Hello Dear Rose Friends,
We’re away from the Rose Farm attending the Australian National Rose Championships and Conference at Kiama. You’re now in the capable hands of Mooi … Ben, Janelle and Jason are there too!
As our flowering season starts to close down for winter, I would love you all to remember how to prepare your garden for the impending cold months of winter. Every bit of preparation you do now will ensure your garden flourishes in spring and onwards.
EXTRACT FROM DIANA’S BOOK: ALL ABOUT ROSES …
The most successful and rewarding rose gardens are those where the soil was well prepared prior to planting and autumn is the ideal season to prepare your new garden beds for winter planting of bare-rooted roses. Remove the grass/weeds to a depth of about 5–10cm (2–4in). This ‘turf’ can be laid in another area to create a lawn or place it on the compost heap upside down where it will break down and provide compost for another garden bed once the weeds are ‘cooked’.
Do not dig the cleared area because it is backbreaking work and there is no need for you to do it. There is an army of workers waiting underground for you to proceed to the next step of creating this new rose bed and they will happily do all the necessary digging and aerating which is essential to create a well-drained site suitable for bare-rooted roses.
Apply gypsum and liquid seaweed over the area then pile on any combination of animal manures or whatever composted material is available. Take some litter from under a range of shrubs and trees in other areas of your garden and spread them over the compost. This will supply mycorrhiza (fungi) from your own garden environment and is an integral component in the soil life when preparing a new garden bed.
Lightly mulch with lucerne or pea straw and water weekly if there is no rain. Sprinkle rock dust and liquid sea minerals to ensure a balanced range of earth and sea minerals are incorporated into the soil. Liquid seaweed applied weekly will act as a soil conditioner as well as feed the worms, your army of workers without whom your garden will not flourish at all. They will rapidly come to the surface and begin aerating the soil for you. As they chew their way through all the manure, straw, leaf litter and goodness you’ve been adding to the site, they will generously add their castings to the soil.
If the pile of manure you have applied rots down to become humus and the bed needs to be raised, keep adding more manure and straw layers up to four weeks prior to planting.
When you are ready to plant the roses, the only area to dig will be at the planting hole. By doing this, you reduce weed activation because you are not disturbing the soil structure of the entire garden bed.
GREAT NEWS TO SHARE
Diana’s lovely and very practical book, ALL ABOUT ROSES is currently being edited for reprinting and will appear in bookstores and in our online store again later this year!
A giggle to make you smile...
Q: Why can’t elephants join a swimming team?
A. Because they’re always dropping their trunks!
At the end of this glorious month of April, let us offer you a great gardening package for your special lady this Mother’s Day.
- Lowe Secateurs: $72.50
- Gloves: $14.50
- Sharpener: $14.50
Gardening Package $115.00
We’ll send the lot for $115.00 including pack and post. This Mother’s Day gift will mean your special lady is ready to tackle rose pruning in her garden this winter and she’ll be forever grateful that you gifted such an extraordinarily thoughtful and helpful gift to her gardening endeavours.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you would like a card sent in the pack, please note your message and glove size in the 'Order Comments section of the order form during checkout.
BUY MOTHER'S DAY GARDEN PACK NOW!
You can always purchase a Gift Voucher and let your special lady select the roses she’s been dreaming about growing in her garden.
One more giggle before you go!
Q: Why did the chicken run onto the soccer field?
A. Because the referee called fowl.