Roses in my spring garden

Lol Sue, that pot is an el cheapo from Bunnings! I love big luxurious glazed pots, but they are so expensive...and heavy! Easier to manage plastic ones.
I've never grown a standard in my life. Always amazes me how the plants carry nutrients all the way up those long stems. Your Papa seems to manage OK with such gorgeous flowers Lol. My Mr Lincoln has just produced its very first bloom which looks similar. I dithered between Mr L, Papa and Oklahoma. I'd love to have them all!

Betsy, you've got me blushing! Thank you. Yes I think you and I have similar tastes in our gardens. I do like a lush look but it can be hit and miss sometimes. I like things that self sow and bulbs that multiply, saves on the work. I try to have something out and flowering each season so there's always something to enjoy. That's the theory anyway, but it's a work in progress. Lol
How's your Daybreaker? Any sign of recovery?

Oh Silky, I didn't realize it was plastic!  Well, I still like it and i agree with you, they are lighter to lug around!  You can get some really lovely plastic pots these days too.  On the subject of glazed pots, I got a real bargin at Bunnings recently. A lovely large, glazed,  black pot.  It is home to my weeping Japanese maple tree.  It does look nice, even though I say it myself and I paid ........ $5 for it!!!! 

Wow, $5!!!! What a great find Sue. How come those bargains never seem to be there when I go? I love Japanese maples of all descriptions, especially those beautiful weepers. I have one outside the back door (not a weeper though) and it has grown to gigantic proportions. I always look forward to its fresh green shoots to herald in the spring and the brilliant red in autumn. Maybe you could post a pic of yours in its lustrous pot? Love to see it.

Silky , did you dig those beds yourself ? Looks like a lot of hard work been done there , the colours look great !!

Yes indeed I did Marie. You're right, lot of backbreaking work. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent digging away. At the moment I'm digging a bed right along the length of the back fence for a screen of michelias. But it's all worth it in the end...I hope. Maybe I'm just mad?

Yes , its certainly worth it Silky , i too have dug , dug and dug here in my garden , with my husband doing the hard work though , have been lucky like that , cause i can't operate a saw thats for sure lol . Have gots lots of plans for the future in my garden , its amazing what you can keep thinking of in a small suburban block ...

Lol, yes I know that feeling well. No sooner have I done one bit than I stand back and more possibilities present themselves. It's good that your husband is able to help with the hard yakka. Mine is ill so isn't able to get out and do much unfortunately. What do you have planned Maree?

I'm sorry to hear about your husband Silky , luckily mine is still fairly fit and able although fairly cranky most of the time lol . Are you still going to Werribee , I'm definately going and off to Silky roses this weekend . The garden has undergone a transforation the last 1-2 years , so i haven't put up a lot of photos , i have changed it from roses absolutely everywhere to a much more varied and better eco system much like you . The vegie patches have been made higher this year into no digs with fences to keep the damm cats out , big job and i have been working on replacing old roses with new ones , establishing a native garden that used to house perennials and now pulling out a row of camellias along the back fence to put in more natives , future projects like a fish/ frog pond are on my mind too . Big problem now though , i want more room for roses so i think two blueberry bushes might have to go , cause i like roses more than blueberrys i think . How about you what you got planned ?

Sounds like you've been very busy in the garden Maree, with all those changes. That's a lot of work! Replacing old roses with new ones is hard enough. Have you replaced the soil or used the cardboard box trick? What a shame you are taking out those camellias. I used to hate them and now I really like them (well some) and am planting 4 out the front along the drive (Brushfields Yellow) and a red one to join the pinks along the shady side fence in the back. I like the mass of blooms in winter when there's not much about.Your veggie patch sounds great. I used to have a no dig within sleeper beds but the dogs constantly wrecking it and me too lazy to fence it, it has become another rose bed. Miss fresh tomatoes though. Have thought about getting one of those raised colourbond things to grow a few veggies. I'd love a frog pond but that's just a pipe dream. I popped into a nursery the other day and found myself looking at their frog-friendly pond display and found myself thinking STOP!! Lol. At the moment I'm trying to find a good spot for a cumquat, sunny but not overshadowing any roses. Considered pot culture but think it will be better in the ground. Lurve cumquat marmalade! But first I have to get this hedge of michelia along the back fence done. Got the plants (magnolia The Fairy + michelia Coco) now just have to finish the digging, removing old tree roots and enrichment.
Yes, Maree, I'm still planning on going to Werribee. Looking forward to it. What are you getting at Silky roses? Or just looking? I'm planning on going to Vic Rose Society show on 9 Nov just to have a squiz and sit in on some of their talks.
Maree why don't you post some photos of your changing garden? Sometimes seeing how a garden comes together, and all the messy stages that entails can be just as valuable as pristine scenes. I know parts of my garden look like a bomb site and new beds look naked with small plants and large expanses of bare earth.
Sorry about the long post!

