Dreaming of your own rose garden? Read the A-Z for garden roses
The rose is a gorgeous garden plant no summer garden or patio should be without. Whether it's bush roses, climbing roses, standard roses or espalier roses, these plants can be the focal point or the perfect finishing touch to your outdoor space.
So what's the secret to successful rose growing? We've turned to the experts, Peter Beales Roses – a well-renowned grower and breeder of roses for over 50 years and gold medal-winning Chelsea Flower Show exhibitors – for tips (A to Z-style) to help you enjoy the gorgeous colours and fragrance of roses year after year.
A is for Award-winning
When choosing roses, keep an eye out for ones that hold a coveted Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (AGM). ‘AGM-winners have triumphed at trials and you know you’re picking a winner,’ says Ian Limmer, nursery manager at Peter Beales Roses. Roses which have won the hotly contested title, Rose of the Year, should also be on your radar.
B is for Bare-root
Bare-root roses are field-grown and supplied without a container, usually available from November to March each year. If you’re looking for roses that will establish quickly, bare-root varieties put down a strong network of roots and will flourish into a beautiful display over the summer months.
C is for Climbers
Ideal for adding a pop of colour or interest to pergolas, fences and exterior walls, climbing roses typically bloom through summer into autumn and are one of our favourites for completely transforming an outdoor space.
D is for Deadheading
It’s important to routinely snip faded blooms or spent clusters by deadheading your roses with secateurs. By doing this, your roses will channel their energy into producing more flowers, keeping displays at the peak of perfection over a longer season. Try to do this on a weekly basis during the summer months.
E is for Establishment
Roses will settle in when given a helping hand to establish. 'While autumn is the prime season for planting, containerised roses can be planted throughout the year, as long as the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged – and it’s best to avoid planting during periods of scorching weather or drought,' says Ian.
If you’re planting roses directly into the ground, fork in lots of well-rotted manure or garden compost – roses appreciate soil with a pH of around 6.5 (slightly acidic) or neutral soil in order to establish their deep root systems.
F is for Floribunda
If you're not familiar with the word floribunda, meaning 'many flowers', these are the roses that have many clusters on each stem, making them a popular choice of bedding flower. It'll add an abundance of blooms from June until October each year.
G is for Ground-cover
It’s not always the most aesthetically pleasing to see lots of empty space around our plants, which is where ground-cover roses come into play. 'Technically known as procumbent roses, they’re ideal for filling beds with summer colour, keeping difficult-to-reach banks carpeted in colour and for growing in containers, too,' explains Ian. They also grow wider instead of taller to help fill in any spaces.
H is for Hybrid tea
Unlike floribundas, these garden favourites tend to bear a single bud on the end of each stem, opening to reveal one glorious bloom. 'Hybrid teas have one of the longest flowering periods of any garden plant, getting the show on the road in early summer and blooming until the first frosts of autumn,' Ian reveals.
I is for Insects
Roses are generally low-maintenance, hassle-free plants, but greenfly and blackfly can sometimes infest foliage and flower buds. You can get rid of these aphids by blasting them with a hosepipe, or you can rely on nature's pest control – ladybirds often descend to feast on these unwanted bugs. As with all plants, it’s easier to tackle infestations before they’ve built up so it pays to be vigilant during the warmer months.
J is for John Innes
'John Innes No3 compost, to be precise – because that’s what gardeners should fill large pots with when planting roses into containers,' explains Ian. 'This loam-based growing medium is formulated for plants that will sit in containers for many years. Specialist rose composts mix 70 per cent John Innes No. 3 with 30 per cent multipurpose compost or dried manure. Avoid planting into only multipurpose or rose compost, which are designed to be used for up to six months and will become compacted and depleted in nutrients.'
K is for the symbol for potassium
Also known as potash, the letter K is the chemical symbol for potassium, a vital component of many fertilisers and plant foods. 'Tomato food is rich in potassium and works wonders on roses growing in containers,' says Ian. 'Give summer displays a boost by feeding roses in pots with tomato food once the flowering season is underway.'
L is for Label
As every rose is different, double check the label before you make a purchase. This will save you from buying a variety that is too big or too small for your garden or flower pots.
