How to pick the rose that's right for you
Quintissentially English, the rose is one flower that can be found in many a garden.
It is now the time of year when people are out and about looking for the roses they would like to see growing in their garden.
What may not be known to some, particularly those wanting to start growing roses for the first time, is that there are many different types of rose – with new varieties come on to the market each year.
It means gardeners are faced with a bewildering choice.
To make things slightly easier, there are six classes of rose and the one which is the most familiar, is the traditional hybrid tea rose, (think single rose as a gift to a loved one).
Of similar shape but not quite so well-formed are the floribunda roses and which, unlike the single bloom, produce several blooms per truss.
Still at home in the garden setting are the shrub roses or, to make a
floral display against a wall or an arch are the climber/rambler roses.
For smaller areas the miniature roses and the patio roses do much as they say on the tin, fitting in as an edging to a flowerbed or as a patio feature.
The last class is for the new roses. As mentioned earlier, growers can almost flood the market with new names in each of the various classes and includes the Rose of the Year as chosen by the Royal National Rose Society.
Sam Bosworth, of Bosworth's Garden Centre, Burton Latimer, has some words of advice for rose growers.
He said: "What you should be looking for now on hybrid tea roses is strong new growth with at least three shoots, all of which should be pointing outwards.
"Shrub roses should be showing a few buds and the leaves should be shiny with no sign of aphids or spots.
"An air of mystic has surrounded roses for a long time and some people are put off because they believe they are very difficult to tend but that is not really the case.
"There is much advice about pruning and that can be very confusing as some say cut here, others cut there and at this angle.
"Basically I would say that, as most roses have five leaves directly under the flower and fewer further down the stem, cut just above the five leaves and you will not go wrong.
"A lot of people also think roses are prone to disease but many new roses have been cross bred by growers such as David Austin, and these are now very much disease free but retain the scent and shape of the original roses."
Should you be thinking of planting roses, do not leave it too late.
Most roses are now grown in fields, not pots, and are lifted at the end of the summer. Once those have gone they are gone until the next season, garden centres and other sellers will not be able to replenish stocks until the same time the following year.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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