ROSE RAMBLER 29.9.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 29.9.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends as we say goodbye to the first month of spring and hello (maybe???) to warm sunny days … finally!  It’s raining again as I write and our rose bushes are growing rampantly – everything is lush and green; it’s so beautiful everywhere you look.

Please, don’t be complacent – it is so unseasonably damp and our roses will need to be protected against fungal disease and potentially rampant insect attack since the foliage is so compromised by the incredible amount of rain – when a window of opportunity presents, get out and apply the organic management program:

To 10 litres of water add:

  • ¼ cup Eco-rose (fungicide)
  • ¼ cup Eco-oil and
  • 1 tsp Eco-seaweed or follow directions on the pack of your preferred seaweed product!

Mix the products well and spray foliage to run-off … if you can, spray under the foliage too!

Nutrients which have been applied to our soil over past years is now being made available because of the wet conditions – all plants are enjoying incredibly rampant growth – notice the red tips of eucalyptus trees?

It’s party time as the roots of plants are able to forge their way into mineral rich clay where soaking rain has drenched deep down, filled underground streams and ensured moist garden beds for this coming season and potentially beyond …?

 

GRA’S GARBLE …

We may have some challenging times in our rose gardens around Australia because of significantly variable weather events – let’s share a few emails which might offer assistance to ensure your roses remain healthy and flower beautifully in coming months …

Good morning, this seasons roses from you are all firing well and looking fantastic! Even the ones that were held up by Aust Post already have buds!  A question if I may?

It can sometimes be difficult to Eco spray early in the morning using the program you suggest because we get plenty of days over 30 degrees or if you are lucky enough to get the spraying done, it rains late in the day or we get a storm washing the spray off.  Would you see any problem in spraying late in the day when the roses don’t have any direct sunlight and the heat is abating?  Thanks – Brett

I cannot share an email response because Brett and I spoke later that day and the conversation went a little bit like this …  “Although we don’t necessarily promote spraying in the evening, there are definitely situations where evening spraying is better than not spraying at all!  There’s a good reason why we recommend morning spraying.

Did you know your body is actually taller in the morning and shrinks during the day?  Roses are rather the same … their stomata (pores if you like) are open and receptive early in the day and they start to close down – especially during extreme temperatures – when, late in the evening, the stomata is closed and the plant ‘shuts down’ for the night.

Hence, morning spraying is highly recommended but spray in the evening if/when it suits.

NEVER MORNING SPRAY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS EXPECTED TO EXCEED 30 DEGREES

Q. Do you know why my little brother is built upside down? 
A. Because his nose runs and his feet smell.  

MULCHING …

There’s been lots of weeding happening in our gardens and probably yours too so you’ll obviously be mulching your garden beds as we are here and Natalie emailed this query which we forwarded to Organic Crop Protectants for clarification:

I hope you are all going well.  Craig and I have been busy through the winter mulching all our garden beds and between this weekend and last this fungus has popped up all throughout the garden.  

It was a wood chip mulch from our local garden supplier.  I haven’t gone around any roses so I am glad about that!

  1. Do you know what it is?
  2. Is it poisonous?
  3. How do I get rid of it?

We have very damp gardens due to epic rainfall.  Do you have any suggestions?  Thanks so much.  Natalie  

The response from OCP:  “Don’t know the name of the fungus growing through the mulch but I wouldn’t be at all worried about it. They’ve just dumped a whole load of carbon on their ground (the mulch) and its common to get a surge of fungal growth appear not long after. The fungus is just feeding on the carbon and won’t harm any plants. Usually the fruiting bodies will fade away and you won’t notice it again.

Steve Falcioni, General Manager, eco-organic garden range”

Whilst weeding rose garden beds, be sure and trim perennials or completely remove plants which have ‘done their time’ like these …

To ensure good ventilation around rose bushes – especially during such damp/humid conditions!

