Coming up roses.....


The girls are busily potting up this year’s roses as they arrive.

Of the thousands of roses grown each year, we offer an educated selection based on experience and personal taste that we have developed over the years.

This year we have over 120 varieties of bush roses and 35 climbing varieties for you to choose from.

But how do you make your choice? Often the first roses we plant have nostalgic significance. I put the “Sweetheart Rose”, ‘Cecile Brunner’, ‘Albertine’ and ‘Peace’ in this category. Others will be those you may remember from childhood, often not commercially grown any longer.

This week I helped a client plan a new rose garden.

Like most of us, she has strong colour preferences and biases. She really dislikes bright lolly pink but enjoys warm tones of creamy whites through to burnt orange and some reds. We suggested the following –

Climbing roses on trellis and archway

	‘Westerland’ A strong and vigour modern rose with foliage resistant to black spot but can still be susceptible to mildew. The colour of the flowers can vary depending on soil and weather conditions from bronzy apricot, orange, orange red and yellow.
	‘Alberic Barbier ’ Possibly the best and hardiest rose for Wellington conditions. Almost evergreen dark glossy foliage sets off the profusion of creamy white blooms.
	‘Crepuscule’ Meaning twilight in Latin, this is rose is very successful in Wellington especially against a warm wall. The blooms are double, loosely muddled, rich apricot to old gold and fragrant.
	‘Buff Beauty’ A tall growing hybrid musk, with large clusters of fully double flowers buff-yellow to almost apricot fading to primrose yellow. It is strongly scented.

Bush roses

	‘Mutabalis’ In every past garden our client has had at least three of these and this new one will be no exception. This special old shrub rose continuously produces single flowers of ever-changing colours - honey yellow, orange and red which will tie all the other varieties together.
	‘Just Joey’ This rose has been very popular since its introduction in the 1970s and became the world’s favourite rose in 1994. It makes quite a compact bush about 1m but will need regular spraying as it is susceptible to black spot. The blooms are worth the trouble – fragrant, large, buff yellow, fawn and coppery.
	‘Frilly Jilly’ Another modern rose to plant in the foreground (1m). A good performing rose in the garden that picks well for indoors.The semi-double blooms are quite loose, apricot to old gold in colour with a good fragrance.
	‘Hot Chocolate’ This unusual modern floribunda has blooms that are more like old-fashioned roses is form. The colour is a russet brown, very popular in floral art.
	‘Penelope’ A hybrid musk variety that is deservedly popular and widely grown. It is a large, easy care shrub(1.8m x 1.8m) and prolific flower. The creamy-pink blooms are semi-double with frilled edges. Scented.

‘Tea Clipper’

We will try this newly introduced Austin variety in her garden. I was totally bewitched by the catalogue photograph (something I strongly advise against but sometimes I can’t help myself).

It is described as “flowers are of an informal rosette shape and nicely quartered, each with a button eye which is retained to the end. It forms a large, rather upright shrub with its flowers nodding on the branch.

It is almost completely without thorns and is particularly healthy. Usually the fragrance is a lovely mix of tea, myrrh and fruit, although sometimes it is almost pure citrus.”

Just picture a bunch of all the above blooms casually arranged in a vase. Visualising your roses picked is yet another way to put your selection together.

This will not be a “formal” rose garden with the plants standing to attention in rows. It will be softened by perennials with complimentary flowers or foliage – Alchemilla mollis and Stachys ‘Primrose Heron’ around the edges, Verbascum ‘Southern Charm’, misty catmint Nepeta ‘Six Hill’s Giant’ – to name but a few.

We love to put these collections together for you and to individualise them to your particular taste; soft girly pinks, striking pinks or reds, strong, fragrant papal purples and various genteel whites and creams.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ROSE PRUNING DEMONSTRATION

The Wellington City Council has there annual pruning demonstrations at the Lady Norwood Gardens this Sunday, 20 June.

Modern roses – 1pm at the fountain in the centre of the rose garden

Old-fashioned roses – 2pm at the Seddon Memorial in Bolton Street

If it is wet the demontrations will be held in the Begonia House.

We will be pruning our in-store roses in July and will be happy to show you how it’s done. Ask us anything about your roses – we are here to share our extensive knowledge and passion.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PLANTING, PRUNING, SPRAYING, MULCHING AND FEEDING ROSES!

Over the years, roses have developed a reputation for being hard to grow but don't let cynics put you off. They are fairly easy care and just such a beautiful accessory for your garden!

All you need to do is select the roses to suit the amount of effort you want to put in and follow our simple rules. We've included everything you need to know about planting, pruning, feeding and more.

Read about it here >>

Soil (earth) Roses will grow in most soils. Read more here >> Irrigation (water) How much or how little? Read more here >> Spacing (air) Make sure there's enough space around each bush. Read more here >> Sun (fire) How much sun and when? Read more here >>

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

GARDENING CALENDAR - JUNE

Our June issue covers lots about the kitchen (vegetables and fruit) as well as the ornamental garden, including roses, along with some tips about your lawns!

Click here for the full calendar >>

Look forward to seeing you soon...............

Anne