Autumn roses

Iceberg was probably not bred for cutting. Most of the year, my garden does not provide the right conditions to grow Iceberg roses on stems long enough for cutting - I need at least a small "handle" to go in the vase. In the Autumn, especially after it rains, they tend to grow faster and have bundles of joy for a country looking display like the above.

This year, Brisbane experienced a dramatically hot and dry summer. Most plants in my garden suffered. Roses, for instance, were not flowering in flushes like they should. The blooms were small in both number and size. The healthy, reliable Tiger rose had only a few sickly looking flowers, and its canes did not grow much during last summer. Pink Brindabella Bouquet (the only pink open flower in the photo) had virtually no flowers at all! I thought that it was my less frequent fertilising pattern that made the difference.

Apparently, it wasn't all human fault. By the time autumn arrived, the temperature lowered and the rain finally was here. All the roses flowered at the same time, at near-exploding rate, giving gorgeous, large, numerous (on some) flowers I've ever seen this year. They have all had great vase life, without extra water treatment - I didn't even change water regularly, only topped it up as needed.

It is high time to appreciate these beautiful and fragrant roses, both in and outside the house, before the Winter hits!