Diseases

BLACKSPOT 

Otherwise known by the Latin name of Diplocarpon Rosae, blackspot is a prolific fungus that manifests itself as black spots on both sides of the leaves. The initial spots progress and become larger. The disease will spread through the whole leaf and turn it from green to yellow. The leaves will then drop off and eventually you will end up with a very bald rose that looks very sorry for itself.

 

 

The most important thing to do is to remove the dead yellow foliage immediately from the ground as the spores from the infected leaves will spread to the rest of the plant and you will experience the whole sad cycle again the following season. Collect the leaves and burn them. in regards to treatment this all depends on your own feelings towards pesticides. A Sulphur based solution is an extremely successful option and it has been used for many years by those who prefer a more chemical free approach to gardening. There are many brands of which you can take your pick and all are easy to purchase online or in your local garden centre. I personally prefer to use Rose Clear which is multipurpose as it fights not only blackspot but also mildew, rust and aphids. It is also chemical free which is important to me as I have two toddlers who constantly touch the roses.

The best way to manage this disease to to remove the effected areas as soon as Blackspots begin to appear and then sporadically spritz the plant and keep an eye on its progress over the following weeks.

 

MILDEW

This common fungal disease can be recognised by its white powdery presence on the plant. The impact of this fungus can be very disfiguring to the rose. Mildew or Podosphaera pannosa as it is otherwise known can be found on any part of the rose. It can cause a reduction in growth, buds may not open and leaves can become discoloured and shrivelled. Unfortunately last summer all of my Icebergs suffered from this so I'm hoping that this summer may see an improvement!

 

 

A Non-Chemical approach to dealing with mildew would be to again use a similar spray as mentioned before, Rose Clear, and to remove the affected areas. As well as this make sure that the plant is well watered during dry spells as a lack of moisture can also lead to an increase in the fungus. I also gave the rose a good hard prune to reduce spreading. Make sure you get rid of any cuttings or fallen debris as that will continue the cycle of infection. A good sprinkle of mulch will also help to get rid of it. My Icebergs are located in the middle of the border but on the other side of the fence in my neighbours garden there are four Leylanii which are responsible for sucking up all of the moisture out of the soil. Whilst some roses appear to tolerate this it appears that my Icebergs are not that sort. Subsequently I am out watering them after a dry day.



GREENFLY

These pesky bugs, also known as Aphids or plant lice, have been the cause of so much damage in my garden. So far this year there seems to be a lack of ladybirds which I wonder whether is all down to the poor weather that the UK has been having. The late frosts might have finished the poor things off.

 

 

 Subsequently I have seen quite a lot of greenfly on my roses so far this year. Greenfly are one of the most destructive parasites which effect our plants. They were partly to blame for the Irish potato Famine as they are a disease carrying organism which transferred blight between potato crops. They are a sap sucking organism which is asexual in reproduction so they are extremely self-sufficient. There are many signs which you can look for in order to determine whether you have greenfly:

• Decreased growth rates
• Mottled leaves
• Yellowing
• Stunted growth
• Curled leaves
• Browning
• Wilting
• Low yields
• Death

Fortunately there are several things you can do to either prevent or cure. The main being insecticides. Not all of which have to be chemical if you are not fond of using them. I have a two year old and a three year old so using a chemical treatment is just not suitable. For regular garden infestations a spray such as Rose Clear will do the trick but this does not need to be applied everyday. You can simply use the high pressure setting on your hose to just to blast them off the leaves. I spent quite a bit of time doing this yesterday with my Buddjea as I noticed many of its leaves had curled.

 

RUST

 

Rose rust is a form of fungal parasitic disease which presents itself in the form of orange coloured nodules on the backs of the leaf. The orange rust will then change to tiny black pustules in late summer. After which the infected leaves will drop. The rust fungus sores are carried on the wind. Its Latin name is Phragmidium tuberculatum. It occurs normally in spring and will continue until the leaves drop. Whilst it is not as harmful or prevalent as blackspot or mildew, treating it promptly is recommended.

 

If you are not a fan of treating your roses chemically then pruning the infected area and removing all fallen leaves from the area should prevent further infection and keep it controlled. Rose Clear also helps to treat rust without any chemicals involved. The best time of year to treat a rose that has been infected with rust is in spring whilst the spores are dormant. A copper fungicide spread evenly over the leaves is successful method in ridding it from your plant.

 

Making sure that your roses are not too tightly bunched together and that any excess stems are removed will reduce the likelihood of your roses becoming infected. They like to have room for air to circulate around them. A good hard pure of any disease found will enable you to control the affected area.

