Rose Planting

Planting position and preparation: Roses require 5 -6 hours of full sun per day for best growth and flowering.  Roses can tolerate a range of different soils however it must be well drained. In poorly draining soils mound your beds 20cm above the surrounding ground level. Poorer soils can be improved by mulching with animal manure 3 months before planting.  Prepared mulches or potting mix can be applied on the soil surface at planting time.  In heavy clay soils applying gypsum (also sold as clay breaker) will improve soil structure and drainage.  Dig a hole approx 500 x 500 x 300mm deep. Plant your rose 5cm below the graft so you can observe if rootstock suckers below the graft.  Water in well, if winter rains do not occur then water every two weeks. Do not place fertiliser or animal manure in the hole at planting. Feed during early spring with a well balanced slow release fertiliser; we recommend Nitrophoska, or Hydrocomplex, using 25 grams per rose.  Feed again in January and April.  Many soils will also benefit from adding a good handful of Dolomite in early Spring and late Summer. To feed organically, use aged poultry manure, (such as Dynamic Lifter) and add to that handful for handful of grey wood ash or substitute a dessertspoon  of Sulphate of Potash.  Most organic fertilisers have more nitrogen than potash, and this imbalance produces fewer flowers and softer growth than a feed which has a higher concentration of potash.

Potted roses: can be planted 12 months of the year as long as they have an established root system. Water your rose in the pot first, and then dig a hole twice the size of the pot. Remove rose from the pot and place in the hole with the top part of the root system approx 2.5cm below ground level. Fill back up with soil, then water in well.

Winter Pruning: Cut back your rose to approximately 30 to 40 centimetres high, you can use either a hedge-trimmer or secateurs for this. Cut out any dead wood or twiggy growth as well... Please note, this method is used extensively in large rose gardens around the world. Old fashioned roses that only flower once a year are best if pruned after they flower as they mainly flower on old wood, and not on new growth. On old woody plants you can cut them back to leave only 2 or 3 branches coming away from the base by using a saw and leaving these branches 30 centimetres long, this will rejuvenate the plant by encouraging new growth.

Late Spring Summer early autumn Pruning: Cut dead flowers off your bushes as though you are going to put tm in a vase. This will encourage a denser pant and more flowers, as you do not want the plants to become so tall as to only have your flower above your head height. Simple isn’t it.! Modern repeat flowering roses will re-flower within 7-8 weeks.

Fuchsias can be grown successfully in baskets, pots or in the ground, but as stated earlier you must select the right types for what you are growing them in. Fuchsias are native to South and Central America, the Caribbean and as far south as New Zealand. Fuchsias vary in size from being a low ground covering plant such as Fuchsia procumbens which has a small yellow flower and is native to New Zealand through to a small tree such as the species Fuchsia arborescens.

Growing in baskets is another way of having fuchsias for your enjoyment. In wire baskets, either line the basket with a plastic liner, a shopping bag will do the job but cut a few small holes for drainage if using conventional potting mix. Another alternative is to use a good quality coir (coconut fibre) potting mix in wire baskets, if this is used then there is no need to line the basket with plastic as the coir mix holds more moisture than pine bark based mixes. In plastic baskets if coir based mixes are used it is advised not to leave the saucers on the baskets and to water less often than if using pine based mixes. It is advisable not to grow plants directly under laser- light as this can cause burning in hot weather.

Pruning plants growing both in baskets and in the ground is done at the end of frost periods.  For basket fuchsias take the plant out of the basket and prune the root mass back by about 20% to 25%, then cut the top of the plant back to the edge of the basket and to about 10cm high. Then as the plant is growing you can tip prune to encourage bushy growth, and in temperate climates prune the top back by 30% after Christmas. Plants in the ground are pruned back to 30 to 45cms and can be root pruned by digging down a shovel length all around the plant.

Fertilising of plants is advised by feeding container grown plants twice a year with a controlled release fertiliser, this being done at the end of winter pruning and in late January. Fuchsias are heavy feeders as they produce so many flowers, and when using a controlled release fertiliser it is advised to use 5 grams (a teaspoonful) for every litre of potting mix the container holds. Liquid fertilisers high in potash are a good supplementary feed for the plant and are equivalent to having a cup of coffee and morning tea, nice to have but not a main meal. In the ground fuchsias may be fed with a good quality general fertiliser but make sure as with roses that it has more potash than nitrogen.