Select your climate zone Australia - cool/mountain Australia - sub-tropical Australia - temperate Australia - tropical New Zealand - sub-tropical What is my climate zone?

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
										P	P

(Best months for planting Rosella in Australia - cool/mountain regions)

P = Sow direct in garden where they are to grow.

November: Must be under glass or in mini greenhouse to start

• Harvest in 21-25 weeks.
• Sow in garden, or start in seed trays. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
• Best planted at soil temperatures between 20°C and 35°C.
• Space plants: 140cm-150cm

This frost tender annual grows to a height of 2 metres. It is grown for its red fruit which make delicious jam or jelly.

Rosella needs a growing season of at least 6 months warm weather so is best suited to tropical or sub-tropical areas. Can be started under glass in cooler areas. Water well and give a dressing of fertiliser when flowering starts.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Rosella

The large flowers produce a crimson enlarged calyx.
Use the fleshy red calyx, without the green seed pod to make jam or jelly.

Your comments and tips

27 Jul 10 Maggie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Used to grow well on flood plain in Tweed Valley when I was a kid - black peaty soils. Grandma made the jam, hence my search for the topic - yum, love that slight tangy bite to the flavour.

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20 Jul 10 marlene (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

How much fruit do you normally get from one bush. Can they handle Bris/Sunshine weather in summer. What kind fo soil do they prefer?

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30 Jun 10 Natalie (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

greenharvest sells the seeds online.

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27 Jun 10 Graham Horrocks (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

After fruiting is over, do i cut bush back or remove all together.

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26 Jun 10 Anne meguyer (Australia - temperate climate)

I live in a coastal belt at Port Stephens. Where can I obtain plants to grow same? I grew up in Qld so recall them being grown there. No one round here seems to know of them. Thank You. Anne

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12 Jun 10 philomene bell (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

planted 3 rosella bushes about 4 weeks ago and the y are starting bare fruit how do i know when they are ready to pick

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18 Jun 10 Jean (Australia - tropical climate)

Hi, you can pick them once the calyx has firmed up.

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13 May 10 Lisa (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I would like to preserve the rosella flowers for a friend, like they do commercially for the bottom of your champagne glass. Can anyone help?

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23 May 10 (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Lisa, I've never seen the flowers like this - are they dried out or soft enough to eat when you've finished your champagne?

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24 May 10 Meredith (Australia - temperate climate)

They're usually preserved in syrup, so they're a bit chewy at the end of the champagne but quite edible.

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