Roses in Bloom

The month of November will be coming up roses here at Thyme Out. It is always painful to prune the branches back in the winter time after a good old summer full of flowering and sometimes it leaves you wondering if you’ve pruned them too much!

But every year November comes around again and they prove you wrong. Due to the regular amounts of rain we have been having at the moment, the roses are growing very fast and their flowers are breathtaking. I sneak up on them very early in the morning when the dew is still on them and the colours and shapes are simply beautiful.

Once established they are not too difficult to maintain. Pruning them back is important in the colder months so that they can have a rest over the winter and make sure that during spring you don’t weed too close to the roots because they don’t like to be disturbed too much.

We put lawn clippings on the roses during spring and, as the days warm up, I have a bottle of garlic spray ready in case I see any aphids.

To make the garlic spray, just put 4 crushed garlic cloves in a large jar and fill it with water. Leave it out in the sun for a couple of days. Then fill a small spray can with the garlic water and add 2 tablespoons of oil (any oil will do). This will make sure it sticks to the leaves when you spray it. Only spray it when you see aphids appearing and this way you’ll be naturally assisting the rose to combat the little suckers!

As a reward, I’ve been able to take some lovely photos of the roses and their gorgeous flowers: