New Year's Resolutions

GET THE LOOK

Come hither: There’s nothing more alluring than when a garden beckons from behind a gate, especially if the gateway is framed with roses. The terra cotta pot on the one side of this entrance contains ‘Garden and Home’ as the main feature, with ‘Granny’s Delight’ spilling over the edge and blue lobelia tucked in for extra colour. Other roses that would work just as well are ‘Avril Elizabeth’, ‘Clocolan’, ‘Candice’, ‘Crimson Velvet Dress’, ‘Remember Me’, ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘Sunny Ayoba’, ‘Easy Does It’ and ‘Perfumery’. On the other side of the entrance, ‘Deloitte and Touche’ peeps shyly around the corner, while standard ‘Iceberg’ roses, with their abundance of blooms, entice one into the main garden and provide a dazzling contrast to the cerise bougainvillea and purple Solanum rantonnetii. Instead of ‘Iceberg’ try ‘French Panarosa’ or ‘Lioness GrandiRosa’. If you are wanting to kick-start the new year with a special garden project, perhaps this will provide the inspiration.

- Ludwig Taschner

 

NEW YEAR’S resolutions for the rose garden

Thanks to the December break, we can face 2017 with renewed energy and enthusiasm, even for gardening. The roses are halfway through their growing season, so any changes for the better will be evident in more flowers and better growth for the rest of the season.

My suggested New Year’s resolutions

Put away the secateurs

Use the spray pump instead! With hot weather ahead, a good leafy cover keeps the roses cool and shaded. That’s achieved by spraying with Chronos or Rose Protector for black spot and mildews, or Milbeknock to knock out red spider if the roses are drought stressed.

Listen to your roses

By paying attention to them you will quickly see the problems and respond. A poor performance means they are unhappy; check for disease, dig down next to the rose to check for root competition or lack of water. Pale green leaves mean they need fertilising.