Simon White of Peter Beales Roses on the A to Z of all things Roses. May's zoom meeting

 Last month we had a very interesting and informative talk from Simon White of Peter Beales Roses on the A to Z of all things Roses.  I am sure you will all agree that Simon?s enthusiasm for the subject shone through.  Simon?s presentation took us through the various groups into which roses fall and the various flower types.  Simon interspersed his presentation with feeding, watering, pruning tips and how to deal with pests and diseases.  Simon told us that an organic method of dealing with blackspot is to use milk and water in 50/50 solution.  A less environmentally method is to spray them with a very diluted amount of Jayes fluid in November/December.  Roses need to be kept well watered to prevent blackspot especially important if they are in pots.  Simon also told us about ?Uncle Toms? plant tonic which he also recommended for preventing blight on tomatoes and potatoes.  It is quite pricey, but the dilution rate is high so it goes a long way.  A good companion plant is a clematis,  flowering group three should be used, especially if you have an old fashioned rose which only flowers once.  

And finally Simon told us that they do tours round the nursery and welcome coach parties, so the committee will consider this as a possible visit once we can recommence our coach outings.