 



 

 

 

Absolutely Fabulous

 
I absolutely love this rose and it always produces the goods. I bought this rose two years ago and for some reason I haven't got round to doing a write up for it.

This rose is a winner of the Rose of the Year award in 2010 and suitable so. As well as this award it has won Gold Star Of The South Pacific. New Zealand and All American Rose Selection. In the last two years I have no issues with the specimens health. there have been no instances of disease and there has always been a fantastic crop of blooms for the last two seasons.

The colour is mixture of buttercup and gold with the outer petals being of a lighter shade than the inner ones. Each stem will carry between three and 5 rose buds so the show is exquisite. The blooms are average in size but that does not inhibit it from its overall impact. The stems are nice and solid but do require a little support as they can grow quite tall causing the stems to bow. I stake them as a precautionary measure against breakage and also so I can get as many blooms as visible as possible. The leaves are a beautiful emerald green which compliaments the colour of the rose. The scent is medium in strength and very fresh, and a favourite of my three year old daughter.

This rose requires very little maintenance. I spray them with Rose Clear sporadically, as and when required, and scatter some Top Rose on it twice a year. This roses likes full sun spots apparently but I grow mine in an area of slight shade but sun for most of the day. This rose is also suppose to flower from July to September but I have had flowers on it since the beginning of June.

Mine grow between 60cm - 100cm in height and at a spread of about 50cm. This Floribunda bush is not difficult to grown and although it fits in nicely into my cottage style borders it would look fantastic in a more modern border due to its colour and shape.
This rose will also happily grow in a container on a patio so it is an ideal gift for someone who is limited on outdoor space but would like to add a bit of colour outside their window.

This rose can be bought for less than £10 as a bare root and between £14 - £20 as a container rose. You could mix it with a variety of different plants such as Echinacea, Campanula or Nigella Damascena 'Oxford Blue'.

Peace

This is one of my 'new' roses for my garden. After staying in my comfort zone of Old English roses I decided to branch out and go for a few Hybrid Teas. I have never been a fan of Hybrid Teas as I really like to have a border bursting with colour and petals, which Floribundas provide me with amply. Hybrid Teas, whilst stunning in appearance, are much more of a lone ranger on the stem and their more architectural shape lacks blousy romance... this is of course my singular opinion.

So this year I decided to add a few more varieties to my collection. One of which was Peace.

This Hybrid Tea rose is probably the most famous breed to date. Often referred to as the 'Rose of the Century' this multi-award specimen has sold over a hundred million!

In 1935 Francis Meilland was the rose breeder who established this variety and its popularity was great around Europe and has been known by many different names in many different countries. ‘Madame Antoine Meilland’ in France, ’Gloria Dei’ in Germany and ‘Gioia’ in Italy. But this might never have happened! The our break of war in Europe and the invasion of France by Hilter's army threatened to destroy the rose nursery. Meilland took action and managed to smuggle out of the country 3 parcels containing budwood. One of which was sneaked onto a diplomatic plane, and the last one heading out of France. The rose was sent to fellow rose breeder Robert Pyle of Pennsylvania. It was not until after the war did Meilland hear of the fate of his rose from Pyle, it had survived! Not only that it had flourished. Meilland decided to change the name of his rose, from ‘Madame Antoine Meilland’ to 'Peace'. Its new name was publicly announced on the day that Berlin fell in 29th April 1945. In 1945 it was given as a gift to each of the delegates at the United Nations inaugural meeting.

Meilland later wrote:

“How strange to think that all these millions of rose bushes sprang from one tiny seed no bigger than the head of a pin, a seed which we might so easily have overlooked, or neglected in a moment of inattention.”

 

Peace is considered as a tall bush rose which can be grown as a shrub. It is extremely hardy and strong in growth and each stem carried a single bud. The buds are large in size and uncurl to show a huge bloom which is easily the span of my hand. The petals peal outwards to form a delicate rosette with the eye fully visible. The petals are a beautiful shade of lemon yellow with the outer ones tinged with pink tips. The sight of this rose makes you want to cup it in you hands and give it a hearty sniff! Its scent though it a lot lighter that you would expect. Despite this the scent is elegant and delicious.
This rose would make an excellent cutting in a vase mixed with pinks, purples and whites. I have created a new border for a cluster of five Peace bareroots so they look rather lonesome at the moment. I have to have a good think about what I am going to mix them with. Perhaps some Stock. They tend to be mixed with purples when I Google Search images but as I already have a forest of catmint shoved in every border I am a little bit reticent to put some more in. Catmint is an excellent accompaniment though.

