A rose garden from scratch

This story below comes from Darrell a gentleman from Orange NSW, which I met at our Field Days. For those that grow Blue Moon, Darrells is just under the eaves of his roof.
This is posted here with Darrell D permission. Hope this gives anyone planting a new bed of roses something to contaplate the preparation of it.


The roses were purchased as two year old bare root stock in winter of 2005 and 2006

The same method was used for all those and subsequent planting.

First between 2 and 4 inches of “blue metal road base and 3mm blue metal dist” was laid over red clay (slightly alkaline)
The ground was ripped with a scarifier and and bed was built up with approximately 4 inches of the original soil
A trailer load of cow manure and half a trailer load of sheep manure was added to the bed
A leaky hose was run in the line of propose rose plantings
The roses are all planted this way:-
1) Hole is dug and a shovel of gypsum,a hand full of dynamic lifter and a hand full of Potash is mixed into the planting soil.
2) A fertilizer tablet (available at the Dubbo Forestry Nursery) is placed under the soil below the plant’s position
3) The soaked rose is positioned as recommended and backfilled
4) The rose is watered in thoroughly and and seasol is used to re-wet the the planted rose within an hour.
5) The ground is mulched heavily and watered once per week for one hour by the leaky hose ( no overhead spray)

Each season the roses are pruned (poorly I fear) Fertilized with a Rose fertilizer and re mulched.

Aphids are eliminated as I get the Pest controller to come and do the Annual Spider Treatment in September (when I see the first sign of aphids) and have him spray my Roses as he goes around the outside of the house. (works a treat!)

List of Roses at various ages

Double Delight (7)
Black Beauty (2)
Kardinal (2)
Oklahoma (2)
Patio Iceburg (
Princess de Monaco
Barbara Strisand
Mon Cheri
Sally Holms (2)
Pappa Meilland
Fresia
Largarfield
Marbella
Seduction
Perfume Delight
Wenlock
Molineau (David Austin yellow)
Vienna Charm
Radox Bouquet
Fragrant Cloud
Lolita
Dr. Verhage
Duet
Helmut Schmidt
Promise
Madam De Rothschild
Vol de Nuit
Margaret Merill
Europeana
Peace
Queen Elizabeth (pink)
Charles de Gaulle
Red Gold
Chamelion (3)
Avon
Just Joey
Red Intuition
Harry Wheatcroft
Julia’s Rose
Perfume Delight
Smooth Angel
Carpet Rose ( yellow)
Mr Lincoln (2)
Blue moon
(I) Unknown (might be Botanica)

You can't go wrong with roses at Orange. I lived there for 6 years and the roses are fantastic, very healthy climate similar to the UK.

The volcanic soil on the southern side near Mt Canobolas also grows great cherries. I think if you took your boots off and stood there long enough in that soil you would grow 6"

This aside Darrell D is to be congratulated for growing such wonderful vigorous roses.

Roseman.

That all sounds like a bit of a chore. I think gardening should be a pleasure and not a chore so we don't go along with the process you lit. I know I spend time building things but that is a separate pleasure and not really part of the process of growing of plants.

We usually (bare root or transplanted roses) dig a hole so the roots will fit, fill it full of water, let it drain away, throw in a handfull of whatever organic fertilizer we have lying about, plant the rose and water it in. Give it a bit of water over the next week or so (depending how hot it is) and that it.

No spraying and a handfull of organic fertilizer once (maybe twice if the plants are lucky). Actually last year they were very lucky when I splashe dout and gave them a feed of nitophosphate fertilizer. Not sure if it made that much of a difference but I was just trying something.

Pruning is another chore I'd rather forget so I usually do. If the plant gets to unrulely I'll give it the saw treatment. I usually take same cutting in case it does not come back but usually they do though some of the teas resent pruning and it is better to simply take them out and replace with a fresh cutting. I also never seem to strike sick rose syndrome (or whatever it is called) from using the same soil again.

Our soil is generally acidic (PH4-5) crap that all the books tell us not to grow roses in. It is sandy but gets extremlely waterlogged in places when it rains like it does up here but rarely we loose a rose unless it was a sick one to start with. We have roses growing at present that have spent the last 8 weeks growing in water the soil is so wet. I'm sure that if I planted them in the dam they would grow.

Seriously I believe if you mollycoddle them too much the roots will not grow out to their full extent and the plant will surcome quickly if you do have a drought or flood or whatever.

Roses are generally the toughest plants I have ever grown and are far tougher than most native plants. Leave them alone and let them grow.

All of this probably explains why we grow teas, chinas and noisttes and have no luck with HTs and DAs.

I guess, one mans pleasure is one mans pain, it worked for Darrell, not suited for all gardeners, maybe others

I think if you have a small suburban garden it would be fine. I can't see me doing that here to a rose garden an acre in size (and growing). Alister Clark had an admirable goal.. to breed roses for Australia that could be grown in unimproved ground. I think this is a good goal to have... roses are tough and shouldn't be treated with kid-gloves IMO.

Thats the point I was trying to make. Like all those so called drought proof plants that nurseries were selling a few years back.

People planted them and watered them and it rained on them. When the drought came the plants died because they did not have a sufficient root system to get enough water.

Colin Campbell actually said on the Gardening Show that roses were the best performing plants in the drought (and now in the flood) and that the ones that did the best were the ones that were not particually well looked after.

If you treat roses too well the same thing will happen. You will just making a rod for your back or they will pass away when conditions get to rough. Let them set their root system up when they are young and they will not need all the work.

57 roses in a surburban block isn't bad. The suburban as most would know is denuded of most of it's top soils when the developers come through, cut this side, fill this side. From what Darrell had said to me was his was down to soild clay base, so that is why he "improved" his garden to the extent he has, As you say Gary roses that survive are the one's that are left to thier own devices. My own roses are the best example of that, I have a bed of around 20 climbers that do not climb as they have nothing to climb on "yet", one of the ongoing jobs, they have had rain only after planting with one water. these roses have other hurdles as well, paspalum, couch, thistles, bulbs, sheep, goat,rye grass, and other bits and pieces that I forget at present.
I have another bed half covered with blackberry, this bed was made before we came here, it consists of about 30cm of sand layed on top of black loam, these only got water through the worst of the drought and what ever rain we had.
That is my garden, Darrell's is Darrell's garden, this thead was placed to show all how some people "garden" in their own way.
Some of our members might take some of Darrrell's method and adapt it to their own needs. If they take it, all the better, if thet don't, so be it, end of lesson.