Phwoar of the roses
Hottest picks for summer
ROSES are running riot right now, revealing their beautiful flowers and fragrances. So it is the perfect time to create a stunning rose border.
You can go for a formal design with a bed laid out in geometric patterns or a looser, cottage-garden style.
For best results, though, choose award- winning varieties, use a harmonious colour scheme and find them a sheltered, sunny spot.
Hybrid tea roses are unrivalled for their perfectly shaped flowers and vibrant colours. If looked after and pruned properly they can be kept for 20 to 30 years.
One of the most well- known varieties is Peace, which was launched at the end of the Second World War. It has sweetly scented, primrose yellow blooms with pink shading.
If you like the unusual, try Rhapsody in Blue – the closest yet to a true blue. Liquorice- scented Sunsprite produces a mix of single and semi-double blooms on the same plant. Both are floribundas and suit mixed borders.
Grace
If you are lacking border space, consider filling the air with flowers. Roses can be trained over arches and pergolas or you could fix them to hemp rope strung from timber posts.
These floral swags make a useful backdrop to borders or screens for dividing the garden into rooms.
Choose a rambling rose such as American Pillar, which can also be used as groundcover, especially on a difficult to mow slope.
Climbing roses add grace and charm to a house. They can also disguise a shed or ugly boundary or building with a cascade of blooms.
Orange rose Scent from Heaven won the highly coveted Rose of the Year Award 2017. It produces classic pointed button-hole buds, has a strong fragrance and as it is disease resistant. You should never need to spray.
Miniature and patio roses can be grown in pots on a sunny patio. They will need watering daily in summer but try not to wet the foliage as this could encourage black spot.
Roses are heavy feeders. If you don’t give them a regular high potash liquid rose or tomato fertiliser you could be in for disappointment.