What a wonderful weekend it was at Tesselaar’s Plant Expo; there’s no doubt about it, we gardeners are all quite mad because we go out in all kinds of weather! Perfect on Saturday but we huddled closely under umbrellas and any shelter on Sunday in the cold wind and driving rain – nice to be so up close and personal with those of you who braved the elements to visit us at the Expo –
THANK YOU!
As expected, the flowers withstood the elements – picked in a field where there was no water, laid in the back of the van and transported for more than one hour!!! Their stems were re-cut prior to vasing and they immediately responded – rained on out in the open each night but everybody commented on the magnificent fragrance and stunning beauty that lured them into our site
LET’S GET A FEW THINGS CLEAR …
We try and write concise messages about how to manage your roses and I suppose, sometimes we don’t quite get it totally right because we are doing it every day and it comes natural to us – here are a few emails from the past week which I am sure you will benefit from reading:
Hello.
I religiously read all of the newsletters that you send me and I have a question to ask regarding the regular spraying of the mix of Eco Rose, Eco Oil and Seaweed solution.
1 Do I need to also water it into the soil or only spray on the foliage?
2. Does it matter if I also spray my other flowers and small bushes and the small trees such as Buddleja and Lilac trees with the same mix, or should I leave out the Eco Rose and use only the Seaweed solution for the other plants.
I have lost some of the older roses recently so I am taking more care with the younger ones. We have very poor clay soil here and even though we plant them in a good soil mix I think that after a while they suffer when their roots reach the clay. Actually our most successful roses are the ones in pots. Some of the standard roses have grown quite big and been in the large pots for years.
Thank you … Jenny
MY RESPONSE …
Hi Jenny … thank you for your enquiry. You spray the foliage to run-off which means residual goes to the soil anyway … after pruning in winter, you might purposely spray over the mulch to reduce fungal spores. All plants will benefit from the spray program – especially fruit trees, lots of vegetables and most ornamentals! Seaweed solution can be used directly on the soil at all/any times to improve plant health – it is NOT fertilizer – pour it from the watering can very liberally for all plants and extremely important for potted plants!
I don’t believe that clay is ‘poor soil’ because once the rose roots get down into the clay, they usually flourish unless they are drowning due to poor drainage – mulching clay will encourage worms to come to the surface and do the aerating (digging) for you … this takes time but is very good gardening practice!!!
Potted roses should be repotted at least every TWO years at which time you heavily prune the roots and bush/standard prior to repotting!
Hope this answers your queries … cheers – Diana
Not bragging but another email which came to my inbox after midnight warms the cockles of my heart and makes this journey all so very worthwhile:
Hi Diana
I received your magnificent book today and I am up till late reading every word and enjoying the photos.
I have grown many of these roses and have loved them all. Not surprised to read that Jardins de Bagatelle is one of your favourites 🙂 When I was visiting Paris about five years ago I travelled to the Bagatelle gardens amongst others.
I love your book. It’s a good, sensible reference for any rose grower, beginner to experienced. I hope to get to your talk at Tessallars on Saturday.
Cheers … Michelle.
GRA’S GARBLE …
Bit knackered this week after the Tesselaar Plant Expo last weekend but I’ve got this to share: a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female; hope this makes you laugh like I did …
FREEZER BAGS:
They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
HOT AIR BALLOONS:
Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their butt.
SPONGES:
These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.
WEB PAGES:
Female, because they’re constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.
EGG TIMERS:
Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.
HAMMERS:
Male, because in the last 5000 years, they’ve hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.
THE REMOTE CONTROL:
Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he’d be lost without it, and while he doesn’t always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.
Respecting the ANZACS, we’ll be open for business after midday till 4.30pm on Saturday and we suggest you might drive by the Wandong township to see the ‘new’ memorial garden which we have had the pleasure of planting and managing over the past 18 months … these pics are only a very small part of the whole garden – please do take a look if you’re coming up our way …
Enjoy quiet, reflective moments in your garden this very special weekend for all Australians …
cheers from Diana, Graham and Mooi at Clonbinane
