ROSE RAMBLER 22.02.2018 …

ROSE RAMBLER 22.02.2018 …

Hello, dear rose friends … thank you all so very much for your lovely messages and best wishes for my 60th birthday yesterday!  I’ve had a most wonderful, fortunate life; blessed with a beautiful family and although I enjoyed my early working career in our family bakery at Kilmore, waitress at all three pubs in town, first real-job as Assistant to Shire Secretary at Kilmore Council and subsequently, great positions in my secretarial profession, I’m so glad that when I met Graham again in 1984, he didn’t promise me a rose garden … but rather, we created a business and became professional Rosarians together!

GRA’S GARBLE …

This is the last week of summer and despite all sorts of weather conditions, our roses have endured and look stunning – just as we expect roses to do!

Q. What has six eyes but cannot see? A. Three blind mice!

MORE LOVELY CLIMBING ROSES AS WEEPING ROSES …

Did I leave the best till last? No, not necessarily, it depends on what you really want to see; these are just beautiful in their own right and deserve a place in your garden!

(Top: LamarqueMiddle: Renae, Bottom: Summers Evening)
Q. What do you call BEARS with no EARS?  A. ‘B’
– it took a while for me to get this one too!

TIMING ROSES FLOWERING FOR AN EVENT IN YOUR GARDEN …

Question via email:

I wish to have my roses blooming for 16th March this year.  I did cut off all buds and many long stems too over one week ago but they all have thrived with some special rose feeding and mulch and look ready to bloom before my March date. So will I just remove all red leaves/buds in the hope they will stall and roses will bloom when I want them on date above?  Mainly David Austin roses grown.  Your advice welcome.  Bev

MY RESPONSE:  I would be surprised if you have lots of blooms for that date … it’s usually 45-60 days prior that you do the cut to guarantee flowering.  We cut the nursery yesterday so that we are ready for Art & Roses 2nd weekend April … gardens being done through this week – we might be a bit cooler but 60 days is good to work with.  Cheers

HERITAGE ROSES IN AUSTRALIA …

If you didn’t already know, I just adore heritage roses!  Here is an extract from the American Rose Annual, 1931 by F.E. Lester

“The discovery, protection and preservation of our old roses constitutes a challenge to all rose lovers.  No one person, no one committee can do justice to it.  It is a duty resting upon all who love the rose, its history, its romance, its usefulness as an agency of human happiness, to save our disappearing old roses for the benefit of present and future generations and to make known their manifold advantages to all who love gardens.”
STANWELL PERPETUAL as the name suggests is perpetually flowering magnificently!  Lovely fragrance, delightfully healthy grey-green foliage as a wonderful foil to the pretty blush-pink to pure white blooms throughout an amazingly long flowering season – in some climates, I guess STANWELL PERPETUAL will flower all year!

It is one of our most favourite old-fashioned roses … please don’t inundate us with requests for this gorgeous rose NOW but rest assured we will continue to stock this rose as long as we own a rose nursery!

So what defines a HERITAGE ROSE?  At the 2016 Heritage Rose National Conference, it was unanimously voted that any rose which was bred 75 years ago or more would qualify.  That is a ‘moving’ date which will eventually include the David Austin roses and since PEACE was bred in 1935, it is now also a HERITAGE / OLD-FASHIONED ROSE!  

If you’re interested in researching roses, always go directly to helpmefind.com/roses and don’t hesitate to leave them a donation for the considerable amount of information they collate which affords us easy access to roses around the world at the push of a button!

Overcoming weeks I will introduce you to some beautiful roses which I hope inspire you to grow at least ONE old-fashioned/heritage rose in order to preserve their glory in Australian gardens forever.

Yeyyh, Diana, Thanks for the Rambler and its news. Couldn’t agree more with being a joiner. A dear lady is giving all of her Rose Annuals to the QRS. They date from 1952. I have most of mine from 1967 except some I gave to an outback family who are still growing lovely roses. I am re-reading some great articles I remember well and wanted to find again. One by Dr A S Thomas on exhibiting in other states. It is surely the best thing ever written on the subject.  It is the 1984 Annual.  I grow a lovely rose called “That’s Life” that is said to be named for Dr Thomas. Can’t agree more with “Teasing Georgia” and “William Morris”. They are among my favourites but I grow them as shrubs. Delicious!  ….Laurel in QLD always sends us lovely emails with great information …

Ann took action … Hi there … Thanks for the Info on joining organisations etc. Years ago I did belong to the Heritage Rose Society and I loved their quarterly journal still have them all.  I let my membership lapse but will now renew. I have lots of species roses on my nature strip mixed with native plants;  there is plenty of room and they are so tough only water is the rain.  I planted there for all little creatures inc. possums and I love listening and watching the birds.  My favourite is Rosa Moyesii Geranium.  Cheers …Ann

(Top: ROSA MOYSEII GERANIUM 
Bottom: ROSA MOYSEII GERANIUM HIPS)
 

Enjoy this last week of summer in your garden …

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