ROSE RAMBLER 28TH MARCH, 2019

Hello dear rose friends as we stock up the woodshed and stoke the wood fire in readiness for a cold autumn! The magnificent dahlia in the front garden which flowers from Christmas time has succumbed after the first frost a few weeks ago – yes, it’s very cold here at Clonbinane and this morning was our third frost already!


THE JOYS OF AUTUMN IN A ROSE GARDEN

Crisp, cool mornings (in the dark!) and balmy evenings until the end of daylight savings; lovely sunny days – ideal gardening weather and the roses agree by putting on their most spectacular display with intense colour and plenty of flowers.

We have had almost no rain here since Christmas so we are deep-soaking the rose gardens to ensure we retain lots of flowers and healthy foliage right into the first weeks of winter. Lots of our spectacular ornamental trees have been losing leaves for a while now so we don’t expect they’ll put on their usual show of glorious autumn colour – even our large eucalyptus trees have been shedding lots of leaves and branches!

All signs of an incredibly dry summer and we look forward to a good dumping of rain soon.

  • Keep dead-heading the roses continually to encourage lots more flowers;
  • Fertilize all gardens then give them a deep soak;
  • Remove any old roses NOW – prepare soil for replanting this winter;
  • Visit rose gardens and take lots of pictures (including labels for future id);
  • Gather rose catalogues and create a wish-list at www.rosesalesonline.com.au
  • Pick buckets of flowers for indoors;
  • Revel in the glory of your rose garden this autumn!

Q. Why did everyone jump for Joy? A. Because she was stuck to the ceiling!


THERE’S NO BETTER TIME…

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME than right now to plant some climbing roses – if you get climbing roses in the ground now while the soil is still warm, they’ll get well established before winter and this spring, will delight you with their first spectacular flowering in your garden!

I was trimming the climbers this past weekend because they kept clawing me when I was watering – here are a couple which are absolutely spectacular right now:


FOURTH OF JULY


SOARING SPIRITS

Soaring Spirits is such a magnificently ‘different’ rose … single blooms which blend yellow and pink to perfection then fade to creamy white and pink so stunningly!  A robust growing climbing rose with healthy foliage to create a sense of ‘ooooh, aaaah’ when planted on a post of a pergola, splayed along the fence or maybe positioned in an obelisk … beautiful!


BANTRY BAY

A sensational climbing rose which is never without masses of medium pink blooms over a very extensive flowering season.  There are lots of thorns but the canes are easily managed whether attached to an arch or against a wall this climber will be a wonderful addition to your garden for spectacular display.  Very highly recommended climbing rose!


ART & ROSES TOURS 2019

WEEKEND OF APRIL 13 TH & 14 TH

GROUP BOOKINGS OF 8 OR MORE WILL ENJOY FREE ENTRY TO MOST ACTIVITIES

PLEASE CONTACT DIANA: 03 5787 1123 OR 0418 33 77 65 FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ATTENDING THIS GREAT WEEKEND IN OUR REGION.


See you soon at Clonbinane … Diana, Graham, Mooi & the team.

ROSE RAMBLER 21ST MARCH, 2019

Hello dear rose friends as we have experienced cooler nights, warmer days but hello? Where is the rain?


GRA’S GARBLE …

This RR will be lots of information exchange via emails – grab a cuppa and enjoy the read after this:

Q. What can you catch but never throw? A. A cold! Do take care as we know there is a nasty flu going around which causes seriously achey-achey bones!


Subject: Important of Mulch

“Hi – When we came up on Monday to buy a rose we noticed your fabulous mulch.  Would you mind telling me where you got it from?  Many thanks in advance –  Liz”

Hi Liz … which mulch???  On her garden beds, Diana uses pea straw – I use ordinary barley/wheat/oat straw on my beds and then we get mulch delivered from arborists when they’re in the area and lay eucy mulch predominantly over paths but when the eucy mulch is well-rotted, we also use it to place over rose garden beds – when you were here, our team were spreading mulch over a garden bed on the eastern side – that was eucy mulch delivered more than 12 months ago and now ok to spread both over paths and that particular garden bed which still had a good layer of pea straw.

We’re in drought-mode and every single bit of moisture we apply must be retained … mulch is the only way to achieve that result!  It was lovely to see you on Monday … take care and best wishes …

 


Subject: Madame Alfred Carriere Rose

Hi Diana, I need some help with my MADAME ALFRED CARRIERE Rose. In September, it will be two years old and has only ever been trimmed when it becomes very “leggy”.  However, in late summer the rose has had a huge growth spurt.  Also, it hasn’t flowered very well this season even though I have followed your instructions to the letter.  Attached are several pictures of the rose showing its current state and, one, showing the method by which the wires are set into the wall to support it.  Can you offer any advice or suggestions, please?  Thank you, Beverley

Hello … it’s almost like your home isn’t big enough to cope with this magnificent rose – let it scramble along the eaves – even over the roof (if you’re game!) because when you see this rose on an English homestead, the house is usually more than two storeys high and then MME ALFRED CARRIERE is seen at her most absolute best!

