Hello Dear Rose Friends,
Despite weather reports warning it would be very wet and extremely cold, we had a constant stream of customers this past Easter weekend.
Online orders for potted roses will be promptly delivered once again so I’m offering these beauties which will be posted to your door ready for planting over the Anzac Day long weekend later this month …
One beautiful shrub rose and one magnificent climbing rose – both extremely fragrant, super healthy, free-flowering and highly recommended roses … $109.95 delivered to your door.
With Mother’s Day just around the corner perhaps you keep one for your garden and gift one for your Mum’s garden!
In this exceptional weather when flower buds fill with water, it’s very important to constantly trim damaged blooms regularly – this avoids the potential of rotting, mouldy petals dropping to the garden bed.
Retaining this tidiness right up until winter pruning will potentially reduce fungus spores over-wintering in your garden beds. Also, because the weather is so unpredictable, the more you trim rose bushes during autumn, the greater potential for rose bushes to flower well into winter.
So, keep your secateurs sharpened and in use throughout coming weeks for a tidy looking garden and reduce potential fungal issues next season too!
A giggle for you ...
Q: What do you call a gardener that has a beard?
A: Hairy Potter!
PREPARING YOUR GARDEN FOR WINTER ROSE PLANTING … I’m copying the following information 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.”
This is just one page of Diana’s extremely informative book ALL ABOUT ROSES which would be a beautiful gift this Mother’s Day – RRP $35.00 + pack/post www.rosesalesonline.com.au
A giggle for you ...
Q: What is the fiercest flower in the garden?
A: A tiger lily!
Talking of tiger lily … it’s ideal time now to lift and split bulbs to share with friends or take to other parts of the garden … we’ve been sharing Japanese iris so if you visit Silkies Rose Farm, don’t hesitate to ask for a clump. There’s nothing nicer for gardeners than to share plants … we love it too!
Enjoy your autumn garden since we’re halfway through this wonderful season …
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