Ludwig’s rose corner
Rose guru Ludwig Taschner offers expert advice…
Q: I notice that the beetles select only some of my roses, like ‘Lemonessence’, but ignore other blooms. What could be the reason and how do I protect them?
It is often said that beetles prefer yellow roses. That might be so, but it is the specific scent of a rose bloom that attracts them. Beetles can follow a scent from kilometres away and soon arrive at the source. If you don’t want to spray, put water in a small bucket and add some oil so that it floats on the top. Walk through the roses with the bucket and hold it under a bloom infested with beetles, then shake the flower so that the beetles land in the water. They will be smothered by the oil and drown. Spraying with Ludwig’s Insect Spray when the flowers are just opening distorts the scent of the roses because of the spray’s garlic smell.
Q: I’ve just planted a couple of ‘Avril Elizabeth Home’ roses and would like to give them a good start. I read recently that 15ml of rain is equivalent to one good watering – is this true?
If you measure 15mm in a rain gauge (from rain or overhead irrigation), it equates to 15L of water over one square metre. For each rose bush, this would mean that they’re getting about 10L of water. Remember that if you pour water directly around the roots of a rose, less moisture will be lost due to wind or evaporation.