I planted my bareroots in March as as we are only into the third day in July I think I will leave it until September to make a summary review for this roses' performance review. So far I am extremely impressed with its nature. I would highly recommend this rose in your garden as it is really low maintenance and pretty much does very well without any intervention... unlike some divas I have planted. So for now this entry is... TO BE CONTINUED!

And they're off!

As per usual my Gertrude Jekylls are the first over the starting line and I am, as I am every year, blown away by how stunning they are. The gorgeous big, fat rosette shape blooms which burst out of an impossibly small bud. So many petals cannot surely fit inside something so small? The smell is just amazing. A mixture of Melon and Honey. I have only three in a 3 metre long border so the impact could be better. I am thinking of adding two Charlotte rose bushes or possibly a pair of white Claire Austin roses. In the rest of the garden everything is coming on nicely. The Icebergs look healthy after last years bout of white mold which is a relief. I planted a Climbing Madame Caroline Testout in a huge container on the north corner of my house last summer. I had the hope that it would grow up and across my window seat/bay window and across the back of the house. Its done much better than expected and it has grown 3 metres since last summer which is amazing. There are about 50 or 60 buds which are ready to pop so hopefully in a few weeks time i will have enough information to write up about it and publish a few pictures.
My miniature roses are in full bloom now and they look great at the front of the border. I am surprised that they have survived as my son has adopted their spot as his favourite digging spot. So even though half their roots are visible they seem happy enough. Miniatures definitely live up to their reputation of being extremely hardy! In the next few days I will post about the variety of diseases that we can expect to see over the next three months and how best to tackle them. I have had to deal with only Blackspot, Mildew and Greenfly so far so its good to do some research.

Over the last few weeks I have been doing a fair bit of rose maintenance. After trimming off any weaker side shoots from the bottom and doing a huge amount of weeding and mulching, I have given each rose a generous scattering of TopRose and been round with the Rose Clear twice already. I don't know about you but I have not seen a single ladybird yet so the greenfly are out and doing loads of damage. I wonder whether it had something to do with all the late snow that we had in March in the UK. I think I have got through about four litres of Rose Clear already. It does an excellent job and it is chemical free which is a bonus. The next thin on my list is to go out and start securing the stems. Roses such as the Graham Thomas and Lady Emma Hamiltons need quite a bit of support. I generally don't get a good opportunity unless the kids are at nursery or in bed as they just pull all the canes out and start sword fighting!

 

 



New Roses!

I decided that I needed even more roses in my garden. I have several spaces still up for grabs and I started with a border which currently contains seven Braithwaites planted in a V shape. in the middle of the V there is a Greecian statue of a almost nude woman holding an urn... we inherited this lady when we bought the house and have named her Ariagne. Well my mother and daughter did! Behind Ariagne there is a space which would fit 3 roses. The important question was WHICH roses. The Braithewaites are a blood red and there is already a patch of apricot Lady Emma Hamilton's in the neighbouring border.

In the end I decided to go for a Blue/Purple/Lilac rose as I thought that this would be the best contrast. I looked at several varieties which included the Cardinal de Richelieu, Indigo, Twice in a Blue Moon and Rhapsody in a Blue. I finally decided on Rhapsody in a Blue as they are long flowering, it grows into a tall bush with lots of fresh green foliage which is highly disease resistant. According to David Austin it will grow as tall as 4ft5 and this will be perfect for the back of the border. It will be mixed in with white Campanula's, Catmint, Orange Monbretia and Forget-Me-Nots. There is also a few Foxgloves dotted around but not as many appear to have come up this year so I may have to invest in some plugs which will flower this summer. The bare roots arrived in March and I planted them immediately. Unfortunately the weather has been horrific and it snowed within 48hrs of them being planted. Some of the new buds have been damaged and now that the leaves are started to open they all appear to have burnt edges too. Fortunately though they are still protruding buds which as developing. I have added some Top Roses and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

The other roses that I have invested in are 8 Peace roses. Three for a new border that I have dug and 5 for the front garden. My front garden currently contains a few Gertrude Jekyll's so a few Peace would compliment the soft colours in the front garden nicely.

 I also chose Peace because I have decided to venture away from my comfort zone of growing on Old English roses and try Hybrid Teas for a change. unfortunately it has only a light fragrance but the impact of it beautiful colouring will let it off this point for me. Its hardy and incredibly disease resistant. It should grow to approximately 4ft with fairly dark foliage. I still need to decide which perennial I will plant to accompany it but a white and a lavender sound like the colours to go for.
Like the Rhapsody's the bare roots also got damaged so again fingers crossed for this summer!

Bare Root Roses - Time to get planting!

