Roses are the nation’s best bloom for good reason, says Carol Klein
They’re the nation’s favourite flower for good reason
Rose season has arrived and a feeling of joy permeates the entire garden. Although we don’t have an immense number of roses at Glebe Cottage, we value those we have and know them all intimately. Many of them have lived in the garden for decades and have become old friends.
Just before I left for Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC in Birmingham, I managed to stroll around the garden just to bring myself up to date with what was happening. I’d missed some of the peonies flowering, and a poppy or two, but as I went round the corner of the long ‘hot bed’ I could see a glimmer of pink and white further down in daughter Alice’s garden.
It was instantly recognisable as Rosa mundi – this rose inspired Alice’s second name Rosamund. It’s an old gallica rose, whose petals are striped in pink and white. The story goes it was named after Fair Rosamund, the mistress of Henry II, who, reputedly, was poisoned by his wife. Not a happy story, but a beautiful rose!
Gallica roses have a rich perfume and semi-double or double flowers, and their colours often change as their flowers develop. ‘Charles de Mills’ is deep crimson at first but as it comes out its petals take on a rich wine colour. We still have a plant of this rose, though I should give it a better site. It’s in too much shade and flowers poorly – the great majority of roses love sun and full light.
Rosa ‘Complicata’ is also a gallica rose but it’s difficult to see the similarity between it and the very double gallicas. Far from being complicated, it has simple flowers. They’re pale pink and borne along arching stems up to 1.8m (6ft) tall.
The great majority of old roses have one shortcoming in that they only flower once, usually during June and July. In a small garden this can be a decided disadvantage.
Several rose breeders, in particular David Austin, have sought to produce hybrids that flower continuously from June to September or, in some cases, October. They’ve tried to combine the qualities of the
‘Shrub roses bear some of the most beautiful flowers any gardener could desire!’
old roses, their scent and full flowers in rich colours, with the ability to repeat flower on strong, disease-resistant plants.
There are other roses, too, that display these qualities.
The rugosa roses that originate in the sand dunes of Japan are extremely tough, healthy and vigorous and flower for a long period. In addition, many of them are adorned in the autumn with flagon-shaped hips at the same time that their foliage changes from fresh green to glowing golden-yellow. Their blooms are scented, too.
Because they’re so troublefree they’re often used in municipal schemes and utilitarian areas – for example down the central carriageways of autoroutes in Northern France.
Forms of Rosa alba also have good disease resistance and, for those sensible gardeners who don’t want to use chemicals, it’s always a good idea to choose species or varieties that have good disease resistance. My alltime favourite R. alba is ‘Céleste’. She has perfect buds with the classic shape of a rosebud that open to elegant, pale pink blooms with a glorious scent. The flowers are dainty, though the bush itself can reach 1.8m (6ft). There are records of another
R. alba, ‘Maiden’s Blush’, dating back to the 15th century. All these roses have slightly glaucous foliage, a fine foil for their exquisite flowers.
In Annie’s garden, which is full of purples, magentas and blues, we planted a series of the moss rose, ‘William Lobb’. It has large, heavy flowers of outstanding magenta that fade and change almost to purple. They open from intriguing buds with a strangely textured surface that looks quite bristly but is, in fact, soft when you rub the buds between your fingers. What you don’t realise until you do this for the first time is that this variety is fragrant, full of scented oils.
Shrub roses offer so much – they’re easy to look after and accommodating but, above all, they bear some of the most beautiful flowers any gardener could desire!