Spring is moving along, and those first reluctant warm days are now established as the norm; the atmosphere is exhilarating. Every day is new since we have not lived in our region long and are unfamiliar with the unfolding of each season.
Our town is called ‘The Colour City’, it is clear why. Colour is abundant as immense Rhododendrons continue to bloom in their flamboyant colours in gardens and parks. Some are vivid and bright, and others tower over houses in brilliant white, soft pink and mauve. It is spectacular.
Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?
Neltje Blanchan
Our garden was ripe for renewal, and the transformation is substantial. I was uncertain what was the best approach in a cool climate; what to grow with roses, what trees to add, would roses thrive here? And how much sun we would have across the garden.
Oscar Wilde
A flower blossoms for its own joy.
Despite the number of fruit trees in the garden, there is a good balance of sun and shade, and I’m happy to report that everything is flourishing. From the new turf, there is an extensive array of roses in the garden and in pots, perennials, companion plants, and foliage plants to annuals, succulents, bulbs, herbs, trees, and shrubs. Everything is flowering at the right time and soaking up the nutrients from the deep layer of whoflungdung mulch, making the roses extra vibrant and glowing.
The environment is far more subtle, less intensely hot than our first country garden, and more forgiving of changes. The annual rainfall is higher and the weather more changeable. Roses will always do well, and are easy to grow as long as they have enough sunlight- 6-8 hours a day. Immediately on planting bare root roses this year they have taken off growing extremely well in the new soil – even with all the rocks.
“When one flower blooms, spring awakens everywhere.”
John O’Donohue
As we head towards summer, the nature of how the light falls, the angle and strength of the sun, the breadth of shade from the canopy of fruit trees, and the temperature are becoming apparent. It is thrilling to see the aspects that have worked thus far, because until now, it has all been guesswork.
“Spring is when life’s alive in everything.”
Christina Rossetti
The rose blooms are rapidly opening, and every morning brings new surprises. I’ve been caught out more than once, doing a double take when in the garden a flash of colour catches my eye beneath the foliage. Today’s surprise was this Soul Sister Rose spotted whilst watering early this morning, and looking rich and elegant from the first bloom.
Leo Tolstoy
Spring is the time of plans and projects.
Soul Sister, also known as Koko Loco Rose, and was bred by Christian Bedard in the United States in 2008. It was introduced by Weeks in 2012 as ‘Koko Loco’. This rose was released in Australia in 2015 as ‘Soul Sister’ by Swane’s Nurseries as Agent for Weeks.
Soul Sister is a magnificent example of a Floribunda rose with classic high-pointed shaped blooms and a light scent. The blooms are a mix of both single and small clusters. Floribunda means “Many Flowering ” in Latin, so Soul Sister will have many flowers in clusters, and bloom continually from Spring to Autumn. Soul Sister rose was introduced by Ludwig’s Roses in South Africa at the World Federation of Rose Societies 16th World Rose Convention in October 2012.
“Time and patience bring roses”
Leo Tolstoy
The roses of Soul Sister are extraordinarily pretty with high-pointed and stable flowers, sitting on the bush for days and days without losing petals or wilting at all. I love the coffee colouring in all the stages from bronze, coffee, latte through to mauve pink – so enticing and out of the ordinary.
Frances Hodgson Burnett
If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.
Waiting each year to see the bare-root roses come to life is always an enjoyable aspect of gardening. Roses in bloom bring an air of fragrance and excitement to Spring, and even more so this year, there is the extra joy of witnessing so many roses recover from being transplanted. The garden has many varieties, but sadly, some roses had to be left behind. I had an opportunity to see the old garden on Friday, and what a sorry sight it was. The best aspect of a garden is the gardener’s shadow, for without it, plants do not do well at all.
Gertrude S Wister
The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.
Dead twigs have sat in the ground for weeks pretending to be plants, and now, suddenly, they are covered in leaves, and as alive as can be. I was convinced that the Ceratostigma Plumbaginoides or Chinese Plumbago plants would not survive but, they are now shooting to life -bright green and lively.
Morning is the best of all times in the garden. The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapors rise from the earth. Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten.
Francis Cabot Lowell
Our gardens and homes are enlivened in Spring when the windows and doors can be flung open, and the breeze and sunlight bring fresh energy and new life indoors. Spring in our new home has been so enjoyable, too, as the seasons change, and we become familiar with the flow of the summer breeze, how the sun filters through, where the cool shady spots to sit and relax are, and, of course, how the windows capture the garden views.
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Blossom by blossom the spring begins.
