that we had commenced winter pruning. I received pictures of magnificent rose blooms picked from gardens in other States this past week.
We always recommend that our customers use the information we offer and then adapt it according to their climatic conditions and apply ‘head/heart’ to be sure their rose management is successful. It most definitely works!
I would encourage you to create your own diary of rose management. You’ll very soon see that every season, every year, is different but you’ll have a guide to what works in your garden, in your climate.
Please contact us if you’re ever in doubt or need a hand with your rose management program and thanks for this really great idea - Gra"
For a giggle:
Diner: “Waiter, waiter … this coffee tastes like mud!”
Waiter: “Well sir, it was ground this morning!”
DAVID AUSTIN ROSES
I have a particular ‘soft-spot’ for these three varieties. They have stood the test of time and are spectacular in our gardens here at Clonbinane just as they were in the gardens at Silkie Gardens Rose Nursery, Kilmore, almost 10 years ago.
Princess Alexandra of Kent One of my most favourite David Austin Modern Shrub Roses of immensely beautiful proportions which I have planted just below my front verandah on the south side of our cottage where it is a sight to behold when I wake in the flowering season! BUY NOW!
Sharifa Asma David Austin produced a beauty when he bred this one! SHARIFA ASMA is a lovely branching shrub that flowers freely with the most highly fragrant, shell pink blooms which fade to white at the edges. The shaggy petal formation is so pretty, the dark green matt foliage a beautiful foil for the flowers.
BUY NOW!
Winchester Cathedral An older David Austin rose which is immensely healthy and ideal to grow as a hedge of pure-white, very durable flowers with a tight cluster of petals. Dark green foliage is a wonderful foil for the continual mass of fragrant flowers, a very highly recommended rose. BUY NOW!
Once again, sorry for our lack of communication with you this past week due to technical issues. Enjoy this week and we’ll talk again soon … Gra, Diana, Mooi and the chickens!