Right behind you, silky, ready to catch the bkueberries after you get the camellias. I would give many roses to be able to grow blueberries up here. I really, really miss the, As a child, we picked wild blueberries every August on Cape Cod (so long ago, when there were still woods there)I still can't come at $7 for a teensy punnet here.

The tomato gap: Last year I grew cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets, and it worked passably well, silky. I look foward to seeing those michelias/magnolias . Are their flowers fragrant?

I salute you both, maree and silky, for all your digging, with and without assistance. I am ashamed of myself that I have never acually turned a single sod here. I just dump soil and fertiliser in a heap, and plonk a Russian Sage or whatever in the mound. I bow down as you guys walk by ;-)))

Well Betsy, thank the lord you don't have a chronic aching back just to get a garden going. Lucky you. The trouble with having limited space in suburbia, is having to redo things every time you have a "vision".
Picking wild blueberries sounds like a wonderful childhood memory. Sort of like picking wild blackberries here.
The michelias are very fragrant. Magnolia The Fairy (really a michelia) is pale pink, bright evergreen foliage, grows to about 2-3m. Only released generally this year I think, I saw some for $190 each! Needless to say I didn't pay anything like that! Coco has insignificant flowers but highly perfumed. Same sort of growth. I'm hoping they'll make a good backdrop for the roses.

Here's the thing: with gardening, as with so many of life's joys, No Pain, No Gain. Which explains why I have so few Gains, unlike you and maree and everyone else on this board ;-)))

We did plant a few Michelias over the years, one each to mark the resting places of our pets that went over the Rainbow Bridge. Now, this tells you what a hopeless gardener I am in wide open spaces - all the baby trees were eaten/died , except one. Pathetic.

I can report, though, that Daybreaker appears to be rallying.

Silky , you hit the nail right on the head there " having to redo things everytime you have a vision " so right lol ha ha , my latest vision is creating a bird haven , but then the rotten neighbours cats soon see the little birds and now i'm chasing them out and swearing at them at the same time like a mad woman , just waiting now for the natives to establish themselves. The camellias are lovely but the ones i planted were Roger Hall and they don't have any yellow stamens, nothing for the birds to eat , so out they come , got to look after the birdies , i love em !! I dug all the dirt out for the new roses and put in new dirt , what a job that was phew , Betsy you should try digging , its so much fun , you get to take your aggressions out on the shovel ,and you get really dirty , the blueberry's have fruit on them this year so its going to be a real struggle to decide , roses or blueberries , roses or blueberries , dammn suburbia , you can grow a variety of blueberry in a pot Betsy its called Sunshine Blue or something from memory . Good luck with the magnolias and camellia hedge Silky , removing old tree roots , what a job , hope you have a willing , strong son to help with that one . I've got a neglected bed that i'm going to plant three standard roses in , so going to Silkies roses to have a look , got to know Diana there now and she is soo nice ....

Oh Betsy, you make me laugh. Don't disparage your gardening efforts. I'm sure you have a lovely garden. In fact from what I've seen in your photos it's just wonderful. We all have our disasters, we just don't photograph them ! Lol. I'm so pleased your Daybreaker is showing signs of recovery. You talked me into getting one and it looks just like yours did when you first bought it. Gorgeous! Maree is quite right, you need to discover the joys of digging. Very therapeutic and satisfying. And as a bonus you help the economy by supporting some impoverished chiropractor!
Maree, no strong son to help with those tree roots unfortunately but somehow I manage. Good luck with finding something fab for your new bed. Are you planning to get potted ones or wait for bare root season next year? Any colours in mind? I'm interested in what you decide to get. Re those pesky cats: do you have a dog? That usually does the trick I've found.

