Eleanor Clarke
OUTDOOR PLANTS
Rose season’s on its way!
About to bloom in all their glory, roses are one of our top plants, and there are so many to choose from. They’re the UK’s favourite flower, an enduring symbol of romantic love, England’s floral emblem and so much more. We’re big supporters of the beautiful English rose here at the Nunhead Gardener and not just for these reasons. Huge spoiler alert: although they’re pretty and delicate to look at they’re actually one of the toughest, easiest and most undemanding plants you can grow on London clay.
Don’t be afraid of growing roses
Nevertheless, many gardeners are wary about planting roses. Maybe it’s because there are so many books written about them: how to prune, when to prune, what diseases they can get and so on? It can be off-putting. Or maybe it’s because there are so many different kinds. There are shrub roses, ramblers, climbers, floribundas, wild roses, tiny patio roses, roses with hips, repeat-flowering kinds, even roses that scramble at ground level. No wonder there’s such potential for confusion at every turn.
The main thing to remember with roses, whichever one you choose, is that they’re hungry plants so they need good rich soil. This means if you’re a Londoner and curse that heavy clay every time you dig, you have pretty much the perfect growing medium. You could dig in a big of leaf mould and add some Rootgrow when you plant, but if you don’t it won’t be a deal breaker.
Sun or shade?
The second thing to remember is that the huge majority of roses need a good amount of sun to grow well. So a south or west-facing spot is ideal. At a stretch (depending on the variety), east-facing is okay. We’ve yet to come across a rose that thrives against a north-facing fence, no matter what the grower claims. They all need a minimum of 4-5 hours sun a day or they’ll grow leggy, flower poorly and succumb to diseases like blackspot. As with all garden plants, check the label before you buy and plant accordingly.
What's in a name?
Let’s put all the naming confusion to bed once and for all with a quick run-down of all the different rose types and where to plant them:
Hybrid tea
A classic rose-bed variety with a large flowers at the end of each stem, they’re shrub-sized and good for dedicated rose beds or mixed borders, surrounded by plants like lavender and lupins
Floribunda
Another classic rose-bed variety but this one has a little bunch of flowers at the end of each stem (bunda = abundance). Again, shrub-sized and ideal in all kinds of beds and borders
Old-fashioned rose
The ancestors of today’s roses, these large shrubs have big blousy flowers in early summer, then they’re all over for the year; they’re often beautifully scented. They don’t need hard pruning, so never look bare, which makes them a good candidate for an informal hedge. Also great in beds and borders underplanted with hardy geraniums and the like
New English rose
Similar to the old-fashioned, but bred to flower for much longer (so they’re repeat flowering), eg Gertrude Jekyll, Brother Cadfael and Scepter’d Isle. Perfect in beds, borders and roomy pots
Climber
As the name suggests, they grow upwards covering walls, sheds, fences, pergolas and arches well. Use the smaller ones (check the label) to train up a pillar; the tallest ones can even be trained into a tree
Rambler
Essentially a bigger, more vigorous climber, often with large clusters of smaller flowers. Make sure you have the space as they grow quickly (to be fair they tend to charge rather than ramble!)
Patio rose
Bred to be tiny, usually up to 60cm, these are perfect for containers on the patio
Ground cover
The low-growing spreaders of the rose world, you can even plant these in hanging baskets, or use as ground cover at the front of a border or over a sunny bank or slope
Photo – Annie Spratt
How to look after your roses, season by season
To be honest, there’s not a lot to it when you grow roses on rich soil, but a little TLC and you’ll have show-worthy blooms and perfect glossy foliage
Spring
- Mulch with well-rotted manure or garden compost in early spring
- Feed in April, then again every couple of months until autumn
- Prune hybrid tea and floribundas in early spring, cutting back the whole shrub to 30cm above ground
Summer
- Pick off any yellowing or diseased leaves
- Keep them well watered (be particularly vigilant if you’re growing in pots) to ward off mildew
- Deadhead regularly to keep flowers coming (unless you’re growing a variety with colourful rosehips)
- Remove any suckers that grow from the rootstock right back to the base
- Prune climbers and ramblers after flowering (think of it as a super-charged deadheading – cutting off the dead blooms as well as the length of stem that holds them)
Autumn
- Autumn’s a great time for planting roses, as they’ll get plenty of rain to bed them in
- Tidy up shrub, old-fashioned, ground cover and patio roses by removing any dead or weak stems
Winter
- Tie in rambling and climbing roses
- Pick up fallen leaves; if they have any kind of disease, leave them out of the garden compost or it’ll spread
- Winter is also a good time to plant roses, especially bare root ones
Roald Dahl Rose, David Austin
How to grow roses in pots
Because roses are such hungry plants, planting them in pots isn’t ideal. But it is possible. You might want to grow a climber up the side of the house where there’s no soil, or pop one on a sunny patio. They’ll just need a little more care and attention than a rose that can get its roots deep down into the soil for its water and nutrition needs. This means using a rich soil-based compost, replacing the top 5-10cm every year with fresh compost, keeping up a good watering regime and feeding in the growing season (your best bet is a specialist rose feed). A generous mulch of composted bark in spring will keep weeds from setting seed and competing for food and water.
Rose trouble shooter
Buds that don’t open and turn brown
Aka ‘balling’. This can happen if it’s cold and wet. Remove the spoiled heads
Leaves covered in dark spots
Aka ‘blackspot’. Ignore it if it’s not too bad and just remove the worst leaves. Or replace the rose with a more disease-resistant variety
Border rose with few flowers
It might have too much competition from its neighbours. Thin out or cut back the plants nearby
Greenfly
Squish them off with your fingers or the jet of a hose. Best not to resort to chemicals or you’ll kill greenfly predators like ladybirds too
Mildew
This means your rose is dry, give it a good soak and up your watering
Read more:
OUTDOOR PLANTS
