Winter has been here with a vengeance over the last few weeks with wild weather, heavy rain and devastating floods in Australia for the third time this year. It is cold and bleak outside, but the odd thing is there are hundreds of roses out in bloom. Some roses blooming have never really been in flower to this degree before. I have no idea if the plants think it’s spring or if we haven’t had enough frost to allow them to go dormant. So, perhaps, they needed a cooler climate or more moisture; either way, it is a welcome sight on these bleak heavy clouded days.
My Yellow’ is a magnificent rose in spring and summer highlighted by brilliant golden yellow flushed with orange. It appears to have deeper coloured edges in the recent colder weather. ‘My Yellow Rose ‘ was bred by Australian rose grower Bruce Brundrett in Victoria and will grow to 1.5 metres with dense foliage. It is always blooming and, despite the weather, still looks good this late in the season or perhaps in the bleak wintery garden, it stands out more. Generally, this rose is exceptionally quick to reproduce blooms, and new growth often comes out before the flowers are spent. ‘My Yellow Rose’ is a Floribunda introduced to Australia by Treloar’s in 2018.
“Housework is for people who don’t know how to garden”
Another spectacular rose in bloom now, although quite different in colouring to when open in spring and summer, is Enchanting. A Floribunda florist rose bred by Hans Jürgen Evers in Germany in 2002 and introduced into Germany by Rosen-Tantau in 2002 as ‘Shanty’. In usual flowering times, this rose is brilliant deep pink, yellowy-orange and magenta that glows in the sun and is stunning set against the glossy dark green foliage.
The winter colours of the rose are subdued but still gorgeous in the landscape.
The forever delightful La Vi En Rose continues to flower and appears to love the cooler weather. It is gorgeous and one of my all-time favourite roses. The hand-painted petals of this Delbard Painters series rose are perfect. Oddly enough, this was one rose that only a few years ago had so much trouble with small black beetles eating out the buds and blooms before they could open adequately. And since it recovered has thrived, blooming all season continuously. I initially planted two of these roses near each other, but only one became the tall regal bush it is today.
If I’m in the country, my big idea is to do nothing. It means talking, it means cooking with the leftovers in the fridge – l’art d’accommoder les restes – it means gardening.
Christian Louboutin
The French Lace rose is blooming in the garden after being transplanted from a pot recently. It is a Floribunda rose bred by William Warner USA in 1980 and introduced as French Lace by Jackson and Perkins with the registration name JAClace. French Lace will grow to 90 cm and has a soft old, world appearance of white with pink undertones and a touch of peach. The bush grows upright and has leathery foliage and a mild fruity fragrance, and the blooms are primarily single but sometimes in clusters. French Lace pictured below is not a perfect specimen due to the cold weather but provides an idea of how beautiful it will be in Spring.
Clarity is the most important thing. I can compare clarity to pruning in gardening. You know, you need to be clear. If you are not clear, nothing is going to happen. You have to be clear. Then you have to be confident about your vision. And after that, you just have to put a lot of work in.
Diane von Furstenberg
Winter pruning the roses is tricky because one never knows the nature of the weather. If I prune too early and tidy up all these late-blooming roses to help them go dormant, will they make new shoots and, if late frosts arrive, become burnt and damaged? It is so tempting to get out the secateurs and start lopping them back, apply the lime sulphur but the memory of severe frosts from the past threatens my thinking, and I err on the side of caution. If only the weather were predictable. It is not uncommon in this region to have late frosts up until September so I’ll have to be patient as always. These are the roses plus many more out in bloom this week.
My passion for gardening may strike some as selfish, or merely an act of resignation in the face of overwhelming problems that beset the world. It is neither. I have found that each garden is just what Voltaire proposed in Candide: a microcosm of a just and beautiful society.
Andrew Weil
Pictured above are the roses; Seduction, Grandma’s Rose, Gold Bunny, My Yellow, Souvenir de Louise Amade, La Vien Rose, Parole, Per -Fyoom Perfume, Enchanting and Miss Jane. Last but not least Nahema pictured below with its typical curled leaves and despite the spotted foliage, looks better than ever.
“Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the Spring and ends in the Autumn is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in June with the dream.”
Josephine Nuese.
It looks like another indoor weekend as the rain has started to fall again. I am yearning to get out into the winter garden to do more prep for the arrival of new roses so let’s hope the sun is out tomorrow, especially along the coastal areas of Australia.
Title quote by Angelus Silesius -Mystic and religious poet 1624 – 1677
All content Di Baker 2022
Images Di Baker this week in the garden July 2022