Day: June 1, 2016

Elderly hospital care: NHS Lothian must do better

Inspectors step in to respond to Ferryfield patient buzzers

Ferryfield House

Health Inspectors were twice forced to step in to answer patients’ alarm buzzers while conducting a recent survey into complex clinical care in Edinburgh. It’s little surprise, then, that their report makes a number of recommendations for service improvement. Continue reading Elderly hospital care: NHS Lothian must do better

Sixty of the Best: Lord Provost to recognise city’s inspiring volunteers

North Edinburgh’s volunteers prominent once again

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Over sixty of Edinburgh’s most Inspiring Volunteers will be honoured by Edinburgh’s Lord Provost – and city Volunteering Ambassador – Councillor Donald Wilson at a special awards ceremony on Tuesday 7 June during #VolunteerWeekScot. Continue reading Sixty of the Best: Lord Provost to recognise city’s inspiring volunteers

June garden plant of the month: Rose

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Roses are undoubtedly the Queen of Flowers. With an incredible variety of shapes, colours and scents, garden roses are an essential plant in the garden. Enjoying the setting sun, sultry heat and the fabulous rose display on a lovely summer evening is the ultimate pleasure of roses in the garden! Who wouldn’t want that? The Garden Plant of the Month for June can provide it!

To suit every taste

The range of garden roses is incredibly large and can be different from the roses we know as cut flowers. There are many colours, scents and flower shapes, as well as various styles and growth habits. Bush roses, climbing roses, standard roses, espalier roses and ground-covering roses are common. Every garden rose has its own characteristics and can be used in many places in the garden. In the soil, in containers on the balcony or patio, or against a wall or fence.

Care

A couple of simple tips will keep garden roses healthy and beautiful.

  • It’s important that they are placed in full sun with at least 6 hours of sunlight.
  • Regularly water the plant when it’s been dry for a while outdoors, particularly if it’s just been planted in the soil or in a pot.
  • Give the plants special rose fertiliser in the spring to ensure that they keep flowering profusely for a long time and remain healthy.
  • Garden roses are generally very hardy when they are planted in the soil. In pots it’s best to provide winter protection with jute or bubble wrap.
  • The best period for pruning is the end of February or beginning of March. It can also be done later, and the roses will then bloom later. It’s not a good idea to prune earlier, because young shoots can then be damaged by night frosts and the plant is more prone to fungal infections such as blackspot and mildew.
  • Pruning depends on the type. Bush and standard roses should be cut back to 10 – 15cm above the soil or the trunk. For climbing roses, look particularly at the shape and height that the plant should grow to.
  • Don’t be afraid to prune roses vigorously; the plants will produce new shoots and will then flower profusely in the spring and summer.

Pruning tips

Pruning is very important for roses. It helps them to grow well, produce many flowers and remain young and healthy.

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More information about roses and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk