Spring amid the Heirloom Roses .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

Winter has finally given way to Spring, with all its promise of more glorious blooms and surprises in the rose gardens.   

The bird baths are filled with precious rain and will send the established roses off to a good start for the expected dry period over the next few months.   

In fact, the sense of joy in the garden is palpable, with glimpses of rosie kisses among the beautiful blooms of the Tea rose, Comtesse de la Barthe!  

She has flowered through all of winter with her gloriously perfumed bell-shaped blooms!

And the 'Cherokee rose', R. Laevigata, is opening up to the warmth of the morning sun with beautiful golden bosses at centre-stage of large pure white blooms.

A small bunch of snipped blooms from the late pruning (we prune in late August to avoid the last of the frosts) promise many bunches of roses to come.  

The last of the bare-rooted roses has been planted just in time for the early Spring rain, with Climbing Tea roses, Noisettes and Chinas added to the gardens this winter. 

So now the bare arches will soon be covered by the likes of the climbing Tea roses, Lady Hillingdon and Comtesse de la Barthe, sports of their namesakes already established in the garden.  

While the winter-flowering Tea roses have a little rest, the rest of the garden is beginning to wake up!  

An exciting time among the heirloom roses at 'Edgeworth LLey'.

Beauty for Ashes - Workshop .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

Our Beauty for Ashes workshop is based on the Biblical wisdom (Isaiah 61:3) of exchanging beauty for sorrow, grief or pain.  Working with flowers and natural plants can bring a sense of well-being, particularly for those experiencing emotional pain.   Life can throw up unexpected challenges, so having an opportunity to focus on creating 'something beautiful' using plants from the natural world allows our minds space to heal.  Studies show that engaging with the natural world allows emotional cognition (that churning of negative thoughts) to enter a state of stillness that brings a sense of peace.  

 And underpinning the Beauty for Ashes concept for this workshop was the inspiration of Julia Clements, a post World War II English floral artist.  Despite great personal loss which she briefly details in her autobiography, My Life with Flowers, Julia devoted her life to bringing artistic inspiration using flowers to women all over the world.  She was the impetus behind the establishment of flower arranging clubs world-wide that brought a sense of purpose and joy to women devastated by the effects of two world wars.  

So we gathered a group of eight women together (this workshop works best in groups of less than 10) for the sole purpose of spending a couple of hours creating beautiful garden posies.  Our aim was nothing more than to relax and learn some simple posy tying skills while enjoying the colours, shapes and perfumes of a range of foraged flowers and foliage.  

To these we added sumptuous winter-flowering heirloom roses, mainly Teas, with perfumes ranging from sweet tea through to fuller fruity fragrances.

And once the foraged plants were partnered with the heirloom roses, there were lots of proud 'oohs' and 'aaahs' as creations were finally tied with ribbon.  

Then, of course, each creation was held up and posed for it's own special photo ... 

The posies were all beautiful and each reflected the creativity and artistry of the lovely woman who had crafted it.  


At the end of the workshop, a new skill had been developed, or an old skill honed, with every woman taking home the knowledge that they too can create 'something beautiful'.

Healing Workshop - Hand-Tied Garden Posy .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

One of the special joys of growing a country garden filled with heirloom roses is sharing the beauty of these lovely flowers. 

We do this regularly through our flower-craft workshops.  A lovely aspect of our workshops is the sense of peace and healing that handling lovely flowers and foliage brings to the participants.

So our main focus and purpose for the workshops is to develop flower-craft workshops that bring healing for participants who are experiencing a difficult season in their lives.    

Or perhaps they are going through a very busy time where there is little opportunity for self-nurturing.  For this reason our workshops are suited to young mums who feel as though they are constantly giving out and looking after others, with no time for themselves.  

A recent workshop was popular with a group of young mums where we provided childcare for their toddlers.  Then our young mums were able to spend two hours focusing on doing nothing more than putting together their own creations using foraged foliage and flowers and of course, our heirloom roses.

And after the posies had been created there were proud displays and photo sessions of their lovely and very individual creations.

Our next flower-craft workshop is our Healing Workshop - Beauty for Ashes which is fully booked.  Our inspiration for this Healing Workshop is Julia Clements, the post WWII florist who devoted her life to bringing joy to women all over the world who had suffered loss and grief.  More on that in the next post. 

Until then, take a little time to notice the sights and smells of the natural world, maybe even smell a flower or two every day!! 

Vintage Treasures - Heirloom Roses .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

With the growth in all things 'vintage' these days it is easy to lose sight of the reasons we treasure old-fashioned things.  Perhaps it's a reminder of slower, less complicated times, when simple implements were used as part of the rhythm of everyday life.  At Edgeworth Lley, our love of old garden implements and heirloom roses arises out of our love for reliable tools and tough yet beautiful plants.  

We discovered the need to grow plants that would cope with our  tough conditions out of necessity.   In an area with high summer rainfall and cool dry winters, we planted familiar cultivars of roses.  Then came some of the driest summers with no rainfall known for many years.  Some old-time locals said this was the driest it had been for 60 years!!  We were desperate to keep our garden growing but watched in dismay as rose plants struggled through the heat and dry of yet another drought summer.  

But we noticed that a number of old-fashioned plants, some of which were regarded as weeds locally, coped  with the hot dry summers and continued to do well.  These include the perennial Ageratum sp. that flowers with lovely blue flowers every year.  This is also a lovely cut flower and lasts well in a bouquet or posy.  

