This month, continue to work up the rose-beds to a good tilth. By all means add more well-rotted compost to ensure an open condition. A word about clay. Clay is compressed sand, and needs to be exposed to the air and elements of weather to be broken down into useful soil. This process can be assisted with the addition of a "soil-breaker", which seems to quicken the process, but without the addition of mulch, the soil in a short period of time will merely return to its former unusable state. The addition of mulch and its working into the broken clay helps to keep separate the clay particles, encourages worms into the bed, making the soil fertile.

The weather usually breaks in this month, with useful rains after dry Autumn. In Melbourne temperature drop is barely noticeable, and blooms will be had into Winter, though quality is poor, and botrytis is coming in. Not a bad time to collect decaying blooms and other litter from your rose beds.

Leave pruning until plants are dormant, around late June/July. Resist the temptation to rush down to the supermarket to buy roses. They are available early to corner the market. Be patient, wait until next month before buying bare-root plants, and ensure that they are dormant.