2017 Spring Newsletter No Images? Click here Spring has arrived and depending on where you are, your roses will either have fresh growth or your first flush of blooms. This season's newsletter is jam packed full of great information to help you get the most from your roses!In this newsletter... - Our best sellers for 2017 - Rose care for Spring - Slasher Weedkiller - an organic herbicide - Potted roses - Summer delivery - Come and be inspired - visit our display garden - Spring at our rose farm Our best sellers for 2017: After a fantastic bare rooted season, the results are in. These are our best selling roses for 2017. This is a true indication that the health and fragrance of a rose is of high importance to gardeners in Australia. ROSE CARE FOR SPRINGHere are the basic tasks you should be completing over the coming months. WATERING Water is the key to life and this is no different for roses! Regular watering helps to promote strong growth in our rose plants. It is especially important that any newly planted roses are receiving enough water, as this will allow the plant to establish a root system in its new location. Established roses still need plenty of water. However, they are a little resilient as their roots have had time to grow. It is recommended that each plant receives approximately 10 litres of water twice a week. For potted roses less water is required, but they should be watered daily. View our watering guide for more information and simple tips to successfully water your roses. MULCHING Mulching is beneficial to our garden as it helps to provide an additional layer of insulation to the soil. This helps to keep the soil cool and damp, providing extra protection to our roses during the hot Summer months. With this additional protection roses are less likely to become heat damaged or scorched. Mulching is best done at the start of Spring when the soil is still cool and damp from Winter. View our guide on mulching rose gardens for more information. FERTILISING ROSES Rose are very heavy feeders and require nutrients to fight diseases and pests. Feeding will encourage your plant to produce quality vigorous, healthy growth with plenty of beautiful blooms to enjoy. For established and newly planted roses from winter, Spring is the time to give your plants their first application of fertiliser. The timing of this will depend on where you are located. We recommend waiting for your first flush of flowers to be produced before the application of any fertiliser. Fertiliser is best applied when the soil is damp. Then water in thoroughly. For more information on fertilising roses and various methods and applications, view our guide to fertilising. PREVENTION - SPRAYING BEFORE THE ISSUE OCCURS Prevention is better than a cure! Start spraying for fungal diseases and pests as new growth is produced. Preventive spraying will help to decrease the presence of fungal diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew, along with pests such as aphids and thrip, resulting in a happier and healthier rose garden. It is a good idea to alternate the fungicides and pesticides so that fungi and pests do not build up a resistance to the products you are using. For more information and advice on rose health issues, follow the link below. APHIDS Aphids generally appear during Spring and Summer, feeding on the sap of soft new shoots, leaves and flower buds. If left untreated they can cause deformed flowers, the wilting of shoots and may even defoliate the plant. There are many approaches you can take to removing aphids, from simply squishing them with your fingers to spraying pesticides. View our information on aphids for treatment advice. SLASHER WEEDKILLER - an organic herbicide!This fantastic new product can be used anywhere in the garden and around the house with the benefit of being safe for use near roses. It has no lasting spray residues (100% biodegradable within a few days), meaning there is no nasty chemicals left in the soil or garden. Find out more by following the link. POTTED ROSES - Summer Delivery Can't wait until winter next year to receive more roses? We have you covered! Our range of potted roses will become available for purchase in October (shipping commences November) and are ready to plant. COME AND BE INSPIRED - VISIT OUR DISPLAY GARDEN! Our large 2.5 acre display garden located at our farm in Portland, Victoria and houses over 200 rose varieties. The garden is open 7 days a week to the public and is the perfect place for a picnic lunch or simply a relaxing stroll among the roses. Don't miss our peak flush in November and December when the garden is at its best! Farm tours are available for large groups from November to the end of March - bookings are essential for tours. For more information contact us or follow the link below. SPRING AT OUR ROSE FARMWith the last orders now packed and shipped, the winter bare root season is over and it is now time to clean up the farm and prepare for a new year. THE CLEAN UP After winter the farm is in need of a good tidy up, including weeding over 200 acres of rose crops. We do not use weed killer as there is risk of chemical damage to the rose plants. All weeding is done by hand shovel and light machinery NEXT YEAR'S ROSES Our two year crop that was budded last Summer is 'topped' in September. This is the process of removing the root stock from above the bud union, forcing the sap to flow through the graft. Pictured is the emerging growth from the graft. NEW ROSE CROPSPlanting of our new crop of root stock cuttings has now been completed. It is a long process which commenced back in May. The stock will be ready to bud this coming summer and the resulting plants will be sold in winter 2019. FRESH GROWTH The farm literally comes to life in Spring as the roses break dormancy and start growth for a new year. Our paddocks become a field of green! We are here to help! If you ever have any questions about your roses, please contact our friendly staff for assistance. |