Bare Root roses are available to buy between November and April as this is when they are ready and the ideal time for them to be planted. This is because it is the plants natural resting period. A Bare Root rose means that the rose will arrive in a bag and not in a pot filled with soil.

Although most people have started to buy more container roses than bare root there are still more advantages to buying a bare root. For starters you are provided with a greater degree of choice. They are also available during their resting period so they are more happy to be moved and re-planted than they woulod be at any other time during the year. It is also cheaper to buy bare root roses than container ones. Initially I always bought container roses as I thought I was making life easier for myself but this really isn't so. By buying my roses between November and April I allow the rose to get nice and comfy in its chosen spot and therefore, as it'll be well and truely established, it'll be ready for the flowering period.

When your rose arrives there are several things that you should look for. Firstly the roots should be slightly damp when you get them out of their packaging. There should be a nice healthy number of roots. Make sure there is no damage to any of the roots or the bud union (a bulb-like section of the plant which the roots come out from and so do the stems). Damage can be caused by the extraction of the rose whilst at the nursery.
There should be plenty of buds along the stems which will indicate future growth. You do not want to see any mildue either. For a more detailed look into diseases take a look at my next post which covers the variety of diseases, how to treat and prevent. Once you have decided that you have a healthy rose its time to get planting!


When planting a bare root rose it is a very simple process. Firstly dig a hole which is approximately 1ft x 1ft. The hole must be wide enough for the roots to comfortable sit in without being cramped. In regards to depth 1ft should be about right but in order to get it right place the bare root into the hole. The bud union should be level with the top of the hole. Make sure the soil at the bottom of the hole is loose. Place the bare root into the hole and add a spades worth of compost, then fill the hole with the remaining soil. Once the hole has been filled compress the top off the soil with your foot and add further soil if necessary. I would then spinkle around the rose with a handful of fertiliser such as Top Rose then add another spades worth of compost over the top. To finish off water the rose well.

Understanding the Variety of Roses

I always knew that I wanted to have a rose garden but I didn't exactly know what the differences were between rose types. So this post will provide a breakdown of each of the most common types so that you will know exactly what you are looking for when you pop into your local garden centre or are ordering online.

FLORIBUNDA
The Latin translation of this name means "Many Flowering" or "Abundance of Flowers". They are defined as this due to the multiple clusters of blooms which are produced on each bush, generally between 5 and 15 per stem. Floribundas originated through cross breeding between Hybrid Teas and Polyantha's in the 1920s. They are the brightest in colour of all the rose varieties and they grow to a smaller and more compact height than a Hybrid tea. Because of this the Floribunda rose isn't ideal for taking cuttings from as the stems are to short and they come in clusters which are difficult to separate. So if you want one you have to take the whole lot! Therefore they are predominantly a garden display flower. They are often preferred by gardeners, over the Hybrid Tea as they tend to flower longer and have excellent repeat blooms in September. The actual flowers vary in shape and size. You can purchase a Floribunda which has the bloom appearance of a stereotypical Hybrid Tea but with come in clusters, so the best of both plants combined. Its colour accents the various sections of my garden and their shorter and less dense structure allows them to fit in nicely with a mixed border. I have mine mixed in with some Lavender and Asters. For maximum impact always plant in groups of odd numbers and no less than three.
EXAMPLES: Friends Forever, Iceberg, Fellowship, Arthur Bell, Purple Tiger, Sheila's Perfume, Rhapsody in Blue, Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras, Singin in the Rain, Burgundy Iceberg, Glenfiddich

HYBRID TEA
Often thought of as the most popular type of flower in the world the Hybrid Tea is a combination between Hybrid Perpetuals and Tea Roses. Of the Old English Rose category this is the most modern of its type. The blooms are single on long, strong stems which grow quite tall, they can grow up to 2 metres! The blooms are perfectly formed large, high centre buds which makes them an excellent cut flower. Hybrid Teas exude elegance in a garden. They can be grown singularly or in groups and they can provide an eye catching centrepiece to any border. They produce a lot more foliage than the Floribunda so they fill out a border more. If looked after the Hybrid Tea will flower continuously from June through to October. I visited my father's house last weekend and his selection of Hybrid Teas were still absolutely stunning and had dozens of blooms. The occasional sprinkle of Top Rose will ensure that they are happy. I have just purchased my first selection Hybrid Teas and I have gone with PEACE which is pictured above. My other roses are very blousy so I have decided to mix it up a bit with a bit of structure and elegance.
EXAMPLES: Peace, Savoy Hotel, Elina, Icecream, Belle Epoque, Twice in a Blue Moon, Mr Lincoln, Perfect Moment, Cesar E. Chavez, Royal William, Gold Medal, Black Baccara, Wainwright

ENGLISH ROSE
The English Rose variety is lush and romantic in nature. They are characteristically tightly packed full of petals which almost explode out. When looks like a relatively average size bud could produce a bloom as big as a hand span. Most English Roses have a very strong scent when are reminiscent of an Old Tea Rose. They have a healthy repeat of blooms which are although reduced in size, still make a wonderful visual impact. The blooms are either single or come in clusters of up to three so this makes an excellent cutting for a magnificent floral display. They produce a healthy amount of foliage which makes it an excellent choice for the border. as it is a dense shrub it mixes perfectly with a variety of perennials. This is by far my favourite variety of rose and easily the most common in my garden. The rose pictured on the left is a Braithewaite produced by David Austin. They can grow up to about 2 metres tall and about 1.5 metres wide.

EXAMPLES: L.D.Braithewaite, Graham Thomas, Lady Emma Hamilton, Grace, Gertrude Jekyll, Claire Austin, Queen of Sweden, Charlotte, A Shropshire Lad, Generous Gardener, Falstaff

CLIMBING ROSE
As the title clearly states the Climbing Rose has a growth which allows you to train it up walls, over pergolas, gazebos, up the gable end of a house and fences. The Climbing Rose is, more often than not, a variation or a shrub or bush rose. They can produce blooms on either a single stem or in large clusters. Climbing roses tend to differ from Rambling Roses by the size of the bloom. Climbing Roses have a much bigger bloom, some of which have to most incredibly strong scent such as David Austin's Gertrude Jekyll as featured in the picture to the left. They also differ from Ramblers because they have repeat blooms and are a bit more stouter in form. Once planted they need to be secured to the structure upon which they climb. It also helps if they are initially secured horizontally as this encourages growth and the strength of the stems produced. Ultimately a fan shape should be created once a certain height is reached. The foliage is always healthy and it is possible to purchase thorn less varieties which is especially useful if one is planted by a regularly used walkway. The eventual heights can vary from 12ft to 25ft.
EXAMPLES: Gertrude Jekyll, Climbing Madame Testout, William Morris climbing, Etoile de Hollande, Creme de la Creme, Paul's Lemon Pillar, New Dawn, Ophelia, Gloire de Dijon

RAMBLING ROSE
The Rambling Rose is rambling by name and rambling by nature. Its fast growing stems are fantastic for growing through edges or over walls as long as they are either trained and supported using ties or if they have something to cling onto such as Ivy, Jasmine or Honeysuckle (the latter of which is the case in my garden). Its strong stems help support its vigorous and great width of growth. They do not need pruning very much, only if a stem appears to not be thriving or to thin out areas that have become too dense. It is definitely not advised to prune at all in the first few years. The Rambling Rose can reach metres in length. I have a Paul's Himalayan Musk rambler in my garden and that will eventually reached a length around 25 metres. The blooms are small in comparison to the other rose breeds but they do come in very large clusters which resemble miniature rosettes or small English Roses. This type of rose requires very little attention as it requires little or no pruning and it is extremely hardy against disease. If you have Wisteria growing across the front of your house or an apple tree this variety of rose would look fantastic weaving its delicate blooms through the foliage.
EXAMPLES: Paul's Himilayan Musk, Malvern Hills, Crimson Shower, Long John Silver, Chevy Chase, Rambling Rector, Albertine, Rambling Rosie

MINIATURE ROSE
This is an ideal rose for the smaller garden, but it looks fantastic at the front of a border or put in a hanging basket or container. Miniature roses came about purely by accident through cross breeding in the 1930s and they are such a lucky discovery. The average height is less than 2ft and they have an excellent amount of foliage which is why they are sometimes used as hedging. Aside from a little extra protection at winter the Miniature Rose is treated like its larger relatives. I love having them in my garden as it allows a gardener to add a little injection of colour at a more ground level. I have a few bright yellow ones which are mixed between some bright purple Campanula and they look like little gems poking through. You would expect that because they are small they will be less hardy but that isn't so. They are actually hardier than most Hybrid Teas! I have only had mine for a few months but I have been extremely pleased with the number of blooms it has had. They generally have a single bloom per stem but they can come in clusters of up to three. These don't really make a good cutting plant but if you are interested in making miniature floral craft displays then these would be ideal. They would also make a good pressed flower.
EXAMPLES: Flower Power Gold, George Best, Pretty Polly, Honeybun, Earthquake, Starry Eyed, Wildfire, Green Ice, Rainbow's End, Carousel, Scentimental, Irresistible, Hurdy Gurdy