Hello dear rose friends … well, the race is on – which roses are going to be the first to flower in your garden?  Here at cold Clonbinane where we have had two frosts this past week, the old-fashioned roses are winning … Rugosa Scabrosa, Stanwell Perpetual, Mrs. Fred Danks and Nancy Hayward with the modern rose winner, Gold Bunny doing as expected … the first to flower in most years!

How exciting and how beautiful and how very lucky we are that we all love roses – I think we’re in for a stunning flowering season, the rose buds are so pumped full of deep soaking rain … sorry to our far north friends who are experiencing drought!!!

Because of all the humidity, it is imperative that you continue the rose spray-maintenance program – people who are continuing with this program on a fortnightly basis are enjoying their roses … no black-spot, no aphids!

Please don’t wait until problems occur – to 10 litres of water add:

¼ cup Eco-Rose/Fungicide (powder should be dissolved in water first)

¼ cup liquid seaweed

¼ cup Eco-oil

If the aphids have beat you to the punch and your roses are covered in them, you need to add 20ml of Eco-Neem to the above recipe for quicker, effective control.

GRAHAM’S INPUT …  What about Spring?  It is a time for massive growth on all plants .. I MEAN MASSIVE!  Go for a drive and see the GREEN – it is the most relaxing colour of all of Mother Nature’s colours.

Did you know that going for a drive in your car is the most popular of all recreational activities that Australians do?  Not the footy or sports viewing on TV or going to the theatre …

FEED THE SOIL … especially at this time because of the massive growth surge – we use and recommend Complete Organic Fertilizer – clean to distribute, no smell and loaded with a balance of nutrients suitable for all plants except Natives!  Liquid seaweed is a tonic which contains over 70 minerals …

• Great for seedlings and newly planted roses
• Used fortnightly on your roses there will be 30% more flowers than normal!
• Nourishes the worms and soil microbes

Just mix ¼ cup liquid seaweed to a watering can and pour over all the plants … as Diana says:  JUST DO IT!

Lastly, question:  What do you call a fairy that hasn’t taken a bath?  Answer:  Stinker Bell

Love your garden … Gra

MOON PLANTING AND BEST GARDENING DAYS … If you’ve spent the last couple of days weeding, you’re totally in sync with the moon and the weeds will have pulled up very easily.  Continue weeding and get your hair cut until 1.00pm on the 4^th October.

Don’t bother sowing anything on 5^th October.

Best sowing/planting days:  all day on 6^th, 7^th and 8^th;  all day on 11^th.

No sowing on 12^th October

For the sceptics, plant some seeds on 5^th and 12^th October but please, also plant some seeds on the recommended days and you be the judge of which plants perform and produce the best and which plants require less management for pests and disease.  Please have a go at this and if there is enough interest in this gardening method, I will guide you through October in next week’s issue of the Rose Rambler.

Keep us posted through www.allaboutroses.com.au or simply email your thoughts to info@rosesalesonline.com.au – we enjoy your feedback.

IN CLOSING …  “Until you try, you don’t know what you can’t do.”   Have a go at something new and adventurous in your garden this week – I bought some packs of flower seeds the other day and randomly threw them in around the rocks near the back door … the excitement and anticipation is a wonderful experience – must go now and put the snail bait out too!  Have a really lovely week …

Diana & Graham Sargeant at Clonbinane

Hello dear rose friends  …   Oh, what an interesting week … the panic of acquiring the last bare-rooted roses of this season with roses being posted all about the place.  Naturally, they’re all leafed up and some even have buds on – just remember to keep the liquid seaweed up to your roses – weekly for the next couple of weeks and then routine monthly maintenance thereafter!

Also, there have been panic calls about aphids!  Apparently the populations in some gardens are quite extensive.  Usually, the aphids are congregating and breeding rapidly in the less windy part of the garden … under the eaves, in the corner, around other large shrubs, etc.

The ladybirds will catch up although I haven’t seen any here yet …?  All the little birds will be having a feast and they need the aphids as a food source while they are nurturing their young.  That doesn’t resolve your problem … they’re destroying your roses!  So apart from using the Eco-oil insecticide, you might add some Eco-Neem!

The insect eats the Eco-Neem sprayed plant material;  the insect then fails to moult (shed their skin) which severely disrupts growth, development and reproduction.  The insect also loses the desire to feed, resulting in starvation.  Yes, it works but it may take up to 10 days before you see a significant reduction in the population of aphids which now, because they are weak, become prey for other insects, birds and reptiles in the garden!

Meantime, removing heavily affected foliage by finger-pruning is very effective in reducing numbers of aphids thus interrupting their breeding cycle.

