The Miracle of Multiplication .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

Propagating new plants is the backbone of any large garden, especially a garden in the country.  With few specialist nurseries nearby, we rely on propagating as many plants as we can.   

And now is the time when we begin to propagate our roses by taking cuttings.

Just one of the propagation methods we use to multiply the plants in our garden.  

In our sub-tropic to temperate climate, late Autumn is the most reliable time to take rose cuttings. With late Autumn rains this year, we have had to delay taking cuttings, as the wet weather increases the likelihood of cuttings rotting before they can take root.

Although the strike rating for cuttings is sometimes disappointing, if we gain even a few new rose plants we will be ahead.  And we know that the rose plant will look like it's parent.  

To take semi-ripe cuttings, choose flexible stems that have already flowered.  Cut below the leaf node.  This is where the roots will form once the stem is pushed into the rooting media (or mix).  

Count up from the bottom of your stem 3 or 4 leaf nodes and cut  just above a leaf node.  This will be the top of your plant.  

Always use clean sharp secateurs and always discard the trimmings of leaves and stems. These are not suitable for composting as they will spread disease, unless you have a very hot compost that can kill fungal spores. 

Once the cuttings have taken root they can be potted up into their own pot until the plant is large enough to plant.  So in the next twelve months we hope to have plants that will be strong and grow vigorously.  This Noisette, Milkmaid, bred by the Australian breeder, Alistair Clark, started out as a tiny cutting.  It has grown over 3 metres up and over a trellis in under 12 months.  

We are hoping to have more plants of one of our favourite Teas, Mrs B R Cant.  This is the parent plant with lovely deep pink, very full flowers that bloom almost continuously all year.  Just cannot have enough plants of her.

Now tomorrow's task will be to take cuttings of some favourite salvias to grow at the feet of the roses!  We use exactly the same method for taking cuttings as for the roses, but the salvias will grow much more quickly.   This means we will have more plants within a few months.

Love the multiplication of propagation! 

'Tis the waiting season .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

Now is the waiting season.   This is the time when most of the roses nod off to sleep during the cold winter months.  Well most of the roses, that is.  

Some will continue to bloom throughout winter.  

  

Here are a few roses that bloom during our winter ...  

Tea Rose, Monsieur Tillier

Tea rose, G. Nabonnand

English rose, Wife of Bath

English rose, Windermere

Tea rose, Devoniensis

New Garden Designs - in the Heirloom Rose Garden .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

We love our heirloom roses and cannot have enough varieties of old garden roses.  As a result, we are constantly planning ahead beyond the next season.  That includes revising what areas of the garden have worked well and what needs to be improved.  We also begin designing new planting schemes and where and how to expand the garden.   Then we choose which types of roses will work best for each area.  

In early Autumn the fun starts when we order more roses that will fit in with the new planting schemes from specialist rose growers.  

  

As well as ordering more roses, planning ahead means putting into action the designs for new garden beds.  First of all the dead tree in the background will be perfect for allowing a rambling rose to climb through its branches.  And these drifts of straw laid over newspaper may look messy, but they will get our beds off to a good start.  The wet newspaper covered with straw and later a thick layer of mulch will give the earth worms a moist, dark place to start working their magic.    The worms will aerate the soil and pull nutrients down into the soil as the materials break down.  

That's how all of our rose beds start.   Here's our Hybrid Musk hedge started less than twelve months ago.  In a few years' time this hedge will be taller and wider with dense growth as a result of conditioning the soil well before planting. 

Our rose allee started this way too, extending the rose garden further into what had previously been a paddock.  Once the design had been mown in the rough pasture grasses, lots of wet newspaper, straw and mulch was laid before planting started in winter.  After just a little over 12 months' of growth, the different varieties of climbing roses are starting to clothe the large arches.  

Finally, the roses will put down deep roots, and start to offer beautiful blooms filled with fragrance.  

So there you have it, a brief overview of developing the rose gardens for the next few seasons of roses ...

Organic Heirloom Gardening - amid the Heirloom Roses .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

We aim to use organic gardening principles among our heirloom roses here at Edgeworth Lley.  That's because in the organic garden there is lots of activity.  

At first you might not notice, but if you look closely ..

You will notice an artisan has been at work overnight, weaving an intricately beautiful piece of art - fine as gossamer and exquisitely wrought.  Sometimes it is possible to see the tiny artisan clinging to the artwork.

If you go to sniff a rose, you may see a tiny pair of eyes peeping out from their rose eiderdown.  At this time of year tiny green frogs hide amongst the petals and they have been known to continue to hide in the occasional rose bouquet!

Unlike modern hybrid teas, the heirloom rose bushes are not pruned within an inch of their life and allowed to grow to a more natural size.  Monsieur Tillier grows into a large Tea rose, flowering beautifully.  

There are also bird baths placed strategically among some of the more thorny rose branches, perfect for small birds to dart in and bathe and drink in safety.  Birds of course are the perfect pesticide, feeding on unfriendly insects among the roses.

Because we don't use pesticides and nasty fungicidal sprays, we grow herbs among the roses.  Here are the bright yellow buttons of Tansy, a strong smelling herb that acts as a natural pesticide.  

Our rose garden is set in the middle of a field, or ley, previously used for pasture.  The remnant forest trees surrounding the garden also provide safe haven for small fauna, including myriad bird species.

So whenever visitors sniff the roses in our garden and bouquets, we know they won't breathe in nasty toxins from chemical sprays .. and the roses are even safe to eat !!

The many pleasures and joys of using organic gardening principles ..