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 50th 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