Our first rose pruning demonstration was held last Saturday and the huge turnout proved that gardeners young and old still love growing roses. It was presented by Dr. Bruce Chapman from the Rose Society and included his lovely wife Joyce, assisting. Bruce is famous for breeding the Amazing Grace and the Melbourne Town roses.
Some of the tips I gathered from this event were:
- buy quality secatuers and they will last you a lifetime
- keep your secatuers sharp
- to remove suckers, dig down to the point it is growing from and gouge it off with a pocket knife.
- a water-shoot normally grows from the base of the plant at the bud union. It will form an important part of the plants structure for the next few years, so look after it. Stake it with a bamboo stake.
- different varieties need different methods. Eg don't prune back Iceberg too hard.
-different structures need different methods. Eg prune minature roses back hard.
If you are in Melbourne and would like to attend a rose pruning event, they are free of charge and will be on at Gardenworld on Saturday 4th July 2009 and Saturday 1st August 2009. Sessions are at 11.00am and 1.30pm. For more details click HERE.
To join the Rose Society of Victoria you can contact the secretary at their website. The cost is between $32 and $47 per year, depending on your type of membership. Their are also 3 publications which will be available to purhchase at Gardenworld or online at gardenshop.com.au:
Roses - Practical Pruning and Planting - by Ross Heathcote
Roses - Tender Loving Care - by Ross Heathcote
The Amateur Rose Breeder's Guide - by R.J.Bell
Related Products at Gardenworld:
Felco range of secatuers - buy Swiss made technology at great prices.
Bamboo Hoops - these are better than bamboo stake as they are more stable, and there is no chance of getting a poke in the eye.
Related Links:
Rose Society of Victoria
Where can I purchase "Amazing Grace" & "Melbourne Town" please?
I live in Heathcote Vic.
Posted by: Maggie Murphy | March 10, 2010 at 06:28 PM