THREE ROSES PER SQUARE METRE]
While on holiday in the Netherlands, Dirk and Muriel noticed how close together the roses were planted. “I decided to take a chance and space my roses 30cm apart, and that’s how I managed to fit 103 roses into this small garden!” Muriel shares her rose care tips:
• The easiest way to plant roses so close together is to dig trenches and to space them in those. Air circulation is a challenge as roses so close together tend to get diseased. “It is vital therefore to check your roses regularly and break off any diseased leaves and cut out unproductive stems with small leaves and gnarled growth. There’s no space for shoots that look like they may bloom, but don’t.”
• Muriel prefers to water her roses thoroughly by hand two to three times a week. “On days when we do use the irrigation system, it is turned on very early in the morning – even before the sun rises, because that’s when plants absorb the most water. I never water my roses in the middle of the day or late afternoon. Roses should never go to sleep with wet feet!”
• Muriel prunes her roses in late July and sprays them with lime sulphur before the leaves emerge to ensure that the previous season’s fungal diseases are eradicated. She also sprays lime sulphur on the soil around each rose to kill off any fungal spores.
• At the end of August, the roses are mulched and given Ludwig’s Vigolonger, a plant food that stays active in the soil for eight months. From September they get Ludwig’s Vigorosa monthly. “As soon as active growth is visible, we apply Protek Complete 350 as a root treatment. It is absorbed systemically and helps to control aphids and other harmful insects.” Muriel alternates Rosecare and Ludwig’s Pre-mixed Rose Cocktail fortnightly and adds a foliar feed such as Seagro. “Every rose also gets Epsom salts once a year. I mix one tablespoon in one litre of water and pour it over the root area; this promotes growth and helps with shock after the roses have been pruned,” she explains.