A little late to the red rose party, but here's the closest I have - Souvenir du Docteur Jamain last year.
It's odd to read about how dry it's been for you all - here in good old west Scotland it's been wet, as always. Got a week of solid rain forecast else I'd be out pruning the clematis. I think they can wait a bit though.
Does anyone have any recommendations for secateurs? Either that, or a way of cleaning them - mine got left out and lost (or so I thought). Found them unexpectedly the other day and they're covered in rust after being outside most of winter.
Very excited as I have just purchased Rosa Anne Boleyn to grow in a large container. My first DA rose.
A question - does anyone here defoliate their roses in winter or when pruning? I read that you should, but I don't know how feasible that is with a rose that isn't pruned hard - that would be a lot of leaves...
I’ve got some Burgon & Ball deadheading snips and my main cutter is a Wilko Bypass Pruner. £6, cuts great. I also have a sharpener similar to this which works very well, and it's simply a case of sweeping the blade across it a couple of times. Easy peasy and fits in a pocket or my garden tool belt.
@BlueBirder - I always defoliate mine. Very easy this year as most of the leaves had already come off in the cold. The few remaining were mostly on the parts that were due to be pruned off anyway.
Last year was much milder so there were more leaves to take off.
Assuming you can access the rose without too much difficulty, leaves usually pop straight off very easily at the base, so you can defoliate even a large rose in quite a short time just pulling them off by hand.
I find a sideways or downwards pull usually gets them off.
When you get to the leaves growing on the tips of thin growth you have to snip them off otherwise you risk snapping the whole end of the stem off with the leaf.
I actually find it quite satisfying and enjoy defoliating the roses!
I use wire wool and vinegar to get all the rust off my pruning saw, @BlueBirder, very quick and easy.
I like the Spear and Jackson secateurs.. pretty cheap but easier for me to grip than the £3 Wilko ones. I don't worry if I lose them. £60 Felco ones would stress me out!
Congrats on your purchase. Anne Boleyn looks beautiful!
I defoliate and I have climbers up on a tall wall. 🪜 I find it not such a demanding task unless they are still on the cane as glue.
I have a basic Gardena secateur that I sharpen but how to remove rust of a tool no clue to be honest. sometimes I’ m in doubt to buy a felco. I’m Left handed but then I’m nah I will continue with what I have . Need to purchase a lopper…
I have wolf and garten anvil secateur. It doesnt rust but does gets blunt over years but I am sure if I use it only for rose, it wont blunt easily. I use it for everything.
You can remove rust with vinegar - basic spirit vinegar will do. Cleand and dry the tool first then applay vinegar with a cloth or, if it's badly rsuetd, plunge the affected parts in vinegar and leave a few minutes. Repeat as needed.
Once cleaned, sharpen the blades and then oil with an oil soaked cloth or a spray of WD40. Never put away your tools without cleaning off muck and making sure they're dry.
Bypass secateurs and loppers are better than anvil as the latter can crush stems as they cut whereas bypass give a cleaner cut.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
Lili Marlene
I think Dame de Coeur.
Papa Meilland
Ulmer Munster
And Tess of the d'urbervilles (couldn't find a photo on my phone).
Loved seeing everyone’s red roses 🌹
Falstaff:
The Prince:
LD Braithwaite:
Benjamin Britten:
Ascot:
Tess:
Othello:
Grafin Diana:
It's odd to read about how dry it's been for you all - here in good old west Scotland it's been wet, as always. Got a week of solid rain forecast else I'd be out pruning the clematis. I think they can wait a bit though.
Does anyone have any recommendations for secateurs? Either that, or a way of cleaning them - mine got left out and lost (or so I thought). Found them unexpectedly the other day and they're covered in rust after being outside most of winter.
Very excited as I have just purchased Rosa Anne Boleyn to grow in a large container. My first DA rose.
A question - does anyone here defoliate their roses in winter or when pruning? I read that you should, but I don't know how feasible that is with a rose that isn't pruned hard - that would be a lot of leaves...
@BlueBirder - I always defoliate mine. Very easy this year as most of the leaves had already come off in the cold. The few remaining were mostly on the parts that were due to be pruned off anyway.
Last year was much milder so there were more leaves to take off.
Assuming you can access the rose without too much difficulty, leaves usually pop straight off very easily at the base, so you can defoliate even a large rose in quite a short time just pulling them off by hand.
I find a sideways or downwards pull usually gets them off.
When you get to the leaves growing on the tips of thin growth you have to snip them off otherwise you risk snapping the whole end of the stem off with the leaf.
I actually find it quite satisfying and enjoy defoliating the roses!
I like the Spear and Jackson secateurs.. pretty cheap but easier for me to grip than the £3 Wilko ones. I don't worry if I lose them. £60 Felco ones would stress me out!
Congrats on your purchase. Anne Boleyn looks beautiful!
I find it not such a demanding task unless they are still on the cane as glue.
sometimes I’ m in doubt to buy a felco. I’m Left handed but then I’m nah I will continue with what I have .
Need to purchase a lopper…
Once cleaned, sharpen the blades and then oil with an oil soaked cloth or a spray of WD40. Never put away your tools without cleaning off muck and making sure they're dry.
Bypass secateurs and loppers are better than anvil as the latter can crush stems as they cut whereas bypass give a cleaner cut.