THE FUTURE LOOKS ROSY: Bare-root planting season has arrived, so choose a colour and variety now
- Bareroot rose planting season takes place from November until March
- READ MORE: Work with the weather to save your plants from water-logging
A rose is a rose is a rose, wrote Gertrude Stein, failing to consider there is such a wide choice of these beauties.
Gone are the days when roses were planted in a dedicated garden, Alice In Wonderland style.
These days we are more likely to include them as part of a wider planting scheme with herbaceous perennials, climbing up a wall or pergola, or in an attractive container.
November is the start of bareroot rose planting season, which continues until March.
It is more economical to buy roses when they are dormant and gives them a better chance to establish, so long as the ground isn’t frozen.
Exquisite: Rose Queen of Sweden has soft pink blooms and is ideal as a cut flower
Your bareroot rose needs to be planted as soon as possible after it arrives.
DIGGING IN
Dig a hole deep and wide enough to comfortably accommodate the roots, incorporating some well-rotted organic matter and sprinkling mycorrhizal fungi into the base.
Place in your bare-root rose carefully, backfill with soil and firm down, then water well.
If you don’t have the time to plant your rose properly for a few days, heel it in by digging a trench, placing it in at a 45-degree angle, and loosely covering with soil until you are ready.
For a bold and bright colour scheme, combine a vivid rose such as the sunset-hued R. Lady of Shalott, with rusty heleniums, tangerine geums and purple salvias.
For a more formal look, try the classic pale pink R. Queen of Sweden with soft blue catmint (Nepeta).
Other good companion plants include geraniums, phlox, and delphiniums for a cottage garden, or asters, rudbeckia, and sedums for a wilder vibe. Combining roses and grasses can create a contemporary effect.
Give classic red roses a new twist by planting them in a bed with Stipa tenuissima or Pennisetum.
CLIMBING HIGH
Roses are greedy feeders, so leave a circle of about 50cm around the base and continue to mulch and feed regularly.
For a naturalistic effect, train a rambling rose up a tree, planting it a short distance away from the trunk, then tying the shoots into the branches until they start to take hold themselves.
R. Paul’s Himalayan Musk is one of the best rambling roses with small, blush pink-scented blooms. R. Malvern Hills is a reliable, repeat-flowering rambler with petite warm yellow flowers.
I have R. FelicitePerpetue, with pink buds turning white, running rampant through a large Philadelphus. They both come into bloom at the same time, and by midsummer it can be difficult to tell which flower belongs to which.
Roses can look particularly effective in a container but will need a little extra attention as it is easy for them to dry out during warm spells or to lack nutrients.
An old-fashioned shrub rose such as R. Constance Spry or single-flowered R. Ballerina planted in an elegant pot makes a good centrepiece.
On a cool, north-facing wall we have R. New Dawn, its large white flowers brightening up this shady spot.
A scarlet R. Gabriel Oak turns magenta as it matures beside the dark foliage of Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’.
The highly fragrant pink R. Gertrude Jekyll makes an excellent foil for sweet peas, and their scent combined is heavenly.
There is a rose for every situation. I urge everyone to plant at least one this winter.
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