In our Southern Hemisphere, October, November and December are the months of good times: summer, and the celebration season. Our family from Spring into Summer is also a birthday season, which adds another level of fun and anticipation. Right on queue the garden has come to the party, bursting with blooms as a backdrop for a family celebration.
Rosa Dark Desire, KORdiagraf is a Hybrid Tea Kordes rose from the Parfuma Collection pictured below. The first bloom didn’t last long in the garden once opened although the very dark buds stay for some time then slowly opened with glimpses of the deepest plum, burgundy red petals- a classic shape and very fragrant.
The world laughs in flowers
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dark Desire Rose won the ADR award in 2014 and Bronze Medal and Most Fragrant Rose award at the Adelaide National Rose Trials in 2016. This is the first bloom with many more to come for sure. It grows in a neat upright bush shape with very strong disease resistant glossy foliage.
what is this rose
As the soil warms and the days get hotter, regular maintenance is essential to keep the roses thriving through the end of Spring and into summer no matter what nature brings. Watering and fertilising are essential for maximum bloom production in the next flush; protecting the roses from heat stress and combating pests and diseases.
By now, all the bare root roses should be covered with foliage, and if not blooming, at least budding up ready. This is the stage to start fertilising the roses.
How to Grow Perfect Summer Roses.
Add Seamungus in winter to boost the soil before planting.
Fertilise with Sudden Impact regularly from October onwards. For new bare root roses, fertilise once they have leafed up and are established not beforehand.
Mulch with Whoflungdung it is a composted bioavailable, nutrient rich, weed free, absorbent, mulch, often termed super mulch and it makes plants rocket out of the ground.
It brings a range of beneficial bacteria to the soil that act as a barrier to pathogenic bacteria and helps stop weeds, plus keeps the soil a consistent temperature.
Roses will produce perfect blooms if they are regularly fed organic fertiliser and watered with Eco Seaweed solution, have plenty of water and 6-8 hours a day of sunlight. To prevent and manage pests and diseases follow the The Organic Rose Management Program from Silkies Rose Farm. Her recipe is below.
To 10 litres of water add:
- 5g ECO-SEAWEED (1/2 of the small scoop provided) or other seaweed product you prefer!
- ¼ cup ECO-ROSE
- ¼ cup ECO-OIL
- 20ml ECO-NEEM
- 50ml ECO-AMINOGRO
- Mix all the ingredients together and slosh back and forth between several buckets to mix well. Spray or water with the mixture.
- Diana recommends using just three products in each spray cycle – for example,
- If insect levels are high, use ECO-OIL, ECO-NEEM and ECO-SEAWEED.
- If you want a foliage fertiliser ECO-SEAWEED, ECO-AMINOGRO and ECO-OIL
tips
- Never spray when the temperature is expected to exceed 28 degrees
- For fungus control, use ECO-ROSE, ECO-SEAWEED and ECO-OIL
- ECO-OIL is added to all spray applications but the quantity can be reduced by half during sunny weather.
- Spray this solution over foliage to run-off at least once a month or more frequently at critical periods of the season or if pests and disease are evident.
- Avoid spraying the rose blooms because the products will mark them but it will mean more flowers.
I am always more interested in people than plants. Nature doesn’t make gardens, people make gardens. And the story of a garden is always the story of a person.
Monty Don
And now to ‘That’s Life Rose.’ I have patiently waited two years for this rose to be available as only a few rose growers stock this one, except Knights Roses in NSW. It is just the first bloom of a new bare-root rose in stunning coral pink and gold. Over the season, the colours will vary and be more subdued, with soft yellow pink buds to apricot pink, peach, and plum colours changing with the conditions.
Jessica Harrelson
Spring adds new life and new joy to all that is.
That’s Life is a Floribunda rose and winner of the Certificate of Merit by the National Rose Trial Gardens of Australia, this rose is a gem. It is one of the first roses to bloom in spring and will continue flowering through May. It is hard to believe this is the same rose ‘That’s Life’, growing in November 2022. That’s Life was bred by Wendy Mathers in Australia, 2011 and introduced in Australia by Knight’s Roses in 2013 as That’s Life’.
You may wonder why there isn’t a wider selection of roses or I didn’t transplant more from the rural garden and the answer is simple- weeds. We had such an issue previously with onion weed that I decided only to move potted roses. It’s a fresh start and the plants and gardener are thriving.
Content and Images Di Baker 2024
Title quote by Josiyah Martin
Images of the Rhododendrons and title image is the Brangayne Winery Garden, Orange NSW
