Start planning your 2018 roses
David looks back on the year and starts thinking about 2018
It seems every year we say ‘it’s been a funny old season’ when it comes to talking about the garden. But this year it certainly has. It started very early with a long dry period from spring until mid-June. The roses loved it and bloomed magnificently. I know I’ve said it before, but I truly have never seen my roses with so many blooms.
Over the next few months there are a few things to do in preparation for 2018. It’s a good idea to cut tall varieties back about one third to stop wind rock. Cut off any broken pieces on the plants and remove any suckers that
may have developed. Tidy the beds by picking off any weeds and old diseased leaves that are on the ground. Give the beds a drenching of something like Jeyes Fluid to kill off disease spores that may be on the ground.
Winter’s a great time to relax with a good book on roses. There are several excellent titles around. Among my favourites are Roses by Jack Harkness, Rose Growing Complete by E. B. Le Grice and any of the books written by David Austin, which are interesting and informative.
In terms of new roses, I’ve been impressed by the climber ‘Scent from Heaven’, ‘WB
Yeats’ and ‘Lovestruck’. The latter is Rose of the Year for 2018. I’m still very impressed by ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and two Hybrid Teas from
Gareth Fryer, ‘Infinity’ and ‘Inspire’.