Getting Ready for Valentine's Day!
Hello Dear Rose Friends! We are already welcoming the second month of this new year, which I'm sure it will zoom by just as last year did!
It’s been great settling in at home with Mooi diligently checking every move I make and helping round-up the chooks … she’s so much fun to be with!
FRAGRANCE OF ROSES … A CONSTANT DILEMMA …
Claire emailed recently: "I purchased two roses online specifically choosing one of the roses as it was described as highly perfumed. That rose, Madame Anisette, has completely no fragrance whatsoever and the other, Coconut Ice, only a very mild scent. I didn’t expect a strong fragrance from the Coconut Ice rose but am very disappointed in the Madame Anisette which was described as highly fragrant.
Is it likely that the fragrance will develop as the plants gets older or to guarantee fragrance must I purchase roses directly in bloom, not bare rooted, which I can actually smell?
I am so disappointed. Claire"
My response: "Hi Claire … it’s a difficult topic … we all have different levels of ‘olfactory’ sense … I’ve seen customers gasp at the fragrance of Madame Anisette – it is definitely and very distinctly aniseed but might only be detected at certain times of bloom opening/age! I have now deleted this from our range … enough said perhaps? Sorry! Cheers - Graham"
To which Claire responded: "Thanks for replying so quickly. I suppose the fact that you have deleted it from your range says it all. Maybe I should just cut my losses, get rid of it, and get another rose with a strong fragrance. You only have a certain amount of space in your garden and it’s a shame to have a rose which is so disappointing. Thanks …Claire"
We definitely understand Claire’s frustration and despite our best intentions of presenting the most accurate descriptions according to our own personal experience, we have always highly recommended that you purchase fragrant roses based on your own personal experience of their perfume!
A little giggle for you this week:
Q. Why is a banana skin like a T-shirt?
A. Because it’s so easy to slip on.
With lots of rain about, be diligent and take every opportunity to apply the organic rose management spray to protect your roses from fungal disease! Here’s the recipe again:
To 10 litres of water add:
- ¼ cup Eco Oil
- ¼ cup Eco Fungicide (was Eco-Rose)
- Eco-Seaweed (use any product you prefer)
Mix all products vigorously and spray or pour over rose foliage to run-off. Never use this organic rose management spray when temperature is expected to exceed 30 degrees!
Talk to you next week and meantime, trim, trim, trim your rose plants so they produce lots of roses during the most beautiful flowering season of autumn which is just around the corner. Graham, Diana & Mooi