On behalf of Knight’s Roses, I’m very proud of our hardworking team, quality roses, continued expansion and especially our record-breaking sales over the past few years. Of course, this growth would not have been possible without the support of our loyal wholesale and retail customers, and I thank you for your business.

For us, our passion for roses has only increased as we pursue new ideas and work towards our vision for the future. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any enquiries.

As we celebrate Christmas, may your heart be filled with hope, peace and joy – wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the whole team at Knight’s Roses.

Daniel Knight

Phone (08) 8523 1311, email retailsales@knightsroses.com.au or visit our website.

Each year The National Rose Trial Garden of Australia, which is located within the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, holds a public judging event. Rose Introducers in Australia place a great deal of importance on this coveted award purely because the rose is selected by the public and not by a panel of experts.

On 15 -16 April, the general public was encouraged to visit the trial garden to cast their votes for their top five roses. The voting results provide an excellent insight for rose breeders, rose introducers, growers and retailers as to the varieties and types of roses which are most popular with the public.

‘Forever Yours’ was announced the most popular rose receiving the 2023 People’s Choice Award after the public judging. Over 600 members of the public attended to select their favourite roses which had been trialled for nearly two years.  The velvety red Hybrid Tea, bred by Rosen Tantau, was the clear winner.

Forever Yours is a highly anticipated new release for 2024. Beautiful and fragrant, it features impressive, fully double, large red velvet blooms that are very long lasting and suitable as a cut flower. This rose has strong upright growth reaching 1.2m tall, produces abundant new shoots and has glossy healthy foliage with good disease resistance and excellent repeat flowering ability. Awarded the ‘Rose of Madrid’ in 2018 and Certificate of Merit (NRTGA) in 2023.

There is definitely a trend to have more disease resistant roses and a desire towards space efficient roses which use less ground space such as pillars, climbers and upright shrub roses.

If you ever wanted flowering walls to enchant and embellish your garden, then try growing ‘Camelot’ a new, attractive, uniquely coloured pink climbing rose from Rosen Tantau.

The beautiful medium-sized flowers are produced in clusters with fine, dark pink flecking on the petals. The flowers are loosely fully double and have a moderate citrus fragrance. When fully open the blooms are very bee friendly and self-cleaning.

Camelot has very vigorous growth and will reach approximately 3m tall x 1m wide. The plant continuously produces strong new canes, substantially from the bottom, which are ideal to train against a trellis or structure.

This new variety displays healthy foliage with excellent disease resistance to blackspot and mildew.

Awarded Best Climbing Rose Variety in Belfast, Ireland, in 2014 and Rose of the Year in Sweden in 2022. Order in advance to avoid disappointment.

If you have limited space, or a rental property or more plants than your garden allows, you can grow your roses successfully in pots. Potted roses are ideal for your verandah, patio, courtyard, balcony, along pathways and other areas where their beauty, colour and fragrance can been joyed. Another advantage is pots can be moved into feature areas while they are in full bloom. With their long flowering season, rounded bushy growth and fragrance, roses make highly effective containerised plants.

TIPS FOR GROWING ROSES IN POTS

1.         Choose a location which receives at least 6 hours of sunlight each day. The advantage of growing a rose in a container is that you can shift it to ensure it is in the right position for sunlight or move it under partial shade during heatwaves.

Courtyards which are open to full sun every day can get very hot in summer – it is suggested that some afternoon shade protection is advisable during heatwaves.

2.         Ensure the pot can be shifted. This can be achieved by having the pot on a low stand with wheels or use a sack-truck under it for easy relocation. Mark the side of the pot which faces north and when you relocate it ensure the pot is placed to face the sun in the same position.

3.         Container size – the bigger the better so plants can perform at their best!  But as a general guide a bush rose needs a pot 30 to 40cm in diameter. Half wine barrels make excellent containers for roses but shifting or repotting roses grown in these containers can be a challenge. Choose terracotta, ceramic, concrete, fibreglass or wood containers as they do not absorb heat like black plastic pots which should be avoided. Light coloured pots will stay cooler. They also need ample drainage holes.

4.         Choose quality potting soil. It must be a “premium mix” which is free draining but retains moisture. Roses should be repotted with new soil every 2 – 5 years. Winter is the best time to repot your rose plants. Clean pots as disease can spread easily in dirty containers. Add some Neutrog ‘Seamungus’ pellets in to the mix. Maintain a level of 5 – 10cm of mulch on the top.

