Rather Keen on Roses

Perhaps not known for his greenfingers, it seems apt to quote the musician Paul Weller, who in 1978 gave us the great lyric ‘No matter where I roam, I will return to my English rose’. Because no matter how many other garden plants come and go, the popularity of the garden rose never seems to diminish. You might not see many in a Chelsea Flower Show garden but us gardeners know some good plants when we see them and roses regularly top polls for the nation’s favourite flower.

Roses love the sun. Find a location that receives as much sun as possible. A couple of hours of shade in an afternoon or a spot with light shade might not hurt the plant.

Thinking of planting roses, why not give the old varieties a try. Our favourite is the Portland Roses. Amongst this group are to be found not only some of the finest of old roses but also some of the most useful.They are all continuous or repeat flowering and of accommodating proportions. They can

Roses in Aberdeen generally grow well. I have found some of them in the past to be a bit of a hit or a miss. 

The Climbing Rose Compassion still as popular as ever

The Portland Rose Jacques Cartier is one to seriously consider.

The English Rose Darcey Bussell bred by David Austin

I have a confession to make: I adore roses, but I rarely give them exactly what they need to look their best.One of my most common offenses? P

There’s one thing that I constantly run into when talking to gardeners who are interested in growing roses:A sense of being overwhelmed. There seems

If only plants could talk, they could tell us that they aren’t feeling well.Your grapevines could warn you that

Head gardener Neil Miller could be described as one of the country’s premier rose devotees. Over his almost 20 year career at Hever, he has spread enough compost over the Rose Garden to cover Wembley football pitch 10 times over and has deadheaded an estimated one million roses!

If you don’t have a sunny garden but still want to grow roses, then fret not! Here are some gorgeous Roses that Bloom in Shade for you!