Q.  Why don’t deer have uncles?  A.  Because they only have antlers …

FINGER PRUNING …

We talk about this every season around now – by learning this technique of easy pruning, you will definitely encourage more even flowering throughout spring/summer – check out our colleague, Ludwig in South Africa as he demonstrates this pruning technique on Youtube:


We are looking forward to blooming roses soon – we can hardly wait to smell the fragrances once again … Diana & Graham at Silkies Rose Farm, Clonbinane

 

ROSE RAMBLER 22.9.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 22.9.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends from a still wet and soggy Clonbinane where there’s a promise of sunny days ahead.  In between showers we’ve been pulling wheat straw weeds from the bales Gra mulched with last spring – great piles of green weeds everywhere so he’ll have compost like never before.  As usual with Gra’s gardening, there seems, retrospectively, to be method in his madness!

 

GRA’S GARBLE …

I’ve got a few hessian bags filled with above mentioned weeds now submerged in 40 litre drums of water and seaweed powder.  In four weeks, I’ll add about one litre of this ‘weed wee’ to a 9 litre watering can and pour it over all plants in my garden!  I’ll be able to see the plants smiling and I’ll get way more flowers too … I will think about sharing some for Diana to use on HER gardens since I was clever enough to create them, all she had to do was remove them!

Q.  What belongs to you but is used more by others?  A. Your name!

If you haven’t already done so, now is a great time to mulch the garden – LUCERNE is without doubt the most supreme mulch

  • as it breaks down, nitrogen and beneficial nutrients are added to the soil
  • it is expensive but seems to go further than other mulches
  • lucerne stimulates biological activity and improves soil structure
  • highly recommend placing around the base of plants then use cheaper mulch product over entire garden bed

PEA STRAW is also a very high-quality mulch

  • is nitrogen-rich straw which breaks down to condition soil around roses
  • is easy to pull apart and spread around garden beds
  • pea seeds may germinate but are easy to pull out
  • place a ‘biscuit’ of straw along garden border to hinder birds flicking mulch off the garden beds

ALL OTHER STRAW is good to use as mulch – certainly better than no mulch and the benefits are:

  • provide feed and protection for earthworms
  • feed soil microbes which in turn feeds plants
  • conserves valuable moisture for worms and microbes
  • prevents top-soil erosion
  • cools the garden
  • stops soil compaction – always walk on ‘biscuits’ of straw when walking in the garden!

Mulching soil is very environmentally friendly and in Diana’s book ALL ABOUT ROSES, she lists 30 reasons to mulch your garden and explains all types of mulch products and what results you can expect from using any of them – highly recommended reading!

It is worth noting that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REMOVE MULCH WHEN FERTILIZING THE GARDEN – whether using pelletised fertilizer or liquids, the fertilizer will move through the mulch either when it rains or when the garden is watered!

 

BEE-ATTRACTING ROSES …

There is no doubt that all flowers attract bees to your garden but these ‘single-petalled’ varieties of roses are particular favourites because bees can forage easily in the pollen-laden stamens …

EYE OF THE TIGER
Branches of stunning bright yellow blooms with
crimson ‘eye’ enmasse throughout the flowering season.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
Unusual rusty pink petals with crimson ‘eye’ clothe
this bush continually; sweet fragrance is a bonus.

BRIGHT AS A BUTTON
Striking medium-pink with crimson ‘eye’
on a superbly healthy, glossy-foliaged plant.

ALL the above varieties were bred by WARNER, UK, are AVAILABLE AS 90CM STANDARD ROSES, are EXTREMELY HIGH HEALTH and would make a spectacular display in your garden!

Q. Where does a bee sit?  A. On its bee-hind of course!

 

SHARING EMAILS …

Love this one …

“Hi Diana, Thanks very much for your help with this it’s been terrific. Can’t wait to receive them. We purchased a half dozen last year and were really pleased with the quality. They were great plants and had some beautiful and fragrant blooms last summer. So looking forward to this year’s flowers on our thriving plants.

I do look forward to your newsletters as well. I must admit that I occasionally text the jokes to my son in law. They are so funny but also pathetic, chuckle. Great grandfather fodder. Regards – John”

And I’m so pleased that Del sent this email because it hadn’t occurred to me to remind you all that yes, our organic management recipe has indeed changed since we now use ECO-SEAWEED POWDER rather than liquid which really means we’re not buying WATER but adding our own!

