Thanks for the quick reply, Alana, it's much appreciated!
Sounds like I'd better put Smooth Prince in the ground and give it a good shot at doing well, as I love the eye catching colour and a whole bunch of them flowering at once would look absolutely spectacular, especially in the sun. I've had it for a couple of years and it was actually one of the first couple of roses I ever bought as a bare-root. Suffice to say I didn't use very good potting mix (one of the reasons it dries out so fast), or any water crystals, or coir (to help hold in moisture) and I also put some thyme in the pot with it, to deter aphids (through the smell) and that has gotten much bigger than I expected, and drinks a heap of the water. Throw in the fact there's also a drainage hole in the side of the pot (which has let some of the potting mix escape) and the fact it's been getting very little sun lately and you can probably see why it isn't firing on all cylinders! I'll look forward to seeing how it performs when given more of a chance, as it doesn't even look like flowering at the moment.
Thanks for the tip on the Seasol, too. How often do you use it? I've used some of that on most of our roses this season, as well as other things like blackstrap molasses, epsom salts, worm wee (from our worm farm and from the shops, in bottles) and coffee grounds (which are all reportedly great for roses and are non-chemical), plus some kelp and blue green algae supplements (spirulina, chlorella and barley grass, that were well past their used by date and are supposedly loaded with organic vitamins, minerals, protein, growth stimulants and so on), from the health food store. I've also recently given some of them some chook manure granules and for the first time have spread around some lucerne mulch, which is apparently by far the best mulch, as it is loaded with nutrients and nitrogen, which feed the soil. It's certainly looking like it's going to be a far better year for blooms as a result of all that, and the better weather.
And you're welcome, regarding the Rankins tip. Does your local Bunnings sell them for $15 all the time, as that's extraordinarily cheap for Rankins ones? Some Bunnings have them for up to $27 or so and I saw some at one of the most expensive nurseries in Melb recently, for $35, for the older/classic varieties, like Mister Lincoln and $45 EACH for the new PBR ones, like Heaven Scent and In Appreciation, that all looked like they were only one year old (going by the very thin canes). I was shocked when I saw those prices.
It'll hopefully be well worth the trip if you do get out to Rankins and if you want to make it a really worthwhile day trip you could cut across from there to Monbulk, in the hills, where there's a great rose nursery called Newstead roses, just opposite the Silvan Reservoir. That's probably the second best of the rose nurseries I've been to, and I was blown away when I walked in there for the first time to see this sea of colour and all these really bushy and very well priced roses.
Then, about 10 mins further on from there, is Reliable Roses, a large property amongst all the farms in the rolling hills of Silvan, which has a very big display rose garden, which ought to be in just about full bloom. It's really spectacular and they have a lot of the "old-fashioned" rose varieties and lots of freestanding climbers like Dublin Bay, Aloha, Blossomtime, Gypsy Boy, etc, which can have literally hundreds of buds/flowers on them. They also have plenty of modern varieties, with one to look out for being Toro (known as Uncle Joe, in the US), which is the most extraordinary red, which is very, very large, incredibly well formed and extremely slow to open. It's an exhibitors dream rose, although needs plenty of sun and warmth, apparently. Reliable Roses is run out of a private property, but I've been told you can basically just go in there and look around the rose gardens (on the left, as you drive in) at pretty much any time.
I'm hoping to get to all 3 places on one of the three days that Rankins is open and also to the Vic Rose Society's Spring Rose show, in Mt Waverley, on either the Sat or Sun, then maybe on to Rose Paradise, a rose nursery in Box Hill, where they have 3+ year old roses for sale. So it's hopefully going to be a big weekend with lots of pics and maybe a new plant or two, to show for it!
Regards,
Steve