food for roses

Your wish is my command woo

Remember, I never took them










Missus says she cut them back around May time, hence buds coming through now.

 

Thanks for that Armandii. Our High St is FULL of charity shops nowadays so will have a look over the next few days. Funny but I only ever really read biog`s or sports books and never look at the gardening ones when I`m in these shops. I`ve only just got the garden bug this year.

 

Fantastic gesture my friend and one I`ll gratefully accept. I would expect to pay for them though, either to yourself or to a charity of your choice. If you don`t have a preferred charity, I support the Erskine retirement home for ex-Servicemen, whichever suits you. Their website is here http://www.erskine.org.uk/

No wonder you are the rose guru. Over 1000 books. OMG.

Once again, I thank you (and all the other contributors on the forum) for all the advice given since I joined.

 

Here's my 2-pennyworth (repeating / reinforcing what others have laready said)

You need to seed the soil, as well as the plant. A good mulch (2" - 3") with well rotted manure.

I fertilise with Toprose twice a year - 1st just after pruning (when the buds are breaking / have just broken) and again after the first flush of flowers. (Probably not worth getting specially if you only have a few roses; I buy 4kg pack [per application] but I have about 60 roses

I prune twice - I just shorten all stems by 50% in Autumn (i.e. no care taken with exactly where I make the cut, just shorten all stems). This is to prevent wind-rock in the Winter.

I then Spring prune (late Feb, March, but not if harsh weather is continuing) and I cut them to within an inch of their life! It helps if the buds have fattened a bit so you can choose where you are pruning to. Ideally prune to an outward facing bud - so that the strong stem that then develops doesn't grow "into" the middle of the bush. If there is a bud in the wrong place (e.g. inward facing) just rub it out with the blade of your secateurs.

There is absolutely no way that I would hard prune in Autumn/Winter. When I spring prune there is often 2" - 3" of frost-killed wood - if I had pruned in Autumn that would have been all the usable stem for the plant! If you live in a milder part of the country then pruning earlier would indeed mean earlier flowering.

You need to get rid of all the diseased leaves on your plant, and all the leaves that have fallen on the ground, and do that on an ongoing basis - otherwise that black-spot is going to prevent your roses from performing well. This is critical I'm afraid. Then you need to spray them with a rose fungicide to reduce the black spot infection. I do this twice a month (my rule is "1st and 15th of the month" and I aim to do it on a suitable date near to that). Spray in the evening (you'll probably use a combined Rose Spray that includes an insecticide, don't want to kill nice insects by spraying during the day).

I think that's it!

 

I just googled Cobham Hall and I can`t believe how close I was 2 years ago.

I was working on the Isle of Grain and living in Rochester for a while.

It wouldn`t have registered with me then though as I wasn`t really into gardens much at that time.

 

Good afternoon oh wise one

I received the 2 books today you sent me. Fantastic gesture and one that`s very much appreciated.

very much sir.