“Hi Diana, I just read in your newsletter, the organic treatment was using 1 teaspoon of seaweed.  I have been using this treatment for a few years, but your original recipe was using a quarter cup of each.  Have you changed this for any reason? Thanking you, Del“

My response:  Hi Del … yes, we are now using ECO-SEAWEED which is POWDER so only a TEASPOON is required per 10 litres of spray solution.  When we used LIQUID SEAWEED we needed a 1/4 CUP for 10 litres of spray solution.
This is a HUGE DIFFERENCE!  Obviously, the ECO-SEAWEED POWDER is very, very economical which is why I’m happy to send it to customers through the post – 1 x 600g pack makes up to 6,000 litres of seaweed solution.  Hope your local garden centre stocks these great ECO products or add it to your next rose order where it fits snugly into the pack and there is no extra postage cost … best wishes – Diana

Feel free to email us at info@rosesalesonline.com.au if you have a query about your roses or to share something with other gardeners through this network …

Have a great week in your spring garden and hope you jump in the car to visit Graham at Yea Garden Expo or Diana at the Rose Farm this coming weekend … it will be a beaut day out as part of the school holiday entertainment program!

ROSE RAMBLER 16.9.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 15.9.2016 …

HELLO DEAR ROSE FRIENDS … rain, rain and more rain which is magnificent for filling the underground streams, dams and water tanks.  For those who have installed water tanks so that you have good water supplies for your garden, please don’t resort to being a WALLY WITH WATER because your tanks are full … preserve what we can while we have it!

GRA’S GARBLE …

I’ll be implementing the organic spray management program as soon as there is a ray of sunshine and clear weather because within a blink, it will become very humid and our roses will show immediate signs of mildew and black spot.  The foliage is very soft and lush which makes it susceptible to disease and insects will also take advantage of these conditions … see the aphid cycle on this magnificent photo Diana took and which Steve at www.ocp.com.au  (Organic Crop Protectants) has labelled so you now know more about aphids and their cycle …

  • White stuff – these are the shells of the aphids which they’ve shed when moulting
  • Winged insect – these are winged adult aphids and not lacewings.  When aphids enter their final moulting stage they can emerge as either winged or wingless adults.  They produce wings if the area they’re in is already heavily populated with aphids so it allow them to emerge with wings and fly off to find a new feeding ground which is less crowded.  Clever trick really.
  • Brown blobs – these are aphids which have had a parasitoid wasp inject an egg into them.  When the juvenile wasp hatches it feeds on the insides of the aphid before pupating and then cutting a tiny hold in the shell of the aphid and emerging as an adult wasp.  During the whole process the aphid swells up, turns brown and dies.

Both the potted and garden roses look magnificent right now but it won’t take much to ‘tip them over’ because of these exceptionally wet conditions.  We ‘southerners’ will now have a taste of what it’s like to grow roses in northern Australia where humidity is a constant battle for rose lovers!

Q.  How do fish go into business?  A.  They start small-scale.

ORGANIC SPRAY PROGRAM

TO 10 LITRES WATER ADD

  • ¼ CUP ECO ROSE (FUNGICIDE)
  • 1 TSP ECO SEAWEED
  • ¼ CUP ECO OIL

Dissolve the powders and add the oil last – shake the contents well in your spray container and wet foliage to run-off.  Suggest spraying at least fortnightly while these very humid conditions are prevalent – remember to NEVER SPRAY IF THE TEMPERATURE IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER 30 DEGREES!

Q.  What does Willy Wonka use to clean his teeth?  A.  Candyfloss.

An email exchange which is very topical …

I have now seen THE CHILDREN’S ROSE looking beautiful twice in your newsletters.  I have one given to my wife as a ‘must have’ from a friend but I would rip it out as the blooms are hopeless despite it being the healthiest bush in my garden. Nothing I do prevents the dull moth eaten blooms from disappointing us for years. Any tips before it happens again? Roger

My response after Roger told me he was using the hose to blast the insects … “Hey Roger … blasting aphids with the hose is not a really great idea at all – while you’re blasting them off the stems, you’re most definitely blasting all their predators off as well … all those wonderful ladybirds and lacewings, even spiders which will be working overtime to eat the aphids!  The predator insects will get robustly healthy, breed profusely and be garden guardians at your place!

May I suggest that you do NOTHING but quietly observe by looking really closely at the insects on your roses … do it daily, several times a day even – aphids and ladybirds are fascinating to watch and small birds will start to be active in your garden because you’re not spraying lethal chemicals but using ECO-OIL and maybe ECO-NEEM to keep a balance happening in your garden … please be ECO-FRIENDLY and work with MOTHER NATURE!

You will be fascinated and truly enjoy watching this whole process unfold in your garden …!”

Oh, and one other reason why Roger’s blooms on THE CHILDREN’S ROSE are always “….dull moth eaten looking …” is because he’s spraying water on the flowers!  When hand-watering roses, always position the hose as close to the ground as possible – avoid wetting the foliage (thus reducing mildew/black spot because foliage stays damp) and flowers (water stays in the petals and they’ll go mushy for sure!).   Gra …

IN THE NURSERY …

As long as we continue to get positive responses about the roses we are posting as bare-rooted specimens …

Hi there Just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU from my son and I. We LOVE the roses ❤❤❤  They are super healthy and doing great   P.S next year I want to order 4 dark desire standard roses. How early should I order them to ensure availability?  Thank you, Carmen

We will continue to offer them in the online store at www.rosesalesonline.com.au but if you’re visiting us here at the nursery, we recommend you purchase the roses as potted specimens for minimal extra cost.

Remember next weekend 24th & 25th Graham will be at Yea Garden Expo – if you want to hear his presentation, he will be speaking at 2.00pm on SATURDAY, 24th SEPTEMBER.

See you at Clonbinane soon … Diana, Graham, Mooi & Tova

ROSE RAMBLER 8.9.2016

ROSE RAMBLER 08.9.2016…

Hello dear rose friends where we’ve got the mower bogged because the ground is so wet but the sun is shining and there is a definite hint of spring happening … thanks to the local Shire team who hauled the mower out … just gotta love living in a country location where Aussies helping Aussies works!

GIFT ROSES …

There are all sorts of reasons and occasions which deserve a magnificent potted rose – just last week I received an order from Elaine in UK and I want to share with you how significant our GIFT ROSE is in people’s lives ….

Thank you Diana … Kylie and I have been friends for 40 years this year. I opened my first ‘pen friend’ letter from her on my birthday 40 years ago. A special year for lots of reasons. She is a florist so will love the idea of a rose bush and David Austin Roses is based a few miles from where we live and somewhere we visit often. MOLINEUX is a lovely rose but also chosen because it is the name of our local soccer club grounds and as it happens, Kylie is a big fan of Robert Plant – a board member at the club!!! Fingers crossed she loves it.  ElaineMy response:  Gosh but I’m so, so lucky to be part of these beautiful events in people’s lives … here’s a whole history of two people who met as pen-friends and now 40 years later I step in and provide a magnificent rose to celebrate that!  I’m respectful and feel privileged to be part of the celebration … thank you!  Enjoy the phone call when Kylie calls to thank you too … best wishes

When you have an occasion in your life that deserves a really beautiful rose which will be planted in the recipient’s garden to be enjoyed for many years, please let me send them one of our gorgeous GIFT ROSES for $73.90* which includes postage along with a 20cm potted rose with colour-matched gift wrapping, a lovely rose card with your personal message and packed in a beautiful, sturdy gift box.

*You can select any variety of rose from www.rosesalesonline.com.au to be presented as a GIFT ROSE or go to www.giftroses.com.au for ideas as to which rose suits the occasion.

