Is it true that ashes from household fires are good for putting around rose shrubs?
Ashes are good, but don’t over do it, a light sprinkling is great. Be careful though the lie content of the potash will burn the roots of the plants if given to much, a fireplace spade full sprinkled about is adequate. My favorite rose fertilized however is Goat, sheep or rabbit dung Again, as with all fertilizing to much can be harmful. A spade of dung is more than enough, and wow the foliage and blooms you get. Also well mulched tree leaves are excellent for all the garden, very good source of minerals for the plants. It will also lighten the soil so it will drain better and bring in more good earth worms You don’t have to wait for the mulch, you can get it by raking back the top layer of leaves in a forested area and scoop up the soft fluffy decayed soil under the leaves, this is years of mulched leaves without the wait. Work it into the soil, you can’t go wrong with this, only avoid the soil under evergreen trees as it is more acidic. If you have a Hydrangea you would like to bloom
