Coming up roses in the garden

Over recent years people have thought of roses as ‘hard work’ but a small amount of effort will bring big results starting with 4 basic elements – earth, water, air and fire (soil, irrigation, spacing and sun).

Soil (earth)
• Roses will grow in most soils and prefer a soil ph of between 6.5 to 6.8. Don’t bother to get your soil tested unless your roses are not performing satisfactorily.
• When preparing the soil dig in plenty of good compost and if the drainage is poor, add gypsum.
• If planting a new rose where one has been previously growing you will need to remove the old soil and replace it with fresh soil from another part of the garden. For best results add trichopel (Root Mate) to protect the new rose roots from fungus the old plant may have left in the soil.

Irrigation (water)
• How much or how little to water will vary greatly depending on weather conditions. A deep watering twice a week preferable to daily sprinkling.
• Water in the morning to help prevent powdery mildew.

Spacing (air)
• Make sure there will be enough space around each bush as they grow. Air circulation is important to prevent powdery mildew and other fungal diseases so choose a breezy but not windy spot and don’t plant them too closely together.

Sun (fire)
• Roses need at least six hours of sun a day.
• Six hours of morning sun is preferable to six hours of afternoon sun.

Planting your rose

After selecting the ideal position, dig a hole twice the width and just a little deeper than the bag it is in. Thoroughly water the rose before planting.
The bud union should be level with or slightly above the finished ground level.

Cut off any damaged roots or stems. Add 25 grams of Burnet’s Gold Rose Food into the bottom of the hole. Place the rose in the hole and carefully firm in with planting mix or a mix of soil and compost.

IMPORTANT
New plants need to be pruned back hard, to around 150-170cm. This puts the energy into establishing strong roots. (All our roses purchased after July have been pruned by us so this won’t be necessary).

Pruning is not difficult.

Existing bushes
- Cut out any dead, diseased or damaged canes
- Clear out the centre of the plant.
- Reduce main branches by 1/2
- Make all cuts at a 45 degree angle always cutting just above an outward facing bud
- Remove any growth from below the graft

Climbing Roses
- Allow 4-5 main leaders on modern climbers and prune back to 3 live buds
- Old fashioned climbers that repeat flower are pruned in July
- Single flowering varieties are pruned after flowering

Standard Roses
- Pruned as bush roses

Simple Spraying
Many roses are susceptible to mildew, both powdery and downy, and rust. Insect pests such as aphids, scale and mites can also attack them. We find that roses grown with plenty of compost and manures and are well fed are better able to thrive.

Here is a basic spray regime:

- Late May-June Yates Champ DP copper and Conqueror Oil combined
- June If lichen or fungal disease is a problem spray with Yates Lime Sulphur (do not get this spray on painted surfaces). This will cause the plant to drop its leave, making pruning easier and eradicate over-wintering fungal spores.
- July Prune then spray again with a combination of Yates Champ DP and Conqueror oil. Allow at 2-3 weeks between Lime Sulphur spray and the copper/oil sprays.
- August onwards Begin spraying as leaves emerge. Alternate between Yates Greenguard and Super Shield throughout spring and summer. If you are a fan of Confidor alternate this with Greenguard and Fungus Fighter. Super Shield or Mavrik will be necessary if mites are a problem.
- When plants are in leaf, do not spray on a hot sunny day and make sure they are well watered prior to spraying.
- Clearing up fallen leaves will help prevent the spread of diseases as will watering only in the early mornings.
- Always read the instructions on the containers.

Mulching
- will help retain moisture over the summer, improve soil condition and make weeding easier.
- Keep the mulch clear of the stem to prevent rot.

Feeding
- Roses are hungry plants. Feed three times a year with Burnet’s Gold Rose Food (also appropriate for container grown roses). Do this every 3-4 months from leaf burst until late autumn.
- May An application of Sulphate of Potash will mature and harden canes ready for pruning.

 

JUST A FEW OF OUR FAVOURITES WHICH ARE GOOD 'DOERS'

‘Mutabalis’ Ever-changing, ever flowering. Terracotta buds open into delicate single blooms of copper, yellow and pink maturing to crimson. No two flowers are the same and “dance like butterflies". It will grow into a large bush up to 2 metres, is extremely hardy, disease resistant and will only need spraying if aphids are a problem.

‘Glamis Castle’
A free and continuous flowering English rose. The short bushy growth habit makes it ideal for borders of bedding en masse. The old fashioned cup shaped flowers are white with a myrrh fragrance.

‘Roserie de l’Hay’ What a fragrance! This is a very tough, healthy rugosa rose. The foliage is fresh pea green and wrinkly, the blooms a rich velvety crimson pink. Disease free.

‘Sally Holmes’ The apricot buds open to single mostly white blooms, generously smothering the large, healthy shrub (up to 1.8m). An unfussy rose with pleasing fragrance, wonderful in a mixed planting or informal hedging.

‘Gruss an Aachen’
Thought to be the first floribunda rose bred it makes a good ever-blooming bushy plant, dwarf and hardy. The apricot buds open to a creamy pink and fade to white. A slight fragrance.

‘Iceberg’ Has to be the most successful rose bred purely because it never fails. There are other white roses with more fragrance and perhaps better form but it will tolerate less than favourable conditions as ‘Iceberg’ and still be in continuous bloom. Though the flowers are a bit floppy I think that gives them a casual charm when picked.

‘Graham Thomas’ Medium sized, cupped double flowers that are a rich, pure yellow in large clusters like a floribunda. It has inherited good disease resistance from one of its parents, ‘Iceberg’. It s a tall lanky plant suitable to the back of a border but even better if the long cans are trained horizontally along a fence.

Climbers

'Alberic Barbier’ This grows so well in Wellington it has even colonised roadside banks! Almost evergreen dark green foliage sets off the profusion of creamy white blooms. Will grow where no other dares.

‘Sir Edmund Hillary’
A very desirable addition to the range of climbers. Highly scented flowers of beautiful form open wide to a delightful blend of pure white with golden centres. Strong growth to 4m.

‘Crepuscule’ An old rambler, repeat flowering with double blooms of creamy apricot.

Souvenir de Mme Leonnie Viennot’
One of the very first to flower early each spring makes it a favourite. It has large loose flowers of salmon pink/apricot.
Fragrant, recurrent with extremely healthy foliage.

‘City of London’ A modern climber with strong fragrant flowers of the softest, blush pink. Really girly!

So, don’t let cynics put you off growing roses. Select the roses to suit the amount of effort you want to put in and follow our simple rules.

Which is loveliest in a rose? Its coy beauty when it's budding, or its splendour when it blows?
George Barlow

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