Silky i have Jardin , Charles and Jubilee in mind , might have to wait till next year if Silkies don't have them . Don't have a dog Silky , i'm at work four days a week , all day , always thought that wouldn't be fair on a dog , but i do have a very old canary and a old sleepy , cranky cat which i inheritated lol ....

Lovely colour combination there Maree. Don't forget that there will (I think) be growers at Werribee. If you have no luck at Silkies, maybe you could be lucky there. Oh I forgot, you're after standards. Hmm, that makes it tricky doesn't it. I know I'll be looking at a few roses at Werribee, if they have them on the day, unless I snaffle them at the Rose Show in Glen Waverley on the 9th November.  Yes I see what you mean about a dog, wouldn't be fair.  An old canary and an old cat...and a rose garden, lovely image!

Magic Gardens is the only majo supplier of Jardins that I'm aware of , maree. Does anyone have a list of the suppliers who have stands yet? I bet you could advance- order just about anything you want from MG and Treloars, if they are taking space on the day.

Canary and puddytat? Sylvester and Tweetie Pie!

Lol Betsy , when the cat was younger she was always after the canary , and it was so characteristic of Tweetie , Sylvester and Granny (me ) lol , now she just rolls her eyes at him .. I'm not plugging Silkie roses , but if you get in early enough they will bud roses for you , i think Ross roses have had Jardin , from what i have learnt though from growers , it all depends on the seasons , some roses i have ordered have failed in the growing season. Silky i will be looking with interest at Werribee , hope it doesn't rain , just on that day ......

Maree you can check Reliable Roses, I know they had Jardins recently. Yes Melbourne weather, could be anything from a scorcher to a raging gale or downpour. Keeping my fingers crossed for a nice sunny day.
Talking about replacements, I think I will need one for my Parole. Bud is just showing signs of colour and it looks...orange! Healthy but looks like a flori in growth with several small buds on each shoot. This was near my Baronne de Rothschild which died a slow lingering death. Looks like this bed is jinxed! Will post pix when it opens.

I'm still finding it hard to imagine why your Baronne failed to thrive, silky. I swear you could grow these things in tin cans, they're so tough.

Parole is a middle-of-the-road sort of rose: not dead simple, but not really a tricky creature. Over the years, mine have thrown sprays, but usually it's after they've done a flush of nice singles. But ORANGE????

I have absolutely no advice because your roses look a lot better overall than mine do right now. You grow beautiful plants, and I am jealous. What else is in that bed?

Betsy when I pulled out the Baronne there was absolutely nothing on the roots to show any signs of growth from bare rooted stage. So disappointing when the bed was planted primarily for colours and fragrance. In an extension of Chartreusse de Palme and Dioressence, this new bed has Old Port, Best Friend, Frances Dubrueil, Queen Adelaide, Parole and then the recently departed Baronne. All deep pink/purpley tones set against a backdrop of bluebells and forget-me-nots. New bed doesn't have any underplantings at this stage to allow the roses to hit their stride. So orange looks like an alien has landed! And a big empty space where the Baronne was. Sigh.....

Think you got definately got the wrong rose Silky , cause one thing Parole isn't and thats orange lol !! unfortunately this happens all too often doesn't it , i've had a Aoteroa that turned out to be Diana Princess of Wales and a Delbard rose that turned into Pierre de Ronstaad , a climbing rose for gods sake , out they came , i think some beds as you say are cursed ...

I'm thinking it's not Parole, either - that, or it's trying to tell you something. If P is stressed, it can go several shades lighter, which is pretty appalling in itself, but I have never in five years seen any of mine go orange, or even orange-y. Is the power scent still there in the orange bloom?

Hey, maybe you have a sport, and are about to be showered in PBR riches.

Haha, a sport? I don't think so. Don't think I'll be rolling in dough any time soon! Lol. It's only just opening but clearly orange, bright orange and small! A flori I'm thinking. Can't detect perfume at this stage. I'll have to contact the grower again - they might think I'm a fraud because is the second problem out of one batch of purchases.