GRA’S GARBLE …

It’s that time of year when pesky insects like aphids start to invade but we urge you not to be too concerned and let nature take its course as it most surely will and the roses will ‘tough it out’.   While aphids are evident earlier than ladybirds, the organic spray program will keep things in order as the Eco-oil will suffocate larval stage insects … read more here

Is the spray program supposed to kill the sucking bugs or mainly to strengthen the roses to cope with the bugs?  Please help, Thanks, Jo

Hi Jo … if you have an infestation, the eco-oil will suffocate SOME of the adults, definitely the larval stage babies and some of the ‘in between’ so you repeat the spray according to all the directions until the breeding cycle is reduced … whatever you do, DON’T go and buy a chemical spray – not even PYRETHRUM as it will start the cycle all over again because you’ll have killed ALL THE PREDATORS!

If you have flowers in your garden (any flowers, daffodils for example) you’ll soon start to see ladybirds – let them help with the clean-up of aphids … they’ll love them!

It’s about a balance – hope you have the patience to continue … your garden will eventually be an ecologically balanced space where everything works together … cheers

Q.  Why are adults always complaining?  A.  Because they are ‘groan ups’ … with school holidays around the corner when lots of Grandparents step up to the plate and entertain their grandchildren at this time, use this as an opportunity to share your garden knowledge with the gardeners of the future.

Do you know, most frequently, when people ask for a heritage/old-fashioned rose, they want it because it was grown in their grandparents’ garden and has significant memories which they want to replicate in their own garden today!  True!!!  One of the most popular heritage roses this past winter is:  R. CHINENSIS ‘mutabilis’ … unbelievably awesome rose which we are pleased to see back in fashion …

Last week I talked about our STANDARD ROSES … here are a few more which you are most unlikely to find anywhere but at Silkies Rose Farm, rosesalesonline.com.au and they’re still listed online as bare-rooted plants for $42.50 each.

FRANCE LIBRE
A Delbard rose of immense beauty and bright colour –
lovely, lovely cut flower and beautiful shape on a standard stem …

SUMMER MEMORIES
What a spectacularly healthy, robust and free-flowering this
glorious modern shrub rose is as a standard specimen …

BRIGHT AS A BUTTON
Stunningly free-flowering and healthy,
awesomely eye-catching mass of blooms
and bee-attracting fragrance… highly recommended rose

Q.  Why were the strawberries always late?  A.  Because they kept getting stuck in a jam!

YEA GARDEN EXPO …

24th and 25th SEPTEMBER … and I will be there hosting a site as well as presenting on the speaker program at 2.00pm SATURDAY 24TH … will keep you posted on this time slot!

I suggest you make your way to Yea for this weekend event – Yea is one of my favourite destinations when I have a free day – the local Café’s serve magnificent coffee and food; the ambiance within the lovely country town atmosphere is relaxing and special – hope to see you at Yea later this month.  Gra.

BIT OF HOUSEKEEPING …

Please note that the nursery is open every FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY and MONDAY when we are ALWAYS here and you don’t need to phone us to let us know you are visiting!

EVERY TUESDAY IS OUR ABSOLUTELY FREE DAY ALWAYS – phones will not be answered on any TUESDAY.

If you leave a message on our phones, I will respond but please when you record your message/phone number SPEAK SLOWLY so that I can transcribe it.  Please be sure that if you leave an email at info@rosesalesonlines.com.au your email will be responded to within 24 hours.

BARE-ROOTED ROSES WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL END SEPTEMBER

Continue to order roses NOW and I guarantee you will be delighted with how the roses transit so well with their roots nestled in moist coir-fibre, wrapped in damp newspaper and sealed in plastic bags.

When you receive your roses, plant them asap and they will be flowering from October / November onwards – remember, our roses are 100% GUARANTEED to give you pleasure for many years to come.

Be happy in your garden this spring …
Diana, Graham, Mooi & Tova at Clonbinane
 

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ROSE RAMBLER 1.9.2016

WELCOME TO SPRING 2016

Dear rose friends!
Just in time, the sun is shining and the garden is green, soooooo green.  Camelias and daffodils are flowering – the pansy border so pretty; roses bursting forth.

