Lovely to see all the new growth, and that’s a great way to spend the afternoon spotting ladybirds @Mr. Vine Eye
I took the plunge and got this Pheno Geno rose Hallie, aka Draga, from Trevor White. It arrived today and I’ve planted it up. Of course while trying to tear open the packaging (impatiently without scissors) I got stabbed in a nail bed by a thorn… guess that’s just Hallie saying hello!
Good looking bare root @Athelas, hope it does well for you.
It’s been a cold, wet and grey March here and no sign of any sun for another week, very unusual. I’m getting fed up of telling myself it’s great for the garden, I want some sun and I want it now!!
I will be shuffling a couple of roses around, for which I plan to do my usual precautions against RRD by replacing the soil in the old planting hole as much as possible - finding ‘spare’ soil is a challenge - then adding mychorrhizal fungi as a backup. I also happened to find a box of bonemeal (a rare thing here) and thought, oh good I will add some to the planting hole of my new trees and shrubs. I then wondered if it might help along the transplanted roses too, but thought I would research it to see if there were any contraindications between the bone meal and MF. According to this intriguing article, yes there is, plus adding bonemeal to planting holes can actually hinder, not help growth. Another rabbit hole was duly entered, she discusses a whole load of garden myths on her website..
I don't think I'd worry too much about that Nollie, I know people who have used both, inadvertently, and no harm done to their roses at least. One young British man I spoke to on Houzz a few years ago, went into a panic when I told him about this, as he'd already done it, but his roses later that summer were better than mine.. The Heritage Roses Group also applied both, against advice, when re-doing the Old Rose border at Hampton Court a few years ago.
The RHS says much the same thing, and it's been shown, apparently, that the application of bone meal at the same time as the MF, kills the MF, so the result is that the gardener has wasted their money on mycorrhizal fungi, by killing it off in the process.
Most British soils are high in phosphate, and I know mine is as I've had it tested, so I never use bone meal on its own, although it's included I think in most fertilizers..
Regarding Lynda Chalker-Scott, of Washington State University.. I've spent many an evening reading about her 'myths'. It often comes across as someone stating opinions as scientific fact, in order to expose these ''myths''.. but she never supplies links to the ''scientific facts'' she claims to have researched.
@Marlorena I also saw my first butterfly today! One at the garden centre then one in my garden, not sure what the one was doing in my garden as it’s currently devoid of anything tasty for them!
Not worried, just curious @Marlorena. Yes I read the RHS piece too, thanks, tho I found LC-S’ more cogent on the BoneMeal-MF interactions - horses for courses I guess. To be fair to poor old Linda, the RHS doesn’t link to scientific facts or field trials either and occasionally gets things wrong. I also thought their statement that “Phosphorus is often in very short supply in natural soils” open to interpretation.. Always good to interrogate various sources, I think, before coming to your own conclusions.
Oh yes, do enjoy the sun everyone, especially you @Mr. Vine Eye, your worth it 😆 I would show you all my lovely new rose growth but, guess what? It’s pouring down out there.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Yes, the RHS can be contradictory, it was on my soil report that phosphorus is usually high in Uk gardens, as it was in mine. I was advised to apply nitrogen and potassium and only small amounts of phosphate were needed.
I've just ordered a few things from that Secret Garden Club. I wonder if I'll get them?..
Mr Vine.. David Austins would be proud of your MH pruning techniques..
Posts
I took the plunge and got this Pheno Geno rose Hallie, aka Draga, from Trevor White. It arrived today and I’ve planted it up. Of course while trying to tear open the packaging (impatiently without scissors) I got stabbed in a nail bed by a thorn… guess that’s just Hallie saying hello!
It’s been a cold, wet and grey March here and no sign of any sun for another week, very unusual. I’m getting fed up of telling myself it’s great for the garden, I want some sun and I want it now!!
I will be shuffling a couple of roses around, for which I plan to do my usual precautions against RRD by replacing the soil in the old planting hole as much as possible - finding ‘spare’ soil is a challenge - then adding mychorrhizal fungi as a backup. I also happened to find a box of bonemeal (a rare thing here) and thought, oh good I will add some to the planting hole of my new trees and shrubs. I then wondered if it might help along the transplanted roses too, but thought I would research it to see if there were any contraindications between the bone meal and MF. According to this intriguing article, yes there is, plus adding bonemeal to planting holes can actually hinder, not help growth. Another rabbit hole was duly entered, she discusses a whole load of garden myths on her website..
https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/phosphate-2.pdf
One young British man I spoke to on Houzz a few years ago, went into a panic when I told him about this, as he'd already done it, but his roses later that summer were better than mine..
The Heritage Roses Group also applied both, against advice, when re-doing the Old Rose border at Hampton Court a few years ago.
The RHS says much the same thing, and it's been shown, apparently, that the application of bone meal at the same time as the MF, kills the MF, so the result is that the gardener has wasted their money on mycorrhizal fungi, by killing it off in the process.
Most British soils are high in phosphate, and I know mine is as I've had it tested, so I never use bone meal on its own, although it's included I think in most fertilizers..
Regarding Lynda Chalker-Scott, of Washington State University.. I've spent many an evening reading about her 'myths'. It often comes across as someone stating opinions as scientific fact, in order to expose these ''myths''.. but she never supplies links to the ''scientific facts'' she claims to have researched.
Interesting, but debatable..
.. huge roots Athelas..!. as always from them.. and a good number of canes too..
oh just to add, nice to see members clematis, and I saw my first butterfly today..
Sorry to hear about Nollie's wet weather.. we're getting all the sun here, it's sunny every day, nearly all day [sorry Nollie ]..
Here’s a few more from yesterday.
Scarborough Fair
Oh yes, do enjoy the sun everyone, especially you @Mr. Vine Eye, your worth it 😆 I would show you all my lovely new rose growth but, guess what? It’s pouring down out there.
I've just ordered a few things from that Secret Garden Club. I wonder if I'll get them?..
Mr Vine.. David Austins would be proud of your MH pruning techniques..