Edition 13th March, 2025

13th Mar 2025

Edition 13th March, 2025

HELLO DEAR ROSE FRIENDS ...

Thank you all so much for your lovely positive messages as we enter the next phase of our lives and it was so lovely to see lots of customers this past long weekend … Yes, despite the heat, we trust you’ll enjoy planting the magnificent roses you purchased!

Last week’s story about fragrance definitely caused lots of conversation and because I know for 100% that these roses have magnificent fragrance at almost every stage of the bloom opening to when the petals fall after many days in a vase, I’m challenging you to purchase these two beauties, pop them in large tubs on a balcony or plant them out into your garden during this autumn and enjoy their fragrance immediately …

TWO HIGHLY FRAGRANT ROSES ...

Without a doubt, fragrance is in the nose of the beholder but we know that unless you’re absolutely void of a sense of smell, you’ll enjoy the fragrance of these beauties …

You’ll see a marked difference when you regularly use these quality, Australian grown/made liquid seaweed products on your garden and potted plants!

Have a giggle

Q. What’s a pigs best karate move?
A. The pork chop!

QUERIES ABOUT ISSUES IN THE GARDEN NOW …

I have a question, my roses have grown long and lanky should I prune them now or wait till August?

Sincerely, Helen

My response:

Hi Helen .. if the roses are not doing what you want them to do … give them a good prune now and you’ll be rewarded with lots of flowers throughout autumn and well into winter … you be the BOSS! Give them all a decent handful of fertilizer now too!

Cheers and thank you!

Hi Silkies Team …

I hope you and your family are well. I think the soil in my garden is magnesium deficient. I started noticing it when my daphnes started to go yellow and a couple died. I then discovered epsom salts and that is staying on top of it. The Daphne are in the same bed as my beautiful boscobel which I got from you about 4 years ago, and now their leaves are going yellow. Others in another part of the garden are doing the same. Can you suggest the best mulch or fertilizer? Unfortunately we are too far from you to use your fertilizer. I have been using sudden impact and seasol.

Many thanks, Vicki

My response:

I suggest a really high quality fertilizer (prefer organic) should be applied but only if you're irrigating the bed! Also, why not do a soil pH test to check where things are at ... it's easy to say 'magnesium deficiency' because you've seen a photo perhaps and if it is mineral deficiency, put the entire range of minerals on the garden - Yates Trace Elements is brilliant and should be used as per pack directions.

As the weather (hopefully) cools down, it's appropriate timing to fertilize and perhaps it's time to use a different product to the one you've always been using ... this just might be the key. I feed my daphnes with Harry's Daphne Food at least every couple of weeks and they're beautifully green and flower very prolifically over a long period.

I think once the plants are fertilized and given a few doses of trace elements, they'll be magnificent again... oh, and of course, because it's been so dry don't let up on deep-soaking watering of course!

Cheers and happy autumn gardening!

Hi, can you please explain why my mother in laws iceberg rose has gone from white blooms to pinkish blooms? It’s been in the same place for years and has always had white blooms until now.

My response:

It happens in either very hot or very cold weather – sometimes it can be lack of water and the plant stressing … it will return to white very soon …

enjoy! Cheers

Have a giggle

Q. Why should you never kiss chickens?
A. Because they’ve got foul (fowl) breath!

I’m delighted to share this picture with you … the first Silkie chicken is up and about and now another hen has decided to go clucky so the two hens are sharing egg hatching …

Our thoughts have been with customers who have endured the ravages of Cyclone Alfred and are now left with the results of such a deluge … if you need advice about any aspects of recovering plants in your garden, please don’t hesitate to reach out – info@rosesalesonline.com.au

Meantime, let’s hope we get some rain over Victoria and other areas where it’s extremely dry – enjoy this week in your garden!

Cheers from the team at Silkies …