When beautiful spring roses begin to bloom, aphids will usually try to spoil the show. But I have just learnt that getting rid of them is easier than you might think! Since the beginning of spring our rose bushes have really taken off and they are now literally covered in flowers and flower buds. Recently when I was having a closer look at one of the buds I noticed that it was covered in aphids. They were gathering on the new buds and sucking the moisture out of them. They were basically … [Read more...]
October Gardening 2013: What’s Going On in My Garden!
We are almost at the end of October and the weather is really starting to warm up now - I can’t believe how fast this month has gone! There is so much happening in the garden in springtime that it is a struggle to keep up! Despite the frantic pace October gardening is so much fun! We can pretty much walk around the garden every day and find something new that is blooming or a shrub that needs some attention. As the weather is warming up everything is coming to life and it is a full time … [Read more...]
Blue Flowers Enrich a Garden
It’s almost a month into spring time now and as the weather slowly warms it is wonderful to see an array of flowers bloom. One flower that looks absolutely stunning in my garden at the moment is the Ceanothus plant – or California Lilac! We have several of these plants in our garden and they are all covered in the most amazing blue flowers. While most flowering plants look stunning when they are in full bloom, there is just something special about a plant with blue flowers! When we first … [Read more...]
Rose Care: Fertilizing Hints and Tips
I have just finished pruning the beautiful roses that I have in my garden using the great rose pruning tips that I found last year. When I was finished I also wondered about other aspects of rose care, in particular fertilizing and when I should so it. One of the rose pruning links from last year suggests that roses should be fertilized 3 weeks after pruning. This got me interested in finding out more about rose care with respect to the type of fertilizer that I should use and when … [Read more...]
When and How to Prune Roses
When you’re not sure how to prune roses it can seem very daunting. However with some basic tips and a bit of practice you will soon be able to prune your roses with confidence! Roses are a wonderful addition to the garden. We have quite a few in our garden because they’re such a wonderful source of spring and summer colour. Most of our roses are planted in garden beds that are very close to the house. This means that we can see the beautiful blooms from inside the house all though the … [Read more...]