5.         Roses in pots require regular watering, the soil must remain moist and cannot be allowed to dry out. Summer conditions are challenging for potted plants. Water the pot until water is freely draining through the holes at the base, then cease watering. The drainage holes cannot be allowed to block up as roses hate ‘wet feet’. If the container is the right size for the rose it will need a good watering 2 to 3 times per week in the summer and maybe daily during heatwaves. Watering can be reduced to 1 to 2 times per week at other times. You can put your finger 2cm deep in the potto test dampness, if your finger comes out clean the soil is dry.

6.         Fertilising is another important element. Feed the roots with a few Neutrog Seamungus pellets and Neutrog Sudden Impact for Roses pellets lightly scratched into the top surface. These break down slowly over 4 to 6 weeks constantly feeding the potted plant. They can then be replenished every 6 or so weeks. Sudden Impact for Roses is also available in a liquid form and its organic base provides a full range of nutrients in a slow-release form.

An application of Neutrog GoGo Juice (a pro-biotic and soil improver) every 6 weeks also ensures the potting mix maintains an active mixture of live microbiological organisms which help to break down compost and fertiliser into digestible forms for the potted rose and helps the plant withstand stress.

7.         The final point relates to pests and diseases. Potted roses can often get spider mite and to avoid this, thoroughly wet the foliage (both underneath and above)with a strong stream of water every 7 to 10 days. Similarly, aphids can be washed off or rubbed off the foliage. An occasional spray with Eco-oil or pest oil will control fungal problems and help with insect control.

CHOOSING WHICH ROSES TO PLANT

Generally, you should consider selecting varieties that have an even growth habit, maintain a regular shape and good repeat flowering throughout the flowering season.

In big tubs, standard roses can be grown with smaller annual flowering plants for colour. Good standard roses for pots include: Black Caviar, FireStar, Per-Fyoom Perfume, Double Knockout, Seduction, Friesia, Gold Bunny and Iceberg.

Or choose smaller rose varieties such as Bees’ Paradise Bicolour or Pink, Dream Chaser, Apricot Clementine, Hot Pink Bonica, Little Wishes and The Fairy.

Watering

The most important ingredient for roses in summer is water. Water your rose bushes deeply. Generally, established roses need an average of 20 to 30L of water foreach rose per week. It is essential that a rose is well hydrated prior to expected heatwaves, where the temp is above 35°C on average thus use 30 to 40L per plant. Its recommended to apply the water in one weekly application or, at most, twice per week preferably early morning. Deep watering weekly is far better than small amounts daily. These watering recommendations assume you have a substantial covering of mulch. Without mulch, you will need twice the volume of water per plant. Young, newly planted roses will benefit from alternate, fortnightly applications of Liquid Seamungus and GoGo Juice as part of their watering regime.

Irrigation systems should be checked to ensure they are working effectively and fix any leaks or problems.

Pests and Diseases

Given our hot, dry, low-humidity summers, most fungal issues disappear and pests such as Aphids and grubs also “back off”. Spider Mite may be an issue and when present, lower leaves close to the ground may be pale in colour. Remove a leaf, turn it over and watch carefully (a magnifying glass may help). If insects, the size of pepper, start moving around and/or a fine web is evident, Spider Mite are present. Water sprayed upward from under the leaves can assist with the removal of early infections as Spider Mites don’t like to be wet.

There are now many natural remedies for pests. Organic Oils (such as Eco-Oil or Eco-Neem) or one of the natural sprays such as Yates ‘Nature’s Way Natrasoap Pest Spray’ can be used to control bad infestations – don’t use strong, toxic insecticides.

For more information on rose growing, visit the Rose Society

To contact Knight’s Roses  – phone +61 8 85231311 or visit our website.

Contact Knight’s Roses for more information : 1300 1 ROSES or (08) 8523 1311

Pests and Diseases

Given our hot, dry, low-humidity summers, most fungal issues disappear and pests such as Aphids and grubs also “back off”. Spider Mite may be an issue and when present, lower leaves close to the ground may be pale in colour. Remove a leaf, turn it over and watch carefully (a magnifying glass may help). If insects, the size of pepper, start moving around and/or a fine web is evident, Spider Mite are present. Water sprayed upward from under the leaves can assist with the removal of early infections as Spider Mites don’t like to be wet.

There are now many natural remedies for pests. Organic Oils (such as Eco-Oil or Eco-Neem) or one of the natural sprays such as Yates ‘Nature’s Way Natrasoap Pest Spray’ can be used to control bad infestations – don’t use strong, toxic insecticides.

For more information on rose growing, visit the Rose Society

To contact Knight’s Roses  – phone +61 8 85231311 or visit our website.

Contact Knight’s Roses for more information : 1300 1 ROSES or (08) 8523 1311