When I lived in Northern Europe and the roses in my garden died every winter, I often wondered what are the best roses for cold climates. Surely there had to be varieties which could take a little bit of frost? Or, was I doomed to never enjoy roses because winters there are cold? Roses tend…
Gardening Tips
Are Roses Bee-Friendly?
I had this weird desire during lockdown to start bee-keeping! We all love honey in this house. So of course, being the owner of this blog, I got to wondering- are roses bee-friendly? Roses are bee-friendly and bees are great for roses! Roses attract bees, which prefer brightly-coloured roses. In particular, bees are attracted to…
Can You Plant Roses and Peonies Together?
Peonies are my favourite romantic flower after roses, which got me wondering recently – can you plant roses and peonies together? That would look SO amazing in a garden, but would it work? Wouldn’t you need to consider their individual watering needs, soil, plant size etc? The good news for other romantic flower lovers, is…
Help! I Accidentally Sprayed My Roses With Weed Killer, Now What!?
Ok people, we have a rose garden emergency situation right now if you’re manically googling ‘I accidentally sprayed my roses with weed killer, now what?’ So let me guess – there were about a million and one weeds growing around your prized rose bush. You took one look at it, decided there is nooooo wayyyyy…
Is Lemonade Good for Roses?
You’re probably here because you’ve heard a florist or green thumbed friend telling you to add lemonade to your bouquets, right? I know, it sounds so weird! Well, call me weird but I LOVE lemon (and all citrus fruits actually, and have spent many an evening horrifying friends by eating all the lemon slices in…
How Do You Force Rose Buds to Open?
If you have a party, photoshoot or even a wedding coming up, and you need to force rose buds to open STAT, there are several ways in which you can coax them open without damaging them. Have you seen the series The Crown? I surprised myself with how much I loved it! It’s not my…
Create A Gorgeous Balcony Herb Garden
Recently, I noticed that out of our 13 tomato plants on our balcony that we started during lockdown (did anybody NOT grow tomatoes during lockdown)!? – only one had survived. Yep, I’d followed all the gardening books advice, and treated my seedlings like they were living in a rainy, shady English garden. The problem being…
Is Rice Water Good for Rose Plants?
You like rice – don’t even try to deny it! In stir fry, takeout, Chinese, with beef or chicken or leafy greens…mmm! And the varieties, too – basmati, white, long, brown, lemon… Well, if you’re cooking rice, and if you’re washing rice, then by default – you have rice water left over! If you hang…
Is Aspirin Good for Roses?
If you know any gardeners, you’ll maybe have heard them say at some point or other, that you can use aspirin for roses. Now, this was news to me. As a migraine sufferer, I’ve always got stacks of the stuff in my house – so I was pretty pleased to come across this rumour as…
Do Roses Like Coffee Grounds?
Have you ever cleaned your coffee machine filter after an early morning cup of coffee and thought to yourself – hmm, what do I do with this? Can I somehow re-use the coffee grounds, preferably in my garden, without just tossing them into the trash? Good news is, much like us humans do, roses also…