Return to the Roses in Oz Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Roses for Brissy-no green thumb.
| | |
Posted by nadianadia (My Page) on Sun, Jan 8, 06 at 2:57
| My first foray into a rose bed has been with what I hope are indestructable roses: iceberg supremes and burgundys and a cluster of minature roses. I spread potting mix over grass and then smothered it in pinebark. I'd no idea. By Xmas the roses looked like a dried floral arrangement but survived. I discovered water leeches the nutrients out of potting mixes and went for an application of cow manure, raked it in and covered in sugarcane mulch to defy the budding grass and they are looking slighly better now. A bit of seasol as well helped. I guess had I known carpet roses in a pot might have been the first stepping stone.
Now that they are greener, can I cut the buds off the roses to encourage stem growth rather than flowers?
After looking at the pics on this forum I now have a sad case of rose envy. What flowers over a long period and can survive the Brissy heat.....looking for bush type roses or perhaps standards for a smallish backyard, any suggestions?
|
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Roses for Brissy-no green thumb.
| | |
I was getting myself some smaller English roses (DA) recently and I can recommend them as excellent varieties. ....
- Mary Magdalene will grow 1.1 m approx. Nice bush shape and fragrance is amazing: fruit plus myrrh. Colour is ivory white with peach tinting. Flowers fully double, forming flat, wonderful looking rosette. It keeps fragrance long in the vase! .....
- Portmeirion is another excellent one. Similar growth and charming, strong Damask fragrance, but the colour is deep pink (for my eye, it has some fine tinges of purple/burnt orange -- hard to describe) ....
- Ambridge Rose will grow up to 1.2 m maybe and is excellent too. Strong myrrh fragrance and ivory white buds tinted with peach colour are openning and turning into lovely pink cupped flowers ....
The reason I was going after these smaller English roses is that they have much better and more versatile fragrance than most floribundas, are better disease resistant, have more pleasing colour schemes and lovely flower shapes ....
- Tom |
RE: Roses for Brissy-no green thumb.
| | |
Hello and welcome to the Forum ...Tom will put you on the right track.
Also have a look at the post further below down the page "Warm climate Varieties.
I have put a list on there....Cheers....MM. |
RE: Roses for Brissy-no green thumb.
| | |
Hi
Welcome to the board!
I am in Melb so have a different climate but have learnt a lot over the last 4 years.
There are a few Qlders on the board who will know what to plant.
In regard to your question of removing the buds-
I was told from a nursery if you cut off the majority of buds in the first season of the rose,it will encourage the rose to put its energy into the roots and stems rather than into the flowers.
You could remove say half the buds, so then you have some blooms ,and the rose will have extra energy to establish itself.
I did this and it was a great success.
There are many more qualified contributers to the forum who may disagree but I found this has worked a treat.
I am doing the same to a lemon and an orange tree: same principle...once you get the root system strong you will have many blooms in the years to come with a strong healthy plant.
Hope this is helpful
cheers
Michelle. |
|
|
|
|
