Yay, no frost this morning and it’s warm and drizzling! Even though everything is so dry we could do with a real downpour, anything is better than nothing. I’m sure we are not out of the woods yet, but one night above freezing and Marie Pavie instantly has a little colour in her cheeks:
Same here @Fire, sawflies arrived here last year, this year they are already reaping destruction even earlier, plus I have loads of aphids (not normally a big problem here), nary a ladybird in sight and the birds completely disinterested in the offerings. Don’t think there is much that you can do except pick them off. Some say remove the damaged leaves, but if I did that some roses would be stripped bare of foliage. The curled and hairy varieties hang out under the leaves so my poor roses are being constantly manhandled.
I do question my sanity in becoming obsessed with roses, why can’t I have picked an easier plant! Ah but when they are in their full glory, nothing else like them is there?
@Tack we had a similar saga with one of our water butts. We ordered the stand for it at the same time, but both arrived in separate deliveries. They refused to send us the missing parts (tap, internal bracers) and insisted they send the courier to collect the whole butt (minus stand) so they could replace it. A week later another stand arrived. No butt, no tsp, no bracers. Finally the new butt arrived but they refused to take the spare stand away. So, having a free stand, we thought, why not, let’s order another butt. Out of stock.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I've trimmed the damage thank you @Omori. The roses look much better and the missing future flowers aren't so in-your-face upsetting.
I really thought roses were easy last year. I'd be insane to have bought this many otherwise....
Your Marie Pavie is so pretty with that colouring next to the blue/green leaves @Nollie , I'm so glad mine is looking OK.
Yikes @Marlorena. Touch wood, I only have a mild aphid problem, more on Strawberry Hill than anything else. Who knows whether it is the tea leaves or the many tits and wrens? I haven't seen a sparrow here for years, they were common when we moved in, which is really worrying.
I've gained a free but damaged waterbutt, which is something. Now we have to find a replacement tap and do some gluing. The butt will be fine for a shed roof installation.
Edit. I hope some of my new purple roses are this purple. Just wanted to show this with a flimsy rose-related excuse. Good year for primulas for me. All that watering through the summer paid off now.
Can you send a couple of your avian helpers over here please @Omori to teach mine what to do?
Well at least you have the excuse that you lost a fair number during the new fence construction @Marlorena. I’m already planning my Autumn buy list despite looking with panic at the sea of new roses I have in pots. Hearing about your new fence plans, I think I am being rather conservative with just two climbers in the new north bed. I am going to interplant with some others I have lying around.
Also one of my red climbers has leaves that are going yellow. It's well watered and fed this year. The leaves are not looking crispy, just an ill yellow. Could frost have that effect?
I have worked out that the climber is Guinee, planted 2018. The others around it seem fine.
A word about the suppliers Calamazag Nursery. I hadn't heard of them before but they were the only I could find stocking Campanula ' Mrs Resholt'. They were advertised as 'one litre pots' but I discover they are tiny little plugs stuffed into larger pots and the roots have developed out at all. Almost zero rootball. I had high hopes of these plants and feeling # disappointed.
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Same here @Fire, sawflies arrived here last year, this year they are already reaping destruction even earlier, plus I have loads of aphids (not normally a big problem here), nary a ladybird in sight and the birds completely disinterested in the offerings. Don’t think there is much that you can do except pick them off. Some say remove the damaged leaves, but if I did that some roses would be stripped bare of foliage. The curled and hairy varieties hang out under the leaves so my poor roses are being constantly manhandled.
I do question my sanity in becoming obsessed with roses, why can’t I have picked an easier plant! Ah but when they are in their full glory, nothing else like them is there?
@Tack we had a similar saga with one of our water butts. We ordered the stand for it at the same time, but both arrived in separate deliveries. They refused to send us the missing parts (tap, internal bracers) and insisted they send the courier to collect the whole butt (minus stand) so they could replace it. A week later another stand arrived. No butt, no tsp, no bracers. Finally the new butt arrived but they refused to take the spare stand away. So, having a free stand, we thought, why not, let’s order another butt. Out of stock.
Nollie,
I know, it's totally insane... once we admit it, we can get ordering again... I've got 2 more coming from Beales next week...
A freebie, excellent @Tack!
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