Edition 5th June, 2025

6th Jun 2025

HELLO DEAR ROSE FRIENDS ...

Well, we had signs on the gates ready to close SILKIES ROSE FARM, CLONBINANE, at 4.00pm last Monday and true to form, the last customer arrived at 3.50pm and the nursery phone rang at 4.02pm but we are now retired and once we set up the new owner of www.rosesalesonline.com.au with a new website in coming weeks, we’ll definitely be on holiday by August! Aaaaah!

It’s a very exciting time in our lives but at this point, nothing has changed for me – I get up before 6am, go for coffee with mates, come home, feed the chooks, have brekky, read the paper, get on with my day out in the garden or doing research and development projects.

Meantime, Diana is teaching a new team how to operate the business which has been so successful since we went online and started posting potted roses year-round when www.rosesalesonline.com.au was first established in 2012 when we relocated from Kilmore to Clonbinane.

Whilst the new website is being created and ready to go live in a few weeks we are offering a very select range of bare-rooted roses. From that selection, we’re offering this very special package of our most favourite DAVID AUSTIN roses which includes a FREE DAVID AUSTIN rose to be posted to you mid-June onwards …

This DAVID AUSTIN ROSE PACKAGE includes these three most popular varieties …

$112.50 INCLUDES PACK AND POST TO YOUR DOOR OF FOUR OF THE FINEST DAVID AUSTIN ROSES AVAILABLE THIS WINTER

ORDER NOW AT www.rosesalesonline.com.au

Have a giggle

Q: What’s striped and bouncy?
A: A tiger on a pogo stick!

WHEN IS IT TIME TO CULL OLD ROSES?

We’ve nurtured old roses for their significance in history and just because they’re still alive and produce a few blooms each season however, there comes a time when you might consider replacing those old roses with new varieties just like this …

Hello!

I hope you are well! I have previously purchased roses from you and they are doing well! However I have just moved house and inherited some already existing roses. They are quite different from the ones I bought from you & appear old & worn out? I would love some tips to revitalise them or advice if they are past their prime & need to go.

I’ve attached some photos. Since moving in two months ago they have looked like this. thanks so much!

Tegan

MY RESPONSE …

Hey Tegan …

I’m not one to not give any living thing a chance at survival but really, how old do you think the roses are? I think they’re done … a bit like us now I guess – time to move on after 40 years of service to the rose gardeners of Australia! Get them out asap and then add a lot of good compost/black marvel/seaweed solution and plant some lovely new roses in July/August … we’ll have potted roses by then …

cheers and thank you!

Have a giggle

Q: What do you call a bear that gets caught in the rain?
A: A drizzly bear!

We’re hunkered down as the weather gets colder and we hope to get good rain across Victoria this weekend despite it being the last long-weekend for a while.

Sorry to those who have plans for a weekend away but may your campfire keep you cozy!

Very best wishes until next week …