Spring has sprung, the weeds has ris….

BTW Alya, I loved seeing snowdrops growing in your garden - I overlooked the rose this time!
Snowdrops don't really like growing here, except in the hills.  You can buy the bulbs, but they are very expensive - 6 pounds sterling each!

Well, it did here yesterday - that's what the weather "Man" said!! And this time, I believed her/him!!

John(Neptune) as we are going back in July, what wine should I take over to Alya, can't take the pool.

Victoria = English weather, does it not ?

Nooooo! We are far more like the Mediteranean!

NOOOOOO, NSW is more like the Med.

The Lazy Rosarian wrote:John(Neptune) as we are going back in July, what wine should I take over to Alya, can't take the pool.

Play safe ...one of each...either way, they will both disappear......

Ha David. It's English weather where I am, just about 10 degrees hotter than in England

Balinbear wrote:No roses flower in this photo but the azaleas and wisteria looked great fro the verandah this morning.

What a lovely garden. It must be a delight to sip a cup of tea in the morning and a coffee in the afternoon then a glass of wine in the evening.

Do you get the birds singing in the trees Balinbar?

Ausrose wrote:With so much rain here in Sydney during Dec., Jan. and Feb. weeds in my rose beds have thrived. As one gets older and the arthritis takes hold I find it harder and harder to keep my hands on keeping my rose beds clean. This year I had to resort to employing a young fellow to weed for me. A very costly exercise. At this stage the AQ and I are seriously thinking of greatly reducing the number of roses we have.

Tell me about it. I have the same problem. Even mulching is costly exercise every few years. Now I try to grow ground cover plants like snow in the summer or tumbling Ted all around and trying to get the Heuchera  black mondo and the monkey monkey grass - essentially dwarf green mondo grass - to take over. The elephant ears are so good at destroying the weeds but the leaves are so big the soil underneath gets too dry for the season.  I find all of these very easy to get rid of and keep under control. I will need few more years to get the gardens covered with them.

Picture below was taken in 04/10/2013. I started the silvery snow in the summer from seeds.

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The the same area in 2 June 2014 after about 8 months later. Last summer i did not need to weed that area:

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Then I thought  hey I think I find a solution to my weeding problem and then gone and divided all of the snow in the summer in to tiny shreds and scattered all overy the gardens. I think I was a bit too zelous with dividing and it looks like I will have to weed this year until the division recovers.

Is this good for the roses I really do not know. I will see. Any advice?

neptune wrote:I use lupin mulch as I have read too many negative reports using wood chips etc.....one being that they draw nitrogen out of the ground to break down and take along time to do it....I like lupin because it gives back to the soil and stop weeds coming thru.....

Is it difficult to make the lupin mulch at home?

Two years ago I planted wild lupin to make the soil stronger - well I thought I would try. Before the lupin flowered I pulled out the lupin and turned it upside down  and put it back into its hole leaving the roots exposed. But then I threw the roots away once they gone off.  Then I thought I've made a mistake by throwing it.

So going back if I plant the wild lupin seeds which are very very cheap and very easy to germinate  then just before the fowers open if i cut the top and leave them on the ground  but leave the roots in the ground will I get Lupin mulch?

Balinbear wrote:

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Thanks for this link Balinbear. Appreciated very much!

muscovyduckling wrote:Ha David. It's English weather where I am, just about 10 degrees hotter than in England

Guys and Girls I like it when it is cool and sunny and hail and snow and windy all at the same time. Today it was just lovely planting 7 more climbing roses for a friend. Outside is 7 degree C, one minute it was lovely sunny the next it was grey then suddenly the hell break loose and hail then snow for the next 5 minutes then all over sun again. It is much easier to dig big holes when it is cold and rainy. Easy to hide the sweat and don't smell 'cose the cold takes care of it... Soo carry on digging 50 cm by 50cm holes!!!

Now the sun is just lovely shining right into my eyes can't see the monitor. Ayy.. Ayy..Ayy..have got to draw the blinds... ups the sun is up again ups its gone now. Noo noo....no need for that now the sun is playing hide and seek..

Welcome to the English weather.

SueH wrote:BTW Alya, I loved seeing snowdrops growing in your garden - I overlooked the rose this time!
Snowdrops don't really like growing here, except in the hills.  You can buy the bulbs, but they are very expensive - 6 pounds sterling each!

My other half likes them a lot I planted them for him.

SueH will you be coming to England. Can you grow them in the pots or in the ground planting them really deep mimicking the hills. You can get bag of snowdrops here and take them in your handbag. I know they let you do this whe coming to England from non EU countries.
The description says "Moist but well drained". Obviously this is for the UK. What is te soil conditions and the weahter like over the hills at your side of the world?

Now they sell them as 100 bulbs for £15+ delivery in the UK = £20 total.

Then you propagate the snowdrops and have more and more.

Alya wrote:

neptune wrote:I use lupin mulch as I have read too many negative reports using wood chips etc.....one being that they draw nitrogen out of the ground to break down and take along time to do it....I like lupin because it gives back to the soil and stop weeds coming thru.....

Is it difficult to make the lupin mulch at home?

Two years ago I planted wild lupin to make the soil stronger - well I thought I would try. Before the lupin flowered I pulled out the lupin and turned it upside down  and put it back into its hole leaving the roots exposed. But then I threw the roots away once they gone off.  Then I thought I've made a mistake by throwing it.

So going back if I plant the wild lupin seeds which are very very cheap and very easy to germinate  then just before the fowers open if i cut the top and leave them on the ground  but leave the roots in the ground will I get Lupin mulch?

I'm not sure about growing it...but lupin mulch looks like straw and can come in a bale. You break it off and put a covering of about 100mm (4inches) over the ground...

Thanks Neptune. I shall buy the lupin mulch then.

Thanks for that info John. Will go down to good ol' Bunnings again!

Alya, unfortunately, we are not allowed to bring anything like bulbs/plant material etc into the country, without a license and then it would need to go through quarantine, etc,etc!! A real pain, but needs to be so, to protect our great land!!

SueH wrote:Thanks for that info John.  Will go down to good ol' Bunnings again!

Alya, unfortunately, we are not allowed to bring anything like bulbs/plant material etc into the country, without a license and then it would need to go through quarantine, etc,etc!!  A real pain, but needs to be so, to protect our great land!!

Just arrive safe and well. Tha's all it matters. Looking forward to meeting you all.