Hello Dear Rose Friends,
With just 10 days until Christmas Eve, it’s time to get your skates on if you want to post a rose to be delivered in time for gifting as our LAST POSTING FOR CHRISTMAS, 2023 is
MONDAY, 18 TH DECEMBER AT 1PM so this week’s very special offer is:
$74.50 (RRP $98.60) including pack/post and gift wrapping
We’ll send the most beautiful flowering potted rose in our nursery with a Christmas card to any destination* only if your order reaches us before
1pm on Monday, 18th December, 2023.
SHOP NOW
You may nominate a colour or variety but otherwise, please leave it to us!
*We cannot post to WA or TAS – no international destinations..
Birds play such an intrinsically important role in our garden. They wake us in the morning – first the magpie, then the kookaburra and on it goes; a magical cacophony of busy-ness to get on with their day!
This saying by Dame Judi Dench was sent along with one birthday message …
'Elderly' is the rudest word in my dictionary, and 'Old' is another one too.
I don't allow that in my house, and being called 'Vintage'!
I don't want any of these old words.
I like 'Enthusiastic'!
However, some gardeners experience birds as terrorists in their rose gardens …
Hi there! May the Rose be with you! My roses have been sustaining the pictured damage. The only pests I see are harlequin beetles on a hydrangea but often seen on roses. I’ve been trying to get rid of them when seen but they are defeating me. Attacking behind my back. So far I’ve used only a bucket of soapy water and shaking them into it. Would any other not seen marauder be doing this kind of damage? Thanks - Michelle
MY RESPONSE … No, not harlequin beetles –
you’ve got cockies or rosellas doing immense damage when you’re not around so perhaps leave the dog out or put sprinklers on or even put plastic pegs along the stems and the birds will be puzzled and go somewhere else … cheers and thanks for reaching out … Gra
Oh right so harlequin won’t do that? Ok pegs is great option. Plenty of cockatoos. So they suck out the inids (innards, Ed.) of a stem? I knew they nipped things but these are just gutted.
Thank you for your prompt reply. Much appreciated. Michelle
Thank you to our dear friend Judy who has despaired for years as she challenges not only cockatoos and rosellas but also blackbirds which rip away any new watershoots. Judy has tried every conceivable decoy – hanging cd’s around, holographic tape spanned through the garden, letting the dogs out, squirting water, loud music, etc. and then she read that multi-coloured pegs attached to stems actually deters the birds … IT WORKS!!!
Judy keeps sending through pictures of roses which struggled to retain a water shoot for more than a day – her roses are robust and healthy this season so give this simple ‘plastic coloured peg’ solution a go if you have bird-issues in your garden.
Another thought … if possums can see in the dark, will they also be scared off by coloured pegs? Worth a try I think!
Please do let me know how you go with scaring possums off because they cause catastrophic damage in suburban gardens.
A giggle for you:
Q: What am I?
If you drop me, I’m sure to crack but give me a smile and I’ll smile back?
A: A mirror … keep smiling because anyone you smile at is like a mirror and likely to smile back at you!
FINALLY PLANTED AFTER 15 YEARS IN POTS …
Hi Diana and Gra, my first email to you! I’ve bought a few roses from you and just wanted to say how wonderful your email posts are - such great info for we rose growers and I just love receiving them, thank you both for putting so much effort into your emails and clearly taking the time to respond to queries. This is my first year with my 22 roses in the ground instead of 15+ years in pots so I’m encouraged that you might provide advice sometimes but I hope not to bother you too much! Here’s my roses in the ground after their long pot life 
Happy belated birthday to Gra and thank you again so much!
MY RESPONSE … Hi Fiona … WOW … those roses look immensely happy! You’re obviously doing everything right and the only comment I have is that because of the dense proximity of other houses and the fence, you may not get a lot of wind flushing through your garden so to avoid issues with fungal disease, continue to use the Organic Rose Management program on a monthly basis and never, ever water in the late-afternoon or evening.
Don’t ever hesitate to be in touch if you experience any issues and enjoy the flowers! Cheers - Gra
ORGANIC ROSE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM …
– just in case you’ve forgotten, the recipe is:
TO 10 LITRES OF WATER ADD:
- 5g Eco Seaweed powder (or follow directions on pack of preferred seaweed)
- ¼ cup Eco Oil
- ¼ cup Eco Fungicide (formerly Eco Rose)
Thoroughly mix all products by vigorously shaking. Spray to run-off (avoid spraying flowers if possible). Never spray if temperature is expected to be 30 degrees or more and preferably, spray in the early morning.
Once mixed, spray mixture cannot be stored so reduce quantities according to your needs – for 20 roses, you might only need 2 litres of spray so divide above recipe quantities by 5!
A giggle for you:
Q: How are false teeth like stars?
A: They come out at night.
With all the bustle and stress of Christmas, take a big deep breath, grab your secateurs and go trim your roses or get down on your hands and knees and pull some weeds – within no time you’ll be smiling and ready to get on with things again … enjoy all the moments in your garden!