Spring is such a spectacularly special time for we gardeners – the soil is moist so digging a hole for planting something new is not a chore but a gleeful, happy experience.  Weeding is also not so bad – get it done sooner rather than later though as once the ground is dry, the weeds are way harder to remove!

There are always emails requesting advice … here are a couple of conversations from this past week … hope you learn from this information sharing …

Hi Di – A moment of your time please…I desperately need some advice.  Most of our roses are upside down…drooping.  The bushes seem quite healthy, the flowers are beautiful, but are all facing towards the ground.  I think they’ve got the right amount of water and I use Seasol.  Suggestions please?  Many thanks, Jen from Port

My response:
Hello Jen … I think you’ve been putting way, way too much NITROGEN FERTILIZER on the roses!!!  What have you been using and how frequently have you applied ANY PRODUCT to your plants?  I need to know EVERYTHING so that we can get to the bottom of this!

It is almost certain that with all the heavy rain we’ve had recently, previously applied fertilizer is now being released so apply very light application of low nitrogen, high phosphorous and potassium fertilizer – definitely no animal manures!  Talk soon – Diana

Hi Diana, recently we purchased some David Austin roses from you & have planted them in the past week – they are looking fantastic!  On your website, you have an organic fertiliser product in 25kg bags.  


As we are in Adelaide it wouldn’t be practical to post, so can you please suggest an alternative that we can source locally?  Many thanks, kind regards, Ruth

My response:  (which applies to all of you who are looking for quality fertilizer)… Lots of customers cannot drive to the nursery to collect this complete organic fertilizer … many seem happy with SUDDEN IMPACT FOR ROSES.  Otherwise, go to your trusty local garden centre and see what ‘local’ product might be as good as or perhaps better than that!  I don’t like the smelly fertilizers and recommend an all-purpose type so that you can use it freely around the whole garden.  Also, select a fertilizer which has minerals and trace elements!  Good luck with that and glad your roses are great!  Cheers – Diana

We love to receive emails about your gardening experiences – I do all the typing but believe me, Graham is the brains behind a lot of the responses as he is our ‘plant manager’ and is a font of information about soil, fertilizer, organic spray management, composting, etc. etc. and is always good for a joke too …

GRA’S GARBLE …

Do you remember the days when milk and bread were delivered to your doorstep every day?  Here are a few funny notes which were left in empty bottles for the milkman …

  • Dear milkman:  I’ve just had a baby, please leave another one.
  • When you leave my milk please knock on my bedroom window and wake me because I want you to give me a hand to turn the mattress. 
  • My back door is open.  Please put milk in fridge, get money from cup in drawer and leave change on kitchen table in pence because we want to play bingo tonight.
  • Pease leave no milk today.  When I say today, I mean tomorrow, for I wrote this note yesterday.

The list goes on and on and you would laugh till you cried – these are actual ‘real-life’ stories!  Getting back to roses, I wanted to tell you about our fabulous range of TREE ROSES … I hear you ask?  What are they?  Lots of people refer to STANDARD ROSES as in some countries, they are actually called TREE ROSES … the joys of internet!

Because the rose bush is actually growing on a stem 90cms (3 foot) above the ground, they are very easy to prune and care for … yes, to smell the flowers, you don’t have to bend too far so they’re great for old blokes like me!

Some of the unusual varieties we have are:

WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL
Purest white David Austin rose with delicious fragrance.

FIRE-FIGHTER
Exceedingly highly fragrant, darkest red, almost thornless
flowering stems are outstanding features of this lovely rose …

THE CHILDREN’S ROSE
Stunningly fragrant, free-flowering, very robust bush … delightful!

One last joke … Q.  Why does your Dad jump up and down before taking his medicine?  A. Because on the label it said “shake well before using” …


HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all the wonderful Dad’s
– we’ll see you at Clonbinane soon …
Graham, Diana, Mooi and Tova

ROSE RAMBLER – WELCOME TO SPRING 2016

WELCOME TO SPRING 2016 dear rose friends!
Just in time, the sun is shining and the garden is green, soooooo green.  Camelias and daffodils are flowering – the pansy border so pretty; roses bursting forth.