And we noticed the reeds around the dam continued to thrive, even as the water levels dropped in the severe drought.  In fact, even after a long period of dry the reeds bounced back quickly after much needed rains eventually came.  Our dam is a valuable source of water for the gardens in dry weather, and reeds act as a ground cover that prevents the dam walls from drying out and cracking.   The dam is also lovely with surrounding trees and even sunrise, reflected in its smooth waters.  The water lilies also look beautiful, adding another source of cut flowers to our collection.  

So now we have learnt that investing in heirloom plants will stand the test of tough unexpected climate changes.  These tiny antique daffodils are a recent addition to the winter garden.  We are very excited each time a new one pops its tiny head up because we know these will multiply and cope with our tough conditions.  

Which is why we have chosen to grow heirloom varieties of roses that cope with tough conditions.  And even if they endure a little frost now and then they continue to grow and bloom, like this Bourbon rose, Mme Isaac Perierre.  Her blooms are burnt a little from the frost, but they are still lovely.  And her perfume is to die for, strong and full bodied.  

The other type of heirloom rose we grow now are the Alistair Clark roses, bred especially for Australian conditions.  This lovely climbing rose, Cicely Lascelles has beautiful, clear pink semi-double blooms that open with the morning sun and close in the evening.  Alistair Clark was an important Australian rose breeder, with international recognition. Yet his roses languished lost in Australian gardens until the rosarian Susan Irvine began collecting these tough beautiful roses.  Because of her efforts in the 1990's we are now able to purchase these tough Australian bred roses that suit our conditions so well.

And of course, another heirloom rose that suits our Australian climate is the old-fashioned Tea rose, like this exquisite Mrs B R Cant.   Ancestors of modern roses, these roses were ignored in the early part of the 20th Century, until Heritage Roses in Australia (HRiA) began to  educate Australian rose growers about the benefits of growing old-fashioned roses. Heather and Roy Rumsey, Sydney rosarians, were instrumental in re-introducing some of the Tea roses to Australian rose growers.   Many more of these old garden roses were found still growing near crumbling cottages and in grave-yards in memorium for a deceased family member.   Diligent and knowledgeable  HRiA rosarians collected cuttings and bud stock so that these tough, resilient roses could be enjoyed once again.   

So every time I see a bud of a Tea rose (Mrs B R Cant bud pictured) begin to unfurl, I am thankful for their hardiness and ability to thrive in our garden.  Sometimes, it seems as if they too are saying a prayer of thankfulness for being rescued out of obscurity.  

Early Tea roses - A Favourite Heirloom Rose .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

Our garden is in the middle of dairy country in the Hinterland area of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.  We chose to grow roses here despite being told by a few naysayers that 'you can't grow roses in Queensland'.  This idea is borne out of a pre-conception that all of Queensland is sub-tropical and tropical.  

Tea rose, Comtesse Riza du Pac (1876) (as sold in Australia)

For those who have an understanding of micro-climates, the idea that all of Queensland is too hot to grow roses isn't quite right.  We have just had our first decent frost this winter,with temperatures down to just below 0 degrees Celsius.  

Tea rose, Devoniensis with buds (1838)

Of course, many roses require very cold temperatures to flower, particularly many of the heirloom roses most people are familiar with.  These include the Albas, Damasks and Gallicas. Much of the information on growing these varieties is based on Northern Hemisphere knowledge which differs from Australian climate conditions.  

That is why many of the heirloom roses that we grow are early Tea roses.  Unlike much of the Northern Hemisphere which is too cold for these treasures, Tea roses  thrive in our conditions in Australia.  In particular, they cope well with our warmer conditions here in our little south eastern corner of Queensland.   

Tea rose, Mme de Watteville

And they give us blooms for most of the year with some of the best flowers in late autumn through to winter. The blooms of the Tea rose vary, but generally they have the delicate appearance of soft silk washed with colour.   Their perfume is also unique.  It often has a dry tea leaf fragrance which many rose growers believe is the source of their name.  But their perfume is complex and often has undertones of rose, violet, citrus and even apricots.  

Despite their appearance, Tea roses are hardy and cope well with the vagaries of our climate, from extreme heat through to sub-zero temperatures.  And they keep on giving up their blooms throughout it all!!

No wonder we love them!!

From Bud to Bloom .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

One of the most spectacular secrets of the rose garden is the unfurling of bud to bloom. Each heirloom rose has it's own unique type of bud.  Some are fat and squat, others are long and pointed.  Some buds appear too small to hold the many petals that eventually unfold.   

Here we can see a short, plump bud of the Tea rose, Mrs B R Cant.  The green sepals are opening to allow the bud to begin to unfurl.  You can see the pale colour of the bud where the sepals have protected it from the harsh sunlight while it was still forming.

This is the same bud of Mrs B R Cant, but it is elongating, and the pink petals are beginning to unpin themselves from the bud.  Note how the outer petals are fully flushed pink after exposure to the sunlight.

The bud is opening up, with the petals separating from their tightly packed package.  

Now we see the fully opened bloom of Mrs B R Cant in all her glory; many petals unfolded to form a very full blossom.  

The bud of the early Tea rose, Safrano, is elongated and flushed a dark apricot pink. The sepals here are opening out from the bud, giving the appearance of a bud bowing in prayer!

Now that the sepals have fully released the bud, the petals have elongated and are beginning to unfurl.  These buds were prized by late Victorian and Edwardian gentlemen as buttonhole buds.  Very dapper!

Now that Safrano has opened out, her pale apricot blossoms quickly fade.  Safrano is so prolific in flower, that other buds quickly take the place of the spent blooms.   

Finally, we see the squat, almost messy little buds of the Hybrid Musk, Cornelia.  The apricot/pink buds quickly open to show off numerous soft pink blooms.  And the fragrance is exquisite!

So each day here AT MY ROSE GARDEN brings a new surprise to enjoy!!

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!