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hen it comes to flowering plants, there’s none quite so loved and universally revered as the rose. Its beauty is unrivalled, with blooms available in a wide range of colours, forms and scents. It’s also a hardy, reliable performer, with most varieties flowering repeatedly from autumn to spring. You can also find them in different growth habits – ground covers, shrubs, climbers and standards – to suit any sized space. Roses grow in most climates around Australia, except for tropical zones. During the warmer months you can buy them as potted plants. In winter, they are sold as bare-rooted specimens, which are easier to transport and more economical. They look like lifeless, thorny sticks but will burst forth with life and gorgeous blooms in spring.
Images courtesy Anthony Tesselaar Plants (opposite, 1) and Wagner’s Rose Nursery (2,3,4,5).
PLANTING
When planting bare-rooted roses, choose a spot with at least six hours of sunlight and well-drained soil. Prepare the soil a few weeks prior to planting by digging in compost and aged cow manure. Remove the plastic wrapping from your bare-root rose and soak the roots in a diluted seaweed solution for 12 to 24 hours. Dig a planting hole twice as wide but to the same depth as the root ball. Use the dug-out soil to form a mound in the base of the hole. Position the plant in the centre of the hole, spreading its roots evenly over the mound. Backfill with soil, ensuring the bud union – the knobbly bump along the stem – sits above the soil level. Firm down the soil and water with a seaweed solution. Spread a layer of organic mulch around the soil, keeping it away from the stem. CARE
Young plants need to be well watered. Water two to three times a week in the first year of planting. Once established, give plants a deep soak twice a week in summer and reduce the frequency in the cooler months. Roses are hungry plants, so give them a dressing of rose-specific food when the buds
appear. Prune in mid to late winter, removing spindly or dead branches. Cut back stems by two-thirds to encourage new growth. Roses can suffer from fungal problems, like blackspot and powdery mildew. To reduce this, ensure there is good air flow around plants and, when watering, ensure you water the soil, not the leaves. If the problem persists, treat the affected areas with a suitable fungicide. Aphids can also be problematic and are typically found clustered around new flower buds. Blast them with a jet of water or spray with eco oil.
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WHAT ’S NEW
These new releases are sure to whet your appetite! The Fragrant Showpiece Shrub Roses series at Anthony Tesselaar Plants (pictured opposite, tesselaar.com.au) features large flowers with a heady perfume (1). There are five colours in the range, which include shades of pink and orange. They generally grow to one metre tall and wide. Wagner’s Rose Nursery (wagnersrose nursery.com.au) has a few special new releases too. Manuel Canovas (2)offers the rose grower a stunning, strongly scented white bloom with a creamy-yellow centre. It flowers profusely on well-drawn stems to 1.5 metres tall. Lady of Australia (3) is an Australian-bred, multi-award-winning variety with classic-shaped blooms in bright yellow. The edges fade to a light yellow-cream, allowing the golden centre to shine. It is highly disease resistant and flowers freely on a bush 1.2 metres tall and 1 metre wide. For each rose sold, a $2 donation is made to non-profit group, Australian War Widows. For David Austin fans, the new Dame Judi Dench rose (4) from Wagner’s Rose Nursery has large, informal rosettes with ruffled petals in pretty shades of apricot. It flowers prolifically on arching stems and the blooms have a light fragrance. This plant grows to about 1 metre tall and 1.25 metres wide. Another lovely colourway, the James L Austin (5) rose has deep-pink flowers and a light, fruity scent. #
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AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN |
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