The ways we use roses in our gardens has changed much in the last 50 years. In the past, rose bushes were mass-planted in rose beds and rose gardens, nothing but thorny stems and a few lavenders or catmint plants as edging, all grown for a just a few weeks of colour and perfume. These rose gardens still exist in some large heritage gardens, but mostly they were replaced in favour of planting schemes which offered a longer season of interest. They then suffered from an image problem, mainly to do with being supposedly high maintenance, but in the last decade or so, roses have become much more popular, and have taken their rightful place in the garden again, although this time, in completely different ways.
Roses in the mix. Nowadays, the best place for a bush rose is amongst other shrubs and perennials in a mixed border, where they can add to the continuing show of flower and foliage colour that can last, if well put together, throughout the growing season. A great choice for a bed or border would be ‘Natasha Richardson’, a healthy rose with elegant, old-fashioned looking pale pink blooms with exceptional fragrance and a long flowering season. Or if you colour scheme is more vibrant, try ‘Arthur Bell’, for pure gold, heavily scented roses. At the front of the border, plant Patio roses for compact mounds of abundant small flowers – they mix well with low growing perennials such as Hardy Geraniums.
Climbing & Rambling roses. Both Climbers and Ramblers can be trained up a wall, but make sure you know the difference. Many people ask for a rambling rose because they have seen one elsewhere in full bloom, but end up buying a climbing rose instead. This is because the flowering season of Rambling roses doesn’t last long – one fantastic mass of flowers for a few glorious days, then it’s all over. Climbers on the other hand, open their flowers over a much longer season, which seems to suit most people. All climbing and rambling roses will need to be tied to a support, be it trellis or wires, as they won’t self-cling to your wall or fence. Don’t forget you can also grow roses up arches, arbours and obelisks!
Roses on the patio. While most bush roses usually get too stressed in a container, patio roses are perfect for growing in a medium to large sized pot. They will give you a good show of dainty miniature roses, and not get out of hand. Ensure there is good drainage by adding a layer of gravel and/or crocks to the bottom of the empty container, then partially fill with John Innes no. 3 compost. Take the rose out of its pot, shaking off any excess compost, and spread the roots out around the pot. Fill with more compost, and firm down lightly around the plant, finishing off with a good watering in. More recently, a number of patio climbing roses have become available – these have a similar flowering habit to patio roses, and are less vigorous than climbing roses. The fact that they won’t grow higher than about two metres or so, makes them very useful for growing up obelisks, fence panels and arches. Try ‘Cumberland’, a bright red, or ‘Lakeland’ for pale pink.
Standard roses. This is a rose grown as a short, neat tree, which look attractive in pairs, framing a door or other entrance. Usually grown with a 100cm stem as a full standard, or 50cm stem as a patio standard, which are great for growing in large pots.
Pruning. This is usually done in the winter, when the plants are dormant. Each type of rose requires pruning differently, so check the label of your roses for more information, or ask one of our experts for advice on pruning, feeding and planting roses.