We urge you not to resort to systemic chemical use!!!  Also, don’t use pyrethrum sprays as they will also kill all the other beneficial insects in the garden and so a very vicious cycle of chemical sprays will be required throughout the season.

Nature is a bit out of whack right now … please nurture the biodiversity in your space by letting things take their course and so what, if you don’t get the most abundant show of roses in the coming weeks, the next round will be glorious!

If Nature ever needed you to be kind and patient, now is the moment!!!

SOMETHING WORTH SHARING …  This beautiful quote came to me from a friend and I would like to pass it on …

“Today may there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.   May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.   May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you.  May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”

GRAHAM’S TIPS …  If you’re at all concerned about the fact that your pets might eat the fertilizer you apply to the plants, how about tossing the fertilizer into a 44 gallon drum (or other suitable container) filling it with water and then after about 10 days, using the now dissolved fertilizer as a ‘tea’ … water a well diluted solution over the plants – say 1:10 (one part solution to 10 litres water) and you can add liquid seaweed plus the Eco-products all at the same time!

We waste all our urine by flushing it in the toilet… pee into the above solution – girls, get creative but don’t ask me to help you here –  If any of you Rose Rambler readers notice how your pets react to this application of liquid fertiliser rather than pellets, can you please let us know your findings … thanks – have a great week!

Joke of the week … Q. What do you do if a truck runs over your toe?  A. Call a toe truck ..!

Graham’s joke leads me to tell this story … grandson Cooper was here and I helped him climb the large oak tree in the front garden – up and down, bouncing, swinging off like a monkey – all great fun until at the last minute, he fell and hurt his back and backside!  Walking to the house he asked me:  “Oma do you have bum cream?”  … yes, of course Oma has bum cream!  He laid on the floor while I applied the “that’s cool Oma” bum cream … little one’s have a way of melting you!

FINGER PRUNING …   So that all the flowers don’t emerge at the same time and also to strengthen the branches for beautiful, sturdy bushes throughout this flowering season, go around the rose bushes now and pinch out the top leaflets of half of all the new growths.  You could use secateurs but because the growth is very lush, it breaks off easily.

If you do this ‘finger pruning’ now, you are guaranteed to have a very consistent production of flowers throughout the season – the bush will branch out very well and the flowering stems will be strong and robust.

You will also be reducing aphid activity on some of this lush young growth – they’ll move into your neighbour’s garden because you’ve taken the ‘easy bits’ away!  It works, believe me!!!  If you’re at the Rose Farm in the next few weeks, ask me how to finger prune – always happy to show you this skill because it definitely lengthens the flowering season!

Alan in central coast N.S.W. is way beyond ‘finger pruning’ … he’s been sending me beautiful photos of his rose blooms and here’s ‘SUMMER OF LOVE’ … a glorious replacement for the old rose ‘JOYFULLNESS’ which has lost it’s vigour and is no longer worth having in the nursery … take a look at this beauty and if you, like us, don’t have rose blooms yet, here’s what we have to look forward to …

Have a wonderful week in the Spring garden … cheers from Clonbinane … Diana & Graham

Hello dear rose friends … “I love Spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would greet it in a garden” … and there is no other place but the garden, where this glorious season delights all the senses quite so magically!  Have you heard a thrush call in the evening or maybe a wattle-bird in the morning – the kookaburras, the magpies and the tweet of the pardalotes and the wrens – all busy harvesting nesting material … what a business!

THE ROSES ARE POTTED AND READY TO FLOWER …  Yes, busy times behind us now as all the roses are potted and bursting forth with a delightful display of all the various colours of their foliage – some glossy and light green, the stunning dark almost black red, the browns and dark greens;  some serrated edged, some dull-matt grey/green … all really beautiful and fresh with the rose buds forming within this colourful display.

To ensure this bounty of foliage stays lush and healthy, if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to fertilize the rose bushes!  Timely also to start the spray maintenance program by mixing the following amount of product to 10 litres of water:

¼ cup liquid seaweed

¼ cup Eco – oil (insecticide)

¼ cup Eco – Rose (fungicide)

Eco – Neem (if you have a massive outbreak of aphids or other insects!)

All the products we use and recommend are entirely natural and organically-certified.  They are designed to assist Mother Nature when weather conditions or environmental variables occur that create an outbreak of pests/disease and can be used on your vegetables and fruit trees knowing that you can confidently harvest within hours of spraying!

NEVER SPRAY IF THE TEMPERATURE IS PREDICTED TO BE OVER 30 DEGREES!  Morning application of the spray maintenance program is preferred because the stomata (pores) of the plant are open and very receptive to nutrient uptake … if time does not permit morning application, do it after dinner … just DO IT so that you can enjoy the glory of beautiful, healthy roses with an abundance of flowers.

