Unusually warm...

Hey Dee, Abbi, and Rip,

Have your roses started to shoot yet? Are you having this warm spell? All my roses have started to shoot already, some have little leaves all over already... if a late frost hits I'm in trouble but at the moment everything here thinks it's spring already!

Here the ones we have pruned have got lots of new leaves on. The ones that still have to be pruned, the buds have really swelled. It was -5 this morning and it is going to be about the same tomorrow morning.

We haven't lit the fire tonight... it's just not cold enough. August is usually very cold here so I hope it doesn't knock them around too much.

We havn;t let our fire out all winter, I hate the cold and so do the cats who lay in front of the fire 22 hours a day

I'm in a t-shirt tonight

You are mad unless you have a jumper on over the tee shirt

nope... not tonight... had a jumper on all day, came inside and cooked.

Lucky you! Nothing but rain and cold here. 10 degrees all day today. average top of 12 degrees most days. Haven't been able to get out and do much except prune between showers since the beginning of June, and its still raining. I'm going crazy.

yeah - the rain has been non-stop... am looking forward to a warm summer to dry everythng up a little

We havn't had any rain in ages and we really need some - so can we have some of yours please

All the potted roses at work are shooting. I think it is warming up but I couldnt tell today..I was freezing working outside! My hens are laying and have all their new feathers and we got our first lot of grafted tomatoes today so it must be spring soon..(please!)

Explain this to me if you can, minus 5, 2.8, 4.7, and so on, this morning at 5am , it is 7 plus, what is happening

Thank you Dee and Simon, we had some showers this morning

I did a little rain dance for you last night Carole

Can you do a non-rain dance? Please?

I've got leaves all over the roses that i planted early this year and lots of daffies flowering. Loads of rain, of course.

So this is unusual for Tassie, is it Simon and Dee?

I've only been here 2.5 years Abbi so I can't say for certain. I was talking to a native Taswegian the other day who said this is like a return to the normal winters where we've received lots of rain except without all the frosts they usually get. Seems the same as the last two winters here to me... but I have nothing to compare it too before that.

I can say, however, that over the past two years, that some of my roses are, now, further ahead than they were by late September...nearly October... over the last two years.

We had drizzling rain all day here, but it wasn't cold. Guess who was out in it with a raincoat on feeding the roses?
I don't care who thinks I'm mad, it was a perfect time to do it !

Commonly our main rain is in September in south Tas. Thats when we get rain, snow, heat, rqpid growth of everything. then more rain, snow and hail in Oct and Nov with sun in between.
Usually the winter is dryish with a month of rain at the most but this lot has been raining since the beginning of June The dams are full, the creeks and rivers are full, the Hydro lakes have more water in them for many years. The east coast is flooding from the highlands rain overflow.
I would say it is all a bit unusual.

I'm doing tthe fertilising thing this weekend in the main beds Val. Everything is going to get a good dose of Charlie Carp to see how good it is. The minis in pots have all received a top dressing of Osmocote PLus Roses Superfeeder and potting mix and I am beginning to get the upper hand against the winter weeds. Hoping it dries out enough this week to actually to some mowing as the grass if up around my knees at present

Dee... are you going to super your roses again this year? Seemed to work a treat last year.

Super? Please remind me Simon.
Last year I used Nitrophoska at 75% the volume of Sudden Impact because the Nitrophoska was that much stronger and we had it on hand anyway.
This spring I intend to buy Rustica pelletised and apply it at a rate to equal the strength of Sudden Impact. I would appreciate any comments on this plan because I have not used Rustica before but it is cheaper than the others.
Also last season we mulched with alpaca poo from a nearby farm and we hope to do the same this season.
Last season the fertilizer was applied in September. It seemed to work well here. Our soil is sandy and leaches easily so we didn't want to have the fertilizer washed away before the roses were growing vigorously enough to take it up.

Simon, I use Charlie carp, not only is it a good foliar feed but the possums don't like it.
Night before last some little blighter nibbled off the leaves of one of my new Rugosas

Dee send Simon over here then

Well.... looks like I spoke too soon!!! Here's the family up at Cradle Mountain, about 50km from here on Sunday morning.



Some snowscapes:

Simon,
tell us the truth..., you have been searching there for 'Schneewitchen'

great Pics

cheers
Bernhard