M is for Moisture-retentive soil
Combine moisture-retentive soil with good drainage and a sunny position and you’re onto a winner! It's the holy grail for success with roses.
N is for Nutrients
If you want your roses to flourish and bloom to the best of their abilities, you need to supply them with the right amount of nutrients. 'Roses in containers will thank you for a regular liquid feed throughout the growing season,' says Ian. And where roses are growing in border soil, feed them three times using a general-purpose fertiliser – firstly in February ahead of the flowering season, then again in June/July after the first flowers have faded, and finally in August.
'Vitax and Westland are two brands that offer tailored liquid rose food, whilst Maxicrop liquid seaweed plus iron is favoured by the team,' reveals Ian.
O is for Ornamental
Certain types of roses produce hips, which are little ornamental seeds which birds will adore. Though ease off deadheading these roses in midsummer and marvel at the colourful fruits as they form in time for autumn.
P is for Perfume
We can’t get enough of the sweet and often fruity fragrance of flowering roses. And they all differ ever so slightly. If you want a mix of beautiful scents, be sure to plant a few different varieties.
Q is for Quality
‘If you’re buying containerised roses at a garden centre, it pays to know how to spot quality plants. Foliage should be lush and green, with no sign of blackspot or disease,’ Ian explains. ‘Check that shoot tips and flower buds are free from aphids, and select plants with signs of healthy, vigorous growth. Good garden centres should keep roses in top condition, with no weeds or lichen evident on the surface of the compost.’
R is for Rambler
Similar to climbers, rambling roses look equally as impressive growing up garden trellis or adorning arches. 'Most ramblers flower once, from early to midsummer, but blooms are borne in such profusion that the clusters of flowers are a sight to behold. Some even produce attractive hips (colourful fruits) in autumn,' says Ian.
S is for Standard roses
While we don’t think there's anything standard about roses, these varieties – with a classic lollipop-shaped appearance – bring elegance and formality to gardens. It's ideal to grow in containers as a focal point either side of a doorway or path, or to frame a dramatic view.
T is for Top dressing
Even though roses grow well in containers, their compost can become depleted as time goes on. ‘To give plants a boost, scrape away the top 5cm of compost every couple of years and replace it with fresh John Innes No.3 or specialist rose compost – it’ll help to replenish nutrient levels which encourage healthy growth and a profusion of flowers,' advises Ian.
U is for Underplanting
If you’re keen to stop animals from using your borders as their personal toilet, underplant with very low-growing roses or perennials. 'The Flower Carpet series is a brilliant, spreading, low-growing rose, with varieties available that bloom in a host of hues, from yellow to white, red, coral and pink. These low-maintenance superstars boast superb disease resistance, too, and are perfect for underplanting tall standards and tall shrubs,' explains Ian.
V is for Versatility
The versatility of garden roses is unmatched. Whether you need a rose to grow in a container, climb up a trellis or arch, blanket the ground with blooms or scramble through trees and shrubs, there's something to suit. Not to mention a wide array of colours and fragrances too.
W is for Waterlogging
Roses will suffer if their roots are constantly sitting in ground that’s prone to waterlogging. To prevent this, dig plenty of well-rotted organic matter into heavy soil to improve structure and drainage.
X is for Xylella fastidiosa
While this disease has been wreaking havoc across Europe, thankfully it won’t affect your roses.
'Plant health experts are battling to keep this new disease out of the UK,' says Ian, which has been causing wilt and dieback on popular plants in Europe. 'It targets olives, rosemary, lavender and hebe, to name a few, but thankfully roses aren’t on the disease's list of host plants.'
Y is for Year
There's often a quiet month in the garden but there's always a little task involved when it comes to nurturing your garden roses. Prune in February, deadhead in July, plant bare-root roses in November etc. Follow this month-by-month guide for rose planting success.
Z is for ‘Zephirine Drouhin’
Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ is one of the most famous climbing roses of all time. Thornless and tolerant of poor soils, it was first introduced in 1868 and rewards with exceptionally fragrant, semi-double blooms in a beautiful cerise-pink.
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