A passion for roses

Ramona started gardening three years ago after joining a friend on a bus tour organised by Ludwig’s Roses. “We visited four rose gardens,” she says. “There were masses of roses of all kinds. That’s when I first saw the David Austin rose, ‘Sharifa Asma’. Its pale pink hue and wonderful fragrance was simply irresistible and I immediately fell in love with roses.

“I have created a romantic garden by planting more than 350 rose bushes in a similar way to which European gardeners do it: I covered the area around the roses with other flowering plants and groundcovers so that no soil is visible. Traditionally, nothing is planted next to roses so that they get all the nutrients out of the soil. But this isn’t necessary. It also looks too formal and doesn’t create the rural aesthetic I’m after.

“I adore UK rose grower David Austin’s fragrant old-fashioned roses,” she says. “I also love planting ‘Iceberg’ roses in the background – they show off my other plants to perfection.”

Ramona does a lot of research on gardening and plants. “I watch YouTube videos and check out Pinterest. I have a Pinterest board with a list of all the roses in my garden.” >>

I’ll live anywhere in the world, as long as I am able to garden. – Ramona

White ‘Iceberg’ standard roses provide a showy display in this part of the garden, while lavender bushes soften the pathway. Ramona uses the white shed next to the pool for propagating plants. A neatly clipped hedge of Duranta ‘Sheena’s Gold’ frames a water feature.