Australia has many world-class rose growers including Swane’s (NSW), Treloar’s (Victoria) and Wagner’s (SA).

I have been looking at the new offerings from Wagner’s, which are now in garden centres after having been trialled in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens for several years before public release.

Wagner’s Rose Nursery, a family owned business, has been growing roses for more than 60 years. It was started near Adelaide by Harold Baker in the 1950s. His youngest daughter Barbara and her husband Earl Wagner took over the expanding business a few years later. By the 1980s, their son Brian was running the business.

Brian’s passion for roses started by earning pocket money picking blooms at sunrise for the florist trade when he was only seven! Today, Wagner’s grows more than 600 varieties on its 50-hectare property and, being agents for many international rose breeders, is now one of the largest rose growers in Australia.

I was especially drawn to “A Daughter’s Gift”, a beautifully proportioned rose with large blooms of deep, velvety red. It has a sweet delicate fragrance and grows to 150cm.

The sales of this rose raise funds for the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Leukaemia and Lymphoma Fund in Perth.

The other I particularly liked was Wagner’s “Best Friend”, a fragrant rose with sweet-scented blooms of rich, deep, plum-coloured tones. Growing to 150cm, it makes an excellent cut flower.

All Wagner’s roses are easily picked at any retail garden centre with their strong, at least two-year-old, healthy, thick stems.

Other roses I recommend for their excellence include “Mother ‘n’ Daughter”, “Mother ‘n’ Child” and “Twilight Zone”.

And there’s “Firefighter”, which commemorates those who risk their lives protecting people and property against fires. It grows to 160cm with richly fragrant blooms. The velvety-red blooms are on strong, almost thornless stems making it appealing as a cut flower. The intensity of the red makes it a rival for the long-term favourite “Black Boy”.

A couple of planting hints:

• DON’T prune new roses until you see the new shoots emerging in spring. If any roots are damaged, which can happen when they are dug at the grower’s nursery, trim them with sharp, clean secateurs.
• DON’T plant in the same spot where roses have been grown previously. If this is unavoidable remove at least half a barrow load of the old soil from the planting hole. Plant with new soil mixed with some organic matter such as out of the compost heap. Soak the new rose in a bucket of water supplemented with seaweed plant nutrient for a couple of hours before planting. After firming the soil, water in to remove any air pockets using the same seaweed solution.

Jottings…

• After the incredible rain of recent weeks, make sure the automatic irrigation system is turned off.
• With leaves gone, check trees for broken, dead branches and crossing over branches causing damage to bark. If trees are in or near powerlines employ qualified tree surgeons approved by ActewAGL. Check their website for recommendations.
• David Taylor, from the National Botanic Gardens, will speak on “New and Untried Challenges and Opportunities with Plants” at the Horticultural Society of Canberra’s June meeting at the Wesley Church Centre, National Circuit, Forrest, 7.30pm, on Monday, June 20. All welcome; supper served.