CLEMATIS … Such a magnificent sight … a rose flowering in all it’s beauty with a Clematis twining it’s way through the rose blooms.  Hybrid Clematis are one of the strongest and most beautiful compliment/companion plants of climbing roses and I urge you to dig a ‘double hole’ when you’re next planting a climbing rose … pop a Hybrid Clematis alongside the rose ensuring the Clematis is planted on the shaded side of the rose.

So many gardeners say they have lost their Clematis … you MUST plant the Clematis very deep in the soil because it requires a cool root-run – put a large rock at it’s base to keep the roots cool but definitely plant it in the sun!

Clematis tolerate frost far more readily than the roses …!!!!  The Clematis in the gardens here are about to flower – roses won’t be flowering until late October.  Truly, they are one of the toughest, hardiest and most spectacular plants!  Buy one this Spring!!!

TOUCHING TESTIMONIAL …  The Winter roses were late, couriers were unreliable and I was missing spending quality time with my gorgeous 80 year-old Mum!  We had a beaut day out!

Hi Diana,

To all  readers of the Rose Rambler I would like to comment on the FANTASTIC personal service with my roses delivery.

As we know due to seasonal conditions deliveries were delayed, mine more so by my absence to “sunnier climes” (DARWIN)! On my return my roses were personally delivered by none other than Diana who took the opportunity to take her Mum for a drive to Bendigo, deliver my roses and have lunch!!

I hope the lunch was nice! My roses have struck beautifully!!

Many Thanks,

Paul Penno Eaglehawk!

So nice when it all works out and there’s a happy customer.  For those who didn’t enjoy such personal service, I do hope our roses are now thriving in your garden!!!

GRA’S BITS …  I will start with a laugh – did you know that humour helps us learn …?

Q.  What do you call a pig doing karate?  A.  A pork chop!

Lucerne mulch actually feeds the plants as well as …

• Saving water
• Adding nitrogen, potassium and a host of other nutrients and minerals to the soil
• Improving fruit and vegetable yields
• Strengthening flowering plants like roses
• Fantastic for no-dig gardens
• Worms love it!

Small square bales can be purchased from produce stores;  we sell it here at the Rose Farm in bags – it’s been milled for easy application – light mulch around the roses NOW!

IN CLOSING …  Have a great, happy week – Diana & Graham Sargeant

P.S.  Write this date in your calendar:  SUNDAY, 1^ST DECEMBER, 2013 – SPECTACULAR ROSE EVENT AT THE STATE ROSE GARDEN, WERRIBEE – FREE DAY OUT WITH ROSES, ROSES AND MORE ROSES!  BE THERE!

ROSE RAMBLER 5.9.2013

Hello dear rose friends … Hope all you Dads had a very Happy Father’s Day!

Welcome to Spring with warm, sunny days and a definite hint of the glorious flowers to come.  By now all your new and beautifully pruned roses will be shooting madly – I hope you have given them a high quality fertilizer to nurture them through this time of intense growth.

Remember that a rose which is growing in well fertilized, humus rich soil will naturally be far more able to resist any pest and disease problems … if you haven’t yet fertilized your roses, DO IT NOW and do it again in another 8 weeks when they are flowering!

HOW TO FERTILIZE YOUR GARDEN …  Fertilizing is a very important task and your plants will reward you immensely when they are fed with high quality products … we are so lucky now that science has produced easy-to-use fertilizers with a complete package of nutrients so that we don’t have to purchase a little bag of this and another bag of that … buy a quality ALL PURPOSE FERTILIZER and spread it all over the root zone of the plants!!!

We’ve only got one small space to put the food into our bodies … yes, our mouth!   The clever mechanism of our body distributes the nutrients from that food, throughout our entire system!  Plants spread feeder roots over the whole canopy of their growth so if you throw the fertilizer at the base of the plant, that fertilizer isn’t being distributed evenly for the plant to be able to utilise it.  Take a bit of time to lightly distribute the fertilizer around the entire root-zone of your plants … do it frequently and enjoy the rewards!

GRAHAM’S TIPS … Roses appeal to every single one of our senses …

• SMELL .. yes, they are great for fragrance – put your nose in a rose!  I wear a peak-cap which reads:  ROSES FOR NOSES .. learn how to enjoy the fragrance of ALL roses!
• TASTE .. rose petals are increasingly being used in cakes, salads .. follow our organic rose management program and freely use rose petals in your food .. try it!
• TOUCH .. experience the gentle moment on watching a child feel the rose petals – don’t scare them about the thorns .. kids will learn to respect walking around roses!
• SOUND .. Yes, even sound is embraced in a rose and you can ‘hear’ it too .. the birds in the early morning opening the stomata (pores) to receive the dew or maybe your liquid seaweed application tonic … read the book “Secret Life Of Plants” to know more!
• SIGHT .. WOW .. what a display of colours – surely the biggest range of any flower species on our planet!

(There was no joke written on the page so I presume you’ll have to wait till next week… Diana)

PESKY LITTLE PESTS …  We are already getting phone calls about the infestation of aphids –please don’t despair about aphids because they will occur on the more ‘protected’ roses – the one’s in the corner of the garden, under the eaves maybe, places where it isn’t windy, and provided you have some other flowers in the garden now, the ladybirds will be happening because they need the pollen and nectars of all the flowers to induce their breeding program … once they get going, the aphids will come under attack as the primary feed-source for the ladybirds!  All the little birds like sparrows, wrens and pardalotes will also be feasting on the aphids and other predator insects in the garden … so,

PLEASE don’t go down to the local supermarket or garden centre and purchase a ‘quick-fix’ chemical spray!  Let nature take it’s course, don’t get too anxious – let the birds and ladybirds enjoy the bounty of this beautiful Spring, continue with your regular rose maintenance program and if things get a bit out of hand, increase the rate of application of your eco-rose products!  Call us if you feel you need more advice.

IN CLOSING …  In the ‘busy-ness’ of everyday routine, take a quiet walk through your garden and revel in the joy of Spring … this blossom is on my 50^th birthday fruit tree which has been shifted several times and produces delicious nectarines and peaches every year – how many will I get this year …???

Enjoy the glory of being a gardener – cheers from Diana & Graham

ROSE RAMBLER 29.8.2013

Hello dear rose friends …  there’s always something to share … gardening is just that way and a tip for those of you who have fruit trees that you wish to protect from possums is:

“Hello there Diana, thanks for all the pearls of wisdom you send out.

RE the possums – mine love the nectarines but do not bother my roses  –  choosy!!!

However, last year I heard, saw or read that if you spray with molasses one cup to one litre water, they will leave the fruit alone. Last year when there were actually some nectarines growing on the tree (none this year to check), I sprayed with this concoction and lo and behold the nectarines survived. Just a light spray over the plant did the trick.   Perhaps someone would like to try this. As I was not able to repeat this year I cannot be sure if it was just coincidence …??? Cheers,  Dorothy”

“Hi Diana & Graham, Sorry to hear the parrots are misbehaving in your garden. I feel a bit guilty as I did chuckle but sympathize really, a bit destructive like the possums around here. At the moment I am hanging small yellow plastic containers with moth balls in them on my rose bushes. (They are about 10cm long and came from Bunnings.) They seem to be working but have only been there 2 weeks. These containers are sealed but moth balls are poisonous so not a good idea if you have inquisitive children.

I have also cut up the black, plastic, spiky guards and nailed them to the top of the fence. That does make life unpleasant for the possums when I run out in the evening (doing a Diana) and they need to escape in a hurry!  Have a good day.  Margaret”

If you have a pearl of garden wisdom to share, please send me an email just like Dorothy and Margaret did and here also, are  GRAHAM’S GARDENING TIPS:

• I suggest that molasses sprayed on an area of weeds will reduce their proliferation.  Why, I hear you ask?  The weeds do not like ‘sweet soil’ and since molasses is a sweetener, made from sugar cane, weeds cannot and will not grow where the soil is sweet!
• Coffee grinds are very useful so don’t ‘bin’ them for the following reasons:

1. There is a heap of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium including traces of other minerals.
2. Acid loving plants appreciate a sprinkling of coffee grounds directly on the soil around the base of the plant.
3. Slugs and snails will not crawl across the grounds – use them as a repellent.
4. Place the grounds in the compost heap – worms absolutely love them!

Next time you’re at your local Café, ask if they will save the coffee grinds so that you can use them on your garden … they’ll most likely oblige – especially if you offer to collect them a few times each week and provide a lidded container for the storage.

Joke of the Week … What happens if you eat yeast and shoe polish?

Answer:  You will rise and shine! What a wonderful way to start Spring … it’s going to be a great season!

