Rose diary - July 2004

July is pruning month. As promised in the June diary, I photographed some of the action this year in order to give meaning to a process that's hard to describe in words. For anyone interested, check out the updated cultivation page on this site. If you're late to prune this year, don't worry; just get it done by mid August or you'll interfere with spring growth.

Speaking of spring growth, one of my roses (Voodoo) seems a bit too anxious to get on with it! Look at these new buds at the base of the bush, prior to pruning on 25 July:

Pruning time is also great for 'taking stock' and judging the stars and duds for the past year. I've looked back over past diaries to compile the following:

Stars

So many of my bushes did well this year. These were the best of the best.

• Dame Elisabeth Murdoch: a stunning performer that never fails to interest because of the variety in its bloom shadings. Repeat blooming has been very rapid on this established bush.
• Guy de Maupassant: a true shrub rose with excellent old style blooms that flush in huge quantities and last a long time on the bush. Very disease resistant.
• Heritage: proving its reputation as one of the finest David Austin roses, this lovely pink grew to 7 feet and is still flowering in mid winter. It has had at least a few blooms on it continuously for over 6 months.
• Monsieur Tillier: my most floriferous rose, also in full bloom in mid winter. Incredible and very disease resistant too.

Duds

Calling any of the following bushes a 'dud' is a bit harsh. In absolute terms they did well. Relative to my other bushes, however, they had a couple of drawbacks that I've explained below:

• Karen Blixen: only 'dud' in the sense that catalogues describe it as a fragrant rose, and it's certainly not. It is however very healthy and quite happy to churn out pure white, shapely blooms.
• Double Delight: shy to bloom for me this year. The bush is young and may do better in 2004/5. It is the huge fragrance that keeps me growing it - one of those scents that makes you catch your breath.
• Granada: as for Double Delight, only it flowered a little more often and with a little less fragrance. The similar behaviour is probably more than a coincidence: Granada is a 'parent' of Double Delight.
• Souvenir de la Malmaison: this rose loves to flower, and the fragrance and form of the open bloom is luxurious. Unfortunately the blooms are ruined by the slightest rain, with buds 'balling' (refusing to open).

Like other gardeners who've fallen in love with roses, my beds are already full. I like to try a few new varieties each year, though. That means getting rid of a few bushes and experimenting with new ones. I give away my 'discards', which are fine bushes whose only sin was that I got bored with them. This year I have Karen Blixen to give away - if you'd like it, contact me via the home page. A current list of what's in my garden can be found here.

If you're just starting a rose 'habit', now is the last chance to order bare root bushes from the main mail order suppliers. Most of them stop shipping in August. The good news is that shopping for potted roses continues, at least through spring. If you're Sydney based, these places have some of the best ranges to choose from (I have no interest in any of them, except as a happy customer):

• Swanes Nursery, Dural (modern roses, some Austin roses and climbers)
• Highland Rose Nursery, Dural (modern roses, some old varieties and climbers)
• Green E Plants, Galston, near Swanes (full range)
• Belrose Nursery, Belrose (old rose varieties including climbers)
• Honeysuckle Cottage Nursery, Bowen Mountain (full range with emphasis on old world and Austin types)

One trip to any of these places is enough to cause information overload. Dural seems to be the de facto rose capital of Sydney these days, but don't neglect the others. Belrose has the healthiest potted old world roses I've seen, while Honeysuckle Cottage is an enchanting place with a wider range than the other nurseries combined.

Happy hunting.

Daniel