Being a rose nurseryman we look differently at growing roses than many others. In the media and at rose society meetings cultural information is given freely to provide rose growers with the best, healthiest rose they can obtain. In the nursery we must think of the economics of maintenance of the plants as well as […]

Growing roses is not too hard. Buy a rose, dig a hole, place into the soil and water well. After this there is the need to continue water, giving some feed, cutting off old flowers, and pruning in winter. But there is another factor some still do not understand its importance – mulching. One of […]

I have recently read about a rose we grow and sell as Jean Ducher with research which now finds it to really be G. Nabonnand. As one of Australia’s leading growers and sellers of old roses we must be aware of any changes found within the rose industry as it effects how we place in […]

At some time in a rose society member’s life someone will ask you to identify a rose for them. As a retail rose specialist one of our regular customer services we offer is the identification of roses. Each year many dozens of customers use this service and we are proud to be able to identify […]

In these harsh times with water restrictions in virtually every state, the subject of Bullet Proof Roses is quite relevant. Many have suggested planting Australian Natives as the only alternative for gardens but I believe we should consider plants which are Natives in the Northern Hemisphere, Roses. When we look at where many roses originate […]

  Souvenir de la Malmaison would undoubtedly be one of the world’s most famous old garden roses. The delicate soft pink flowers are fully double and possess the most delightful sweet fragrance. In Australia it grows a neat compact plant making it ideal for virtually any rose garden. The rose is classified as part of […]

Throughout history tens of thousands of roses have made it to the market, some with long levity while others only surviving a few years. In these there are some that have incredible stories or have contributed to society to become what I call ‘influential roses’. I have compiled my list of what I consider are […]

As a specialist rose nursery for over 60 years we have seen and heard many interesting stories and would like to share a few with you all.   Multi-coloured Rose I recall a customer who called our office and asked for a rose his friend has which had 5 different colours on it. Sorry sir […]

There is so much talk currently about Australian bred roses riding the crest of a wave and the future looks bright. I don’t want to rain on the parade but I still have reservations on where it is going and how it can be sustained. Since the early 1900’s roses have been bred in Australia […]

Roses are one of the easiest plants to grow. Plant, water, feed occasionally and cut back when needed. Yet I hear so much ‘how to’ information it makes my head spin –  ‘do this, don’t do that, add this product, don’t use this product, plant this way, avoid doing that’. For a new rose grower […]

I am sure most rose growers never have any interest or knowledge where the roses they have in their garden came from and less knowledge how they were developed. But there are a few where interest exists and I would like to write for these gardeners in the aim of helping them if they would […]

Recently I was watching a podcast on Heritage Roses and in it one comment was made which shocked me a bit and started me thinking. The comment made was ‘there is not a clear definition what a Heritage rose is but each country decides its own classification. In Australia a rose older than 75 years […]

When I heard Ruston’s Roses was on the market my first thought was how this unique collection could be saved in case the new owners have no real interest in the roses and just want to use the property in some other way. Now it has been sold there is more confidence in its future […]

In our daily lives we have to deal with making choices. Whether it is what to wear, what to eat, what route to take to where we are going. In many cases the choices come easy such as what we wear can be decided on the weather or what road to take is dependant on […]

It will not be too long now before bare root roses are seen in stores again temping all to purchase and plant in our gardens. But who knows how to select a good plant making growing so much easier and enjoyable. In this article I would like to provide the information that new gardeners, or […]

There is no doubt the sweet scent is what a rose is most famous for. Few, if any, would not like the scent this unique flower provides our gardens and how it can transform the aroma of a home with a vase of sweetly scented flowers permeating through many rooms. Yes, the rose has something […]

The genus rosa is like a glittering gemstone where each facet reflects its own sparkle, each type of rose reflecting the interest of its admirer. And there are many admirers of ‘Heritage Roses’, an all embracing term which covers a diverse range of roses which are also known as ‘old fashioned roses’, ‘roses of yester-year’, […]

In 2023 we will celebrate a quarter of a century involved with introducing Australian bred roses. It is an interesting story and one that I wish to share with you all. Our first involvement with an Australian breeder happened in 1995 when South Australian Ray Courage approached us to see if the roses he had […]