RE-POTTING PLANTS … At least every two years, plants which have been in containers must be planted into fresh potting mix.  Follow these easy steps to rejuvenate your potted roses:

• Tip the pot sideways out onto an old bag or plastic sheet – you may need a knife to lever the plant out;
• Trim 2/3 of the growth – remove all dead or old wood;
• Cut away 1/3 of the existing root ball and tease remaining roots;
• Reposition the plant using a high quality, fresh potting mix;
• Water-in with the hose to remove all air-pockets – you may need to top up the potting mix after this soaking;
• Water over with liquid seaweed to reduce the transplanting shock.

It’s never too late to undertake this very important task – plants which are left in containers for more than two years will definitely deteriorate.  Always use high quality potting mix and for the life of the plant, water containerised roses with liquid seaweed at least once a month.

IN CLOSING … “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin” … William Shakespeare

This is the Season when everything changes so radically, so perfectly, so beautifully … the birds are singing and the mowers mowing … enjoy the moments!

Diana & Graham Sargeant, Silkies Rose Farm, CLONBINANE

ROSE RAMBLER 15.8.2013

Hello dear rose friends …Rain, rain, go away .. come again another day … I’m trying to heed Graham’s gardening tip from last week to go and prune the roses NOW and I seriously hate working in the rain even though I know I can go and take a hot shower afterwards … it would be my luck that I would get soaking wet, go take a shower and somebody would rock up here at the Rose Farm looking for a rose …NICE ???  NOT!!!

Let’s move right into … GRAHAM’S GARDENING TIPS …

• Compost is great to use on the garden – start right now to add your own compost around the rose bushes because it is a ’gentle’ feed and the cold soil microbes and worms LOVE compost for feed and warmth.
• If you cannot produce your own compost, there are many brands of quality compost available in 30 litre bags – clean and easy to distribute around the roses;  they will reward you with bountiful healthy rose bushes and lots of flowers.
• When you place the compost around the plants, cover with a light layer of mulch which will protect the microbes when the sun starts to get hot!

Gra’s humorous episode happened recently:  I drove into a car park and he said:  “Did you know they now have senior’s car parks at Coles?”  “No, I hardly ever go there but how would they know you’re a senior anyway?”  His reply (quick as a flash):  “Because somebody would have seen ya!”  Needless to say, we rolled, laughing into the restaurant.

WARNING ABOUT WET FEET … ROSES HATE WET FEET …  If you are at all concerned that your new roses are not performing as you would expect, or if they are starting to go ‘brown’ around the bud-union or on the green stems, get them up out of the sopping wet ground and let them grow in pots for a while!  Take care of the drainage to the garden bed and re-plant the roses later when the soil has had a chance to stabilise after all this rain!

Please never leave the new bare-rooted roses in soggy soil because they will definitely perish in a boggy soil!

The newly planted rose bushes should now be producing lots of plump buds and new shoots.  Some develop quicker than others, depending on variety.  Provided you have all the right requirements in place, your Winter roses will be producing lots of roots and this is indicated by swollen buds and shoots.  If you didn’t prune the new roses when/before they went into the ground, go around now and give them a light prune to an outward facing bud – while you’re out in the garden, get the watering can and your liquid seaweed… treat all the roses to a wash-down tonic which will encourage more roots … more roots, more shoots, more shoots, more flowers!  DO IT NOW!!!

SHIFTING AN OLD ROSE …  This afternoon I had a call from an inner-city gardener who (with approval from the property owners) saved four very old roses from a demolition site.  He dug the roses whereas I would have asked the machine operator to dig them!  Anyway, he’s got the roses in his yard but no ground to put them in …?  That’s a real boy thing to do!

Moving on to the important part of our conversation … my suggestions were as follows:

• Cut every single branch to around 30cms in length
• Remove all the old/deadwood at the crown
• Cut out the oldest branches until 3-7 branches remain
• Soak the plants overnight in a trough with weak solution of liquid seaweed
• Plant tomorrow into the garden or;
• Pot into quality potting mix and locate in a sunny position
• Water lightly weekly with liquid seaweed solution

If you have an opportunity to save old roses from the demolition derby which is happening all around us, please do so with confidence …  the pleasure will be immense and the satisfaction in knowing that the person who planted that rose, however many years ago, will be there in spirit, looking over your shoulder and providing all the energy to make the rose survive … believe it and it will happen!

Transplanting an old rose can and should happen whenever the situation occurs … we transplanted the entire rose garden from the Kilmore rose nursery location in February/March and not one single rose died in the process!  Virginia has a beautiful rose garden as a testament of the hardiness and resilience of roses!!!

IN CLOSING …  Enjoy the last weeks of Winter by rugging up and getting down and dirty in the rose garden … the weeds are coming up easily so get ahead of them NOW … when your day is done and you look out at the beautifully pruned rose garden … oh, the pleasure …!

Cheers from Diana & Graham