down my vintage garden path
roses! ahh how I hated them when I was little. Every Sunday, my dad would spend hours and hours just tending his beloved rose garden - snipping & spraying. Looking like something from outer space with his mask on, spraying the most disgusting smelling stuff to kill everything that it came in contact with - I am sure it was radioactive. I could not understand why on earth anyone would spend so much time & energy on plants. Although I must admit, I loved to take a bunch of these gorgeous perfumed flowers to my teacher every Monday. All wrapped up in either used wrapping paper or brown paper and tied with string.
I held off for years ever buying a rose plant - just didn't want the bother - until oneday the soul mate bought me a red rose bush for Valentines day. And I was hooked. I decided to buy my dad's favourite rose which was Queen Elizabeth - not perfumed but the memories were important. Then not being happy with one rose bush and being a little on the obsessive side, I decided to have a royal rose garden (I know, you just cannot believe that I may be obsessive, but I am, a teeny, weeny bit). The search was on for any rose that had a royal name. I exhausted that avenue (and sent my local nursery lady insane) - so I decided that perfumed roses were the go - why go to that trouble without having the perfume of heaven? I now have the most perfumed garden ever!- however being an organic gardener, I like to use remedies that are safe - I am troubled by black spot but would rather have an insect friendly garden than not, so I put up with the dreaded black spot, using favourite organic remedies.
organic gardening recipes
grandfather would use this for black spot: 2 litres of water; a drop of vegetable oil and a drop of detergent. then add two teaspoons of bicarb soda to each litre of water. spray the plant making sure you wet all surfaces of the leaves.
posted by Miss Robyn | 7:40 am
9 Comments:
Love the vintage rose garden. And thank you for the organic garden recipes. Will put them to use. You have encouraged me. To-morrow, God and time willing, I will post on my love for Double Impatiens at The Trad Pad at http://tradpad.blogspot.com, I think they are like tiny roses - and there is not the same trouble. Here in Melbourne, they are set back - and some even die in winter - but in North Queensland set in a place where they only got the morning sun they went on and on and got quite large. Lastly, love your site and your love for vintage.
I have a bit of trouble with black spot on my roses too. I think it is the humidity that does it. I'll try your recipe tomorrow though - it's about time I spent some time in the garden an it seems to be getting just a wee bit cooler :)
*hugs*
Disease is one thing that has put me off growing roses but this remedy you have posted sounds so easy and troublefree, mind if I print it out and use it myself?
I have a climbing Queen Elizabeth growing over an arch way - which is soon to be renovated. The arch and the rose..lol. It is a cutting I grew from the original Q Elizabeth we had at our second home. The original flowered for the first time the day of my Grandfathers funeral so I put three perfect buds on his coffin. From then on it is known as Grandpas rose. I would love to come and see your garden, it sounds wonderful. Please if you have time some more pictures.
PS Another good cure for black spot is skim milk, mixed with a little dish washing detergent and sprayed on. I haven't tried it as I don't stress to much over black spot, but apparently it works. If you are finding it really bad you might need to increase the air flow around your roses by cutting back some of the plants around them.
Ahhhh, roses! They're a must in any vintage garden (in my opinion..lol).
Love them...they remind me of my granny. The different varieties, shapes, colours, smells seem to be endless.
Thanks for sharing that recipe, I will be using it soon.
I admire your stamina growing roses. I inherited one bush in our garden and as I am planting a waterwise garden with lots of native plants, the rose bush suffers I'm afraid!
Your pics are lovely, I'm back in my Grandad's garden just looking at them.
Oh Robyn your pink roses are just divine! Now you've make me wanna have summer at once and my English roses blooming again.I have to be very patient though because it's still winter and freezing here at night. I'll try out your recipe this year against the black spots! Have done nothing against it last summer.
Okay since my earlier comment isn't showing I am trying again. Just wanted to say Ms. Robyn that my dad too grew roses. He would spend hours taking care of them, even talking to them. I have wild roses growing along the back fence and I have a couple of tea roses and thats about it. I just rather spend hours enjoy lots of different flowers instead of just roses. I did take one of the long stem roses from his grave and rooted it and its growing beside the back deck now. Thanks for taking me down memory lane!
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