Olympic Roses

Read more from Hayden Foulds

I’m writing this a few days after the London Olympics finished and what a great occasion for London and the wider United Kingdom. Congratulations to all our athletes who represented New Zealand and also to those who won medals in their respective events.

So this column has a bit of an Olympic theme with three roses:

First up, the host city has a rose named after it. ‘City of London’ was bred in the UK but does well here in New Zealand. It is a climber but not one that will take over your garden so perfect for smaller spaces. Blooms are pale pink in colour and if you get close enough, you will get a whiff of the fragrance it produces. One to hunt out for from specialist rose nurseries.

Next up is the only rose ever to be the official rose for the Olympic Games and even more, was bred right here in New Zealand by Sam McGredy. ‘Olympiad’ was released for the 1984 Los Angeles games and 750,000 plants were sold that year. The blooms are a stunning rich red, almost the perfect colour for a red rose. It does need a warmer climate to perform at its best so it is one that does need some perseverance if you wish to grow it in New Zealand. Available from Tasman Bay Roses (www.tbr.co.nz)

To celebrate our Gold medallists, why not plant the rose ‘Gold Medal’ An introduction way back in the 1980’s but has stood the test of time and is really easy to grow. The golden yellow blooms are flushed with pink on the edges. Early to start flowering and almost never without a bloom throughout summer.

Late Winter Rose Care

Finally, a few words on what you should be doing with your roses now. Pruning should be finished or nearly finished now. Don’t be too concerned if the wet weather is holding you up, roses are very forgiving of being pruned a little late.

When you do finish pruning, lightly fork over around your roses and clean up any leaves that are still around. It is also time to apply a general rose fertiliser towards the end of August evenly around your roses.

In the warmer parts of the country, aphids may be starting to appear. If you only have a few, it is easier to simply pick them off or squash them – I know it sounds a bit gruesome but it is the easiest way to control them. If numbers have got away, then

Also another pest starts to make an impact on your roses around this time. Possums just love the new shoots of roses as they appear. Either get a trap or spray fish fertiliser around. It does stink a bit which puts the possums off and probably you too.

For any advice specific to your local conditions, I suggest you contact your local rose society – see www.nzroses.org.nz or email me hayden@nzroses.org.nz and I can put you in touch.
By Hayden Foulds