Roses play a big part in our branding here at Quob Park as they feature on all our labels, adorn the pergola on The Terrace, and also can be found around our deer fencing around our vines.
Many of you may know that roses were originally planted by viticulturists at the end of rows of vines as an early warning system for potential diseases on the vines such as downy mildew. When a disease was spotted on the rose plant, preventative action could then be taken to protect the vines from the same fate, ensuring a higher quality and more plentiful harvest.
However, as horticulturists have continually bred roses to be hardier, roses are now much hardier than the vines, rendering them useless as an early warning system! At Quob Park Estate, however, we still plant roses as a call back to this ancient tradition – and because we think they are beautiful!
This week, it has been a treat to see the roses starting to come into bloom on The Terrace, providing not only a visual delight for us, but also a vital resource for our bees.