We-ell it feels like Winter this morning, that is for sure…but that’s what Spring is all about. Apparently we’re experiencing a polar vortex…I hope the plants know it’s just for a few days and not to panic…. So other than at this particular moment, we’re definitely springing. Lots of roses leafing and budding up. Some particularly enthusiastic numbers are actually already flowering. Bourbon Queen and Mme Gregoire Stachelin being 2 to mention. In a mere 10 days since I wrote that things have moved on a lot. ie the buds on afore mentioned roses have burst forth into beautiful early blooms. Also fortuniana and Parks Yellow have covered themselves in glory down the front in the Species garden.
What an exciting time of year for gardeners! It is just feeling like a really good rose year to me…not sure what intelligence I base this on, but they just seem extra happy.
I sprayed pretty much the entire garden in August, with a fungicide and eco-0il, but that’s the only spraying I’ve done for almost a year. Strangely enough the continuous wet last year seemed to wash the diseases away…as although the roses weren’t particularly happy living in a permanent swamp, they seemed relatively healthy. Well not the dead ones, they looked well…dead. I lost quite a few to the soil conditions. I think the continuous wet compacted the soil and squeezed all the oxygen out of it….well that’s my theory anyway.
Oh dear…it’s happened again…I have failed to blog. It is now October 18th, a whole month has slipped away without me touching the website. Well, not entirely true, I may have done a few rose updates, but fact is, at this time of year the garden is pretty overpowering. So much to see, so much to plant, so many weeds to constantly pull out!
So on we go. The first Open Day in September has been and gone with a hiss and a roar and the 2nd one is here this weekend.
I’ve been busy potting up roses and perennials, some will be ready for this weekend, some will have to wait for the November issue. The Tasman Bay grafted roses are looking stunning in their pots, covered in giant flowers. The first blooms after a hard prune are always (in my opinion) over-sized. This is one of the reasons I prefer not to hard prune my roses. Although they take longer to come into flower, when they do the flowers are more of sensible size, and of course much more of them. Some people think the bigger the better, but I am certainly not one of them… Most old-fashioned roses are “shrub roses” and therefore should make a nice shaped shrub adorned with lovely flowers, not weighed down with over sized dinner plates! Each to his own.
Since last I wrote the roses have continued to move on, and other early species like the pimpinellifolias have joined the banksias and relatives in early Spring glory. Glory of Edsell is always the first for me, followed by Dunwich, Irish Rich marbled, Single Cherry, with William 111 and Falkland bring up the rear. They are such a delight with very different growth habits and the blooms studded like jewels all over the branches.
Of course they are fleeting, but glorious while it lasts and the bushes I think remain very attractive with their ferny foliage and autumn brings the intriguing black shiny hips and often some good Autumn colour to the leaves before they drop to leave their bare, very prickly stems. The buds are so under-stated you can be quite surprised to suddenly see the flowers all over.
The main event, ie all the other Old Fashioned and David Austin roses are also on the verge of being magnificent. I think they’re going to be early this season, especially the true Old Fashioneds, which usually are a couple of weeks behind the repeat flowerers, as some of them are already covered in buds starting to show colour.
The polyanthas and ramblers bring up the rear, being in full song in December, which is fantastic as a lot of the early flowerers are then taking a break. It is always an exciting time to see your favourites opening again, and in my case there are usually a number of new faces to get excited about!
It is a busy for us at the nursery as we have loads of garden groups visiting at this time of year (getting famous in the NZ Gardener has added to this) so besides Open Days, there are regular arrivals by bus or car convoy during the week. There is nothing nicer than sharing your garden with other people, makes it all worthwhile.
The Bearded Irises are also starting to bloom. Hopefully this season will be better than the last 2 were for me. My garden is quite soggy in wet conditions, which does not suit Bearded Irises. I nearly lost quite a few, hopefully I saved them all by lifting remaining small pieces and potting them into gritty soil. 2 ridiculously wet summers means we have less than usual different varieties available. I’ve moved a lot to the slopy garden in front of the house which should have better drainage, so hopefully we’ll be back in business for next season.
In general Spring 2024 has been a cracker here in the Upper Waikato. We’ve had a share of wind and rain, but also plenty of lovely sunny days between. Everything seems happy! The Spring bulbs were certainly a bonanza, plus all the Spring flowering shrubs and trees. The blossom on the fruit trees was astronomical and the set of apricots I have growing on is very exciting! Allin all. a magical season! Bring on the roses!!!