ROSE RAMBLER 30TH MAY, 2019 – Hello dear Rose Friends as excitement builds here at Silkies Rose Farm in anticipation of a great bare-rooted rose season when these heel-in beds will be filled with supreme quality roses once the plants have been graded, labelled and sorted.
GRA’S GARBLE …
GARDEN ACTIVITY AT THE BEGINNING OF WINTER
If your garden hasn’t had a new layer of mulch for a while, there’s still plenty of time to place a layer over the garden beds so soil temperature stays a bit warmer for longer. NOTE: all the deciduous trees are providing mulch NOW so please do not put those leaves in your waste bin – use them around your garden or if you find them untidy, take them to someone who will use them. You’re more than welcome to bring them here!
Recent rain means the soil is moist so start preparing holes ready for bare-rooted roses … using a garden fork you’ll be less likely to slice the worms who are breeding NOW, lift soil into a wheelbarrow to create a hole approximately 50 x 50 cms. To this soil, blend a few decent shovels full of compost/well-rotted manure and once you’ve forked holes into the base and side wall of the hole, (if your soil is heavy clay, apply gypsum at this point), return all the soil to the hole and water over with seaweed solution and a light straw or leaves mulch over the top. Yes, there will be a mound – it will settle with fortnightly applications of seaweed solution.
Remove spent rose blooms – they’re puff-balls of mould and don’t look so great so removing them will make the plants look neat. We don’t recommend pruning yet! Wait until all the foliage is gone – makes pruning so very much easier!
If you’re planning to pot-up your new roses this winter rather than plant them in a garden bed, organise pots at least 35-40cms diameter, quality potting mix, seaweed, fertilizer and the eco-products for organic rose management (eco-oil, eco-rose/fungicide) so you’ve got everything ready for when your roses arrive. NEVER LET THE ROOTS DRY OUT – leave them in a bucket of water rather than in the packaging we send them in and plant as soon as possible.
In closing … a picture of our Supervisor, Guard Dog Supreme, toy poodle MOOI perched high up on top of the mound of eucy-mulch which we were barrowing around the gardens for paths … no doubt about it, there’s happiness when you’re working in your garden so rug up and pull some weeds or trim spent roses – you’ll feel great when you come back into your warm house … enjoy the winter months ahead!!
Until next week, we wish you happiness in your garden …
The team at Silkies Rose Farm.