Spring is such a spectacularly special time for we gardeners – the soil is moist so digging a hole for planting something new is not a chore but a gleeful, happy experience.  Weeding is also not so bad – get it done sooner rather than later though as once the ground is dry, the weeds are way harder to remove!

There are always emails requesting advice … here are a couple of conversations from this past week … hope you learn from this information sharing …

Hi Di – A moment of your time please…I desperately need some advice.  Most of our roses are upside down…drooping.  The bushes seem quite healthy, the flowers are beautiful, but are all facing towards the ground.  I think they’ve got the right amount of water and I use Seasol.  Suggestions please?  Many thanks, Jen from Port

My response:
Hello Jen … I think you’ve been putting way, way too much NITROGEN FERTILIZER on the roses!!!  What have you been using and how frequently have you applied ANY PRODUCT to your plants?  I need to know EVERYTHING so that we can get to the bottom of this!

It is almost certain that with all the heavy rain we’ve had recently, previously applied fertilizer is now being released so apply very light application of low nitrogen, high phosphorous and potassium fertilizer – definitely no animal manures!  Talk soon – Diana

Hi Diana, recently we purchased some David Austin roses from you & have planted them in the past week – they are looking fantastic!  On your website, you have an organic fertiliser product in 25kg bags.  


As we are in Adelaide it wouldn’t be practical to post, so can you please suggest an alternative that we can source locally?  Many thanks, kind regards, Ruth

My response:  (which applies to all of you who are looking for quality fertilizer)… Lots of customers cannot drive to the nursery to collect this complete organic fertilizer … many seem happy with SUDDEN IMPACT FOR ROSES.  Otherwise, go to your trusty local garden centre and see what ‘local’ product might be as good as or perhaps better than that!  I don’t like the smelly fertilizers and recommend an all-purpose type so that you can use it freely around the whole garden.  Also, select a fertilizer which has minerals and trace elements!  Good luck with that and glad your roses are great!  Cheers – Diana

We love to receive emails about your gardening experiences – I do all the typing but believe me, Graham is the brains behind a lot of the responses as he is our ‘plant manager’ and is a font of information about soil, fertilizer, organic spray management, composting, etc. etc. and is always good for a joke too …

GRA’S GARBLE …

Do you remember the days when milk and bread were delivered to your doorstep every day?  Here are a few funny notes which were left in empty bottles for the milkman …

  • Dear milkman:  I’ve just had a baby, please leave another one.
  • When you leave my milk please knock on my bedroom window and wake me because I want you to give me a hand to turn the mattress. 
  • My back door is open.  Please put milk in fridge, get money from cup in drawer and leave change on kitchen table in pence because we want to play bingo tonight.
  • Pease leave no milk today.  When I say today, I mean tomorrow, for I wrote this note yesterday.

The list goes on and on and you would laugh till you cried – these are actual ‘real-life’ stories!  Getting back to roses, I wanted to tell you about our fabulous range of TREE ROSES … I hear you ask?  What are they?  Lots of people refer to STANDARD ROSES as in some countries, they are actually called TREE ROSES … the joys of internet!

Because the rose bush is actually growing on a stem 90cms (3 foot) above the ground, they are very easy to prune and care for … yes, to smell the flowers, you don’t have to bend too far so they’re great for old blokes like me!

Some of the unusual varieties we have are:

WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL
Purest white David Austin rose with delicious fragrance.

FIRE-FIGHTER
Exceedingly highly fragrant, darkest red, almost thornless
flowering stems are outstanding features of this lovely rose …

THE CHILDREN’S ROSE
Stunningly fragrant, free-flowering, very robust bush … delightful!

One last joke … Q.  Why does your Dad jump up and down before taking his medicine?  A. Because on the label it said “shake well before using” …


HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all the wonderful Dad’s
– we’ll see you at Clonbinane soon …
Graham, Diana, Mooi and Tova