Growing good roses is not difficult and plants are reasonable and long lasting. Plant them in good soil feed and care for them and they will reward you with magnificent blooms, scent, cut flowers and a great summer show. As a guide to growing roses there is a list on monthly tips and actions to help get the best from your plants.
January Prepare sites for new roses to be planted in spring. Double dig the ground and add organic matter, compost, humus and/or manure. Mix in bone meal. If the soil is frozen or waterlogged and unsuitable for planting heel-in bare rooted roses and plant when conditions improve. Normally planting can take place when the roses are dormant from November to March. Plant to the same level or depth that the rose was grown to – do not plant any grafting below the soils surface. Check for wind damage causing plants to rock and prune back autumn planted roses if not already done so. Spray with tar-oil wash to kill over-wintering pests.
February If soil is still unsuitable cover bare rooted roses in frost free conditions Firm in any rose trees loosened by gales or frost Plant seeds from rosehips and species roses in pots in a cold greenhouse Plant any bare rooted trees if the conditions allow, steep in water for 24 hours if the roots are dry and put banana skins and bone meal in the hole. I am happy to plant 18inches apart for most trees with a bit more or less space depending on the vigour of the type and variety. Later in the month in sheltered gardens pruning of established plants can start. Cutting out weak stems and a third of the oldest, woodiest growth will encourage new shoots. Thin out over grown ramblers but take care or you will loose the years flowers if they are not the repeat flowering
The website greengrove.cc is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
I am miffed that the Royal National Rose Society has gone into administration (May 2017). Originally formed in 1876 it owns land in St Albans but finds annual running costs onerous. As small compensation here are details about a couple of charitable red roses.
The dry weather has cause a lot of problems with moldew. (I should have said mildew but that is a Freudian slip I will leave in.) The worst affected in my garden is an early flowering clematis but this rose stem is not far behind.
Can you tell what this frosted yellow flower is that is starting to show colour and now getting into full scented blossom? It still thinks it is 2015 and our mild wet weather has contributed to a range of ongoing flowers.
This selection of top ten Roses to grow as cut flowers has been chosen for their scent and the length of the vase life. If Roses are picked as the buds are breaking they will last at least a week and if they are picked fully open it will be several days.
What is a Patio Rose if it isn’t a rose grown on a patio? Patio roses grow bigger and bushier than miniatures and are about 14 -24 inch high, yet they are perfectly formed. H.T. Bush and Floribunda roses grow bigger but Patio roses are easy and decorative.
Half Standard roses are grown on a 60-80cm stems. The selected flowering variety is grafted onto this stem. A spreading variety of polyantha or ‘fairy rose’ attains further height of 2′. Clusters of bead-like buds open to globular, scented flowers which are most effective en masse.
When Roses are in full bloom I can’t resist taking photos of them. With this rose I tried putting white paper behind the rose to highlight its colour. The rose below is taken with a dark background but is still satisfactory.