Magnolia Roots Have Stunning Fragrance

Hi

The guys and girls here don't have to go to the gym as bagging all the trees is a great work out for the upper body, mind you, Pete next door, keeps the muffins coming to keep them going, Now while on the subject of muffins, one of Anthony's clients, Helen came in the other day bringing gifts for him and it was this  amazing Sistema cake cover. It's just the most awesome Sistema piece to add your collection. One way up its for cakes and the reverse way is for cupcakes  Complete with a lid to keep the flies out, a handle to carry and the classic Sistema clips to keep the lid on, its been perfect for keeping the muffins fresh and fly free. Haven't been able to work out, whether Pete carrying it looks more like little red riding hood or the big bad wolf.

Now on a more sensible note, Its like  being a kid in a candy shop here at the moment as we prune and label all the new seasons trees that have come in.  If you think that I have a plant fetish its true, next time you are planting a Magnolia, crush and sniff their roots, (don't  let anyone see you LOL) but they have such an amazing fragrance. I just love looking at plant wood, well you know stems and branches, as they are all different shades and shapes and so distinctive from each other. Japanese plums have quite amber colour wood and English plums have quite dark waxy wood. Magnolias have big fat, plump, leaf buds and furry flower buds. Peach roots are wrinkly and orangey in colour. Figs have fibrous roots that are quite tough to cut and soft tops. Stems can be square -ish or just round.  Edgworthia grandiflora or yellow daphne looks like a plant from outter space with its naked branches and fragrant yellow Daphne shaped flowers.
There is just no end to the differences if you look! Call me nutty but I'm fascinated. I tend to identify plants in general by their wood and that includes roses rather than looking at their tags though I admit I can't tell the difference between the different cultivars.

              
Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Austin or Patio?????

Tonight I started pumping Bev who knows a thing or two about roses and I didn't get very far as it was late in the day. I was going to do a piece about Floribundas and Hybrid teas and what her favourites are. We got as far as Elina being rated as one of her better performers and then Loving Memory, both really good examples of hybrid teas. Hybrid teas I generally describe as being like a florist rose with perfect buds and usually one per stem whereas Floribundas usuallly have many flowers per stem. I reckon that all the hybridising over the years have created many that exhibit characterisitics of both though. Floribundas make for a fabulous display in the garden and pick well, though Hybrid teas may last longer in the vase due to that they have more petals. Then there are the Austin roses that have all that old fashioned charm that have been bred from true old fashioned roses and modern  so that they have all the best characteristics of both.

Rose Pruning, Get the Nitty Gritty this weekend here, 10am to 3 pm, Sat and Sun

A brief email as Its been a long day potting all these new trees but I just wanted to remind everyone that the Rose Society members are going to be here this weekend for those that wanted advice about pruning roses. They will be here between 10am and 3 pm, Saturday and Sunday, so make a list of all those questions that you want to ask and come on, on out.

So its us here and the Rose society so come on out and ask away, otherwise have a fabulous weekend but be careful who sees you sniffing plant roots GRIN!

Cheers, Lloyd and Harry and the team