Ongoing maintenance of this rose is to NOT cut it but rather take the canes and spread them around the window and perhaps along another wall or walls of your home.  Some climbing roses will not flower until they have truly established themselves … hope this is helpful …


Hi Diana,  My name is Janette and I bought some roses from you last year.  I bought 2 GERTRUDE JEKYLL – climber and 2 EARTH ANGEL. They have grown so well, GJ is now over 6 foot tall and still growing, an amazing season. EA is over a metre wide and tall and is still flowering and growing.

I have a LAMARQUE  climber which has put on amazing growth on a fence, but it’s not flowered much. I followed your feeding programme on all the roses through spring and summer with Eco products but have tapered off in the last couple of weeks once the cooler temperatures arrived. Maybe it’s just decided to put lots of growth on and will produce masses of flowers next spring. Do you have any advice? Kind regards – Janette

Hi Janette … lovely that your roses are doing so well … your final comment is the answer to what’s happening with LAMARQUE  –  don’t prune it and you will have spectacular masses of blooms next season … cheers and enjoy!


Subject: Re: Delicious Miniature Rose

Hi Gra and Diana,  Just to let you know that DELICIOUS and GRA’S BLUE  arrived this morning alive and undamaged. I was worried after having temps in the high thirties Monday and Tuesday.  I applaud your packing and care taken during preparation as they were in transit for nearly a week and their potting mix was still damp.  Thanks again, Louise. 

“Thanks Louise … oh, believe me, we tuck them in and give them our very best wishes before we release them to Auspost for transit!  There have been a few disasters just very, very recently and yes, it’s been hot!  Lovely that your two beauties arrived a little ‘ruffled’ perhaps but they’ll recover very quickly and get on with flowering through autumn.

Enjoy these two very special roses in your garden!  Cheers”

GRA’S BLUE AND DELICIOUS AFTER 7 DAYS IN TRANSIT


ROSES AFTER TRANSIT…

Here’s what some recent consignments of roses looked like on arrival to a NSW destination:

Hi … plants which arrived yesterday are all beautiful and very healthy – Robyn


Q. How do you know when the moon has had enough to eat? A. When it’s full!


CULTURAL NOTES FOR BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN ROSES …

  • As long as the daytime heat continues to stay around 25 degrees, the sun will burn-off mildew and black spot issues;
  • When it’s possible to spray the organic rose management program – DO IT – cold night temperatures will increase potential of disease event;
  • Remove spent flowers quicker than normal and perhaps take shorter stems when you prune – we want fast repeat flowering as we near winter;
  • Fertilize the entire garden NOW – use a quality (organic) fertilizer with a good range of major nutrients but also take a look at the pack and see there are lots of minerals and trace elements – don’t buy just ANYTHING – buy the BEST!
  • Regular seaweed applications will toughen your roses – will enhance and increase numbers/size of bloom/intense colour and generally get the roses ready for winter dormancy – tough roses with lots of foliage will be better able to tolerate extreme cold conditions.

Not bragging but in closing, if you haven’t already planted GRA’S BLUE then you had best order one or more NOW – the plants look sensational and we heard from a customer this morning that she proudly benched GRA’S BLUE at a rose show in NSW and won a ribbon – SECOND PRIZE – she was so tickled pink that she ordered more today!

 


GRA’S BLUE

GRA’S BLUE – MULTI-AWARD WINNING modern patio/miniature rose of incredible beauty, fragrance and proven disease-resistance.

  • Delightful medium sized shrub
  • Exotic, spicy and fruity fragrance
  • Very healthy and low maintenance
  • Lavender/mauve blooms continually


Have a great week in your garden knowing the roses will tough-out this incredibly dry period and continue to flower if you give them just 20 litres of water per week!
See you at Clonbinane soon … cheers – Graham, Diana and Mooi

ROSE RAMBLER 14TH MARCH, 2019

Hello dear rose friends as we come up for air after an immensely busy weekend since our massive autumn promotion during last weekend!

Thank you for purchasing your roses at Silkies Rose Farm, Clonbinane and www.rosesalesonline.com.au – we hope you have remembered to apply seaweed solution to your newly planted roses so they settle in well and you enjoy them flowering until around July when you will commence winter pruning.


GRA’S GARBLE …

WHAT’S A HERITAGE ROSE?

At their annual conference two years ago, Australian Heritage Rose Society declared that any rose which was bred 75 years ago will be listed as a HERITAGE ROSE … meantime, we seriously recommend that EVERY ROSE GARDEN should host at least ONE heritage/old fashioned rose and here are a few which we very highly recommend for planting in your garden:

REINE DES VIOLETTES

Hybrid Perpetual rose released in 1860.  Stunning dark mauve highly fragrant blooms continually throughout the season on a large spreading shrub to 1.8 metres tall.  This magnificent rose can be grown as a free-standing shrub or short climber which is easy to manage because it has few thorns.


China Rose discovered before 1894 which is very commonly referred to as ‘the butterfly rose’. This rose is very highly recommend for use as a thick impenetrable rose hedge which would attain a height to at least 2 metres and spread of no less than 1.5 metres.

This beautiful rose produces masses of clusters of blooms which open sulphur yellow and change to orange, red and finally crimson. Since the shrub is constantly blooming, the appearance is that butterflies are fluttering all over the shrub and the new growth is dark crimson red – a sight to behold!


STANWELL PERPETUAL

Hybrid Spinossisima was found before 1836 – the most amazingly beautiful and free flowering rose in our entire garden – definitely a favourite – there are only three in stock so get in quick if you want to plant one NOW … readily available and highly recommended as an addition to your winter bare-rooted order!

If you’re interested in heritage roses, contact the Heritage Rose Society in your State and please note: Heritage rose enthusiasts are vital for advancing the preservation, cultivation, distribution and study of old roses. It’s a heap of fun to research where a rose came from and what its breeding history and parentage is!


ORDERING YOUR BARE-ROOTED ROSES FOR THIS WINTER

We are now pleased to advise that our online store: www.rosesalesonline.com.au is open for taking your winter orders.

We have thousands of roses out in the fields ready to be dug in May so there’s NO RUSH with ordering. Due to circumstances beyond our control, New Release 2019 roses only have ‘generic’ photos which are supplied by the agency releasing the roses so it is our plan to visit the rose fields in coming weeks; then we’ll show you our own photos and give you our personal recommendations for the New Release 2019 roses.

If you need assistance with placing your order please don’t hesitate emailing info@rosesalesonline.com.au and I will gladly assist with planning your garden and/or recommending certain varieties of roses for different situations or circumstances. I am available on WHATSAPP where we can look at pics and talk

Q. What does an angry kangaroo do? A. Get hopping mad! So does Mooi when the big bucks wake us all in the night!

Do take a moment to have a cuddle with MOOI when you come to Silkies Rose Farm,CLONBINANE soon.

In closing, I’m sharing this: “Fishy tales from the sea will bring you laughing to your knees and so …

Q. What do you call a fish that tunes pianos? A. A tuna fish!”


Have a great week in your garden … Diana, Graham & the team at Silkies Rose Farm.

ROSE RAMBLER 7TH MARCH, 2019

Hello dear rose friends as we enjoy a respite from the searing heat of this past week and one of the hottest summers in years. Our roses never cease to amaze us with their extreme resilience to such harsh weather!

So, to celebrate their beauty and to recognise this LABOUR DAY HOLIDAY WEEKEND, we’re inviting you, our dedicated customers FOUR DAYS OF UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY to buy ANY TWO POTTED ROSES AND GET TWO FREE!

This offer is also available to our online customers at www.rosesalesonline.com.au who can expect to receive FOUR ROSES for every TWO ORDERED! (We can strap two boxes together with two roses in each box and you’ll only pay the postage price of TWO ROSES – $29.50 for up to FOUR ROSES – delivered to your door by Australia Post.)

IF ORDERING ONLINE YOU CAN SPECIFY WHICH POTTED ROSEShttps://www.rosesalesonline.com.au/ YOU PAY FOR and then IN THE COMMENTS SECTIONtell us which TWO FREE ROSES you wish us to send to you. If you cannot decide, then we’ll post our very best roses at the time of posting on TUESDAY, 19 TH MARCH, 2019!


GRA’S GARBLE …

When you plant your new roses, please remember to soak them, absolutely drench them when you first plant them and pour ECO-SEAWEED solution over them at planting and then at least once a fortnight thereafter – the benefits of seaweed application on roses is amazing and highly recommended for good health and profuse flowering – remember, the more foliage on any rose plant, the more flowers! It’s true!


See you this coming weekend at Silkies Rose Farm, Clonbinane … cheers – Graham & Diana