Month: October 2015

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I have a confession to make….I love roses, I love all their forms and all their colours and all of their fragrances….I adore them! Despite what some may say roses are very drought resistant, hardy plants and have, I think over the last ten or so years gotten a very bad wrap for not being water wise, this is simply not true. Roses are in fact very water wise and will easily survive a hot dry summer on two waterings per week and very little else, maybe a nice smile every now and again, a bit of dead heading and a handful of fertiliser. Some say that roses are lots of work-piffle- I say, to that-no more work than any other garden plant, you just need a little bit of knowledge…

Today I checked in on a garden that I pruned late August and the stunning Pierre De Ronsard wired against a fence is just heaving with divine blooms and it prompted me to let you all in on my secret..

Each year, I prune a lot of roses, not only my own and those in my client’s gardens and can’t tell you how many scratches, cuts and splinters I endured for my craft this past pruning season….so in saying that I reckon I know a thing or two about successful pruning.

Timing is everything…

I prune very late compared to many others in Perth. I’m not quite sure why some people prune in June because most roses are still in full bloom during our Autumn season because our seasons tend to sort of run together without clear definition. I start pruning roses for my clients in August and by the time the last rose is pruned it’s usually mid September and then I prune my own!-

OK- you ask- so, why do you prune so late?

I prune at this time of the year for a number of reasons but mostly because I’m an impatient gardener and I like to decrease the time between the bare wood and bud burst-I think that this decreases the opportunity for fungal diseases to get their hold into the plant. My roses and those of my clients are strong and healthy. Every rose is pruned and then immediately sprayed with Lime Sulphur-it absolutely stinks but it works. Roses must be sprayed before the cell walls close up to be effective, leave them a day after pruning and you are wasting your time and money spraying them at all. I do not need to treat roses for black spot-no spraying-I do not get infestations of aphids and this is because I dont’ spray so that the beneficial insects like hover flies and ladybirds keep the aphids in check-nature doing the work for me-so there you have it …I have a garden full of beautiful blooms and it’s only six weeks since I pruned mine!

Which tools do I use?

Over the years, I have used many different types of secateurs and pruners but in recent years I choose to use Corona Tools pruners. I find that when I prune with other brands my hands start to ache after I have pruned my 10th rose for the day but with Corona Tools pruners they are just more comfortable in my hands. 

So next year-why not think about pruning later than you normally would-you wont regret it!

These images are all roses blooming in my garden today-enjoy~

Happy Gardening

Andrea

So, I’m walking down along the Hudson River with my dear travelling companion Sue, it’s a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, lucky I’m wearing my trusty new Skechers (highly recommend these daggy shoes for travelling) forget about boots Nancy Sinatra, these shoes really are made for walking!-there’s the Statue of Liberty over there to my right-yes the actual Statue of Liberty-I AM IN NEW YORK!!!!

Now, you remember dear blogging friends, that I’m here celebrating “our” 50th year with my dear friend Helen from Anna Plains station. Helen is off with some other friends for the day and my trusty friend Sue and I are walking…now remembering we’re in NEW YORK, the busiest metropolis on the planet, I was not really holding out much hope for wildlife or nature apart from seeing it on The High line and Central Park but I was so wrong. There’s a Buddleia davidii covered in blooms, huge deep purple blooms heavy with nectar , gently moving in the breeze and covered in stunning big healthy bees and the most wonderful monarch butterflies. There’s birds everywhere and my heart is bursting…there is hope for our planet-butterflies and bees live!-even in New York! and on we travel and I come across a beautiful rose-filled garden and a lush green lawn, right on the banks of the river and there are some words carved into a low wall in gold paint and they say…”I can sail without wind, I can row without oars but I cannot part from my friend without tears” and I turn to Sue and say with a little tear in my eye “OMG that’s exactly how I feel whenever I have to say goodbye to Helen”… and so I take a photo and we continue on our way.

In the middle of the road literally, the middle of the road, someone has created and continues to nurture a miniature succulent garden….delightful!

There’s a huge big bronze apple-of course there is -THE BIG APPLE…you’re with me right…we’re in New York!

There’s charming window boxes as we stroll up Christopher St in the West Village towards our apartment-I’m so happy to be here at this time of the year, New Yorkers really know how to enjoy the summer season by welcoming nature home to their front windows and doors-gorgeous! I’m going to really make an effort with my front door when I get home, I think to myself.

Weeks later and I’m on the plane travelling from LA to Sydney with Helen who has joined me en route home and we’re sitting on the plane, sharing phone photos, giggling like little girls-WE HAVE JUST BEEN IN NEW YORK!! and she tells me about this park along the Hudson River and a saying on the wall and how she was walking with Sue when she saw it and said “that’s how I feel when I say goodbye to Andrea” and Sue says “that’s exactly what Andrea said when she and I walked past here last week. We both look at each other, smile, knowing just what the other was thinking. It’s a rare thing to have a connection with someone like that-not to be taken lightly-to be cherished and we do!

Sue hasn’t said a word but she must think we’re both a little crazy. ..in a good way of course!