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

 

Friends Forever



This rose has been a complete surprise. I picked it out from a local garden centre merely from the picture on the label. I had already got two Generous Gardener roses in my trolley and I was ambling around looking for something to combine with them for a display at the front of my garden. This was an important spot as it is next to my kitchen window and it would be the first thing people would see when looking out into my garden. The Generous Garden is a very soft pink so I took a gambling and hoped that the more bourbon pink of the Friends Forever would compliment one another. I can honestly say that I have not been disappointed.

They are planted in a sunny spot with light shade and this seems to suit them very well. I have had the most amazing repeating blooms from them. The picture above and below I took yesterday and they are the second batch this year. In my opinion they are better than the first. The colour is probably a shade darker this time round and there is about the same number of heads per stem, between 5 - 10 on average. The scent reminds me of the children's sweets called Dolly Mixtures. Which is wonderful but not very overpowering in strength. Unlike the Gertrude Jekyll!

They have, so far in the last two years, proved to be very hardy and I have not had to treat them for any disease. There has been not blackspot, mould or yellow leaves. The foliage is a beautiful and lush emerald green and the heads are a soft, blousy Floribunda. They are said to only grow between 70cm - 1.2m but mine keep getting a random growth spurt in one stem which has taken off like a rocket and reached the heights of about 1.8m! Needless to say a quick clip fixes that. The arrangement of petals reminds of Victorian petticoats or a skirt that Scarlett O'Hara would have been seen swooshing around in.

They make an excellent cut flower but it is impossible to take just one, as its a floribunda, so the whole batch has to come off which I can't bare to disturb.
For a beginner I would definitely recommend this rose. All it needs is a sprinkle of slow release feed twice a year and its happy. As I said earlier I have mixed mine with some Generous Gardeners, but as well as this I have added some lavender and alliums. I currently have a space in front of them which I am trying to think of a suitable filler.

There are no negatives regarding this rose. It costs between £12 - £18 from garden centres. Its not as common as a David Austin rose in your local garden centre so I would have a look online first.

REVIEW:

Visual Impact - 4

Scent - 3

Growth Rate - 5

Stem Strength - 4

Durability (in poor weather) - 5

Resistance to Disease - 5

Here's a link to the rose online - http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/roses/rosa-friends-forever-=-korapriber/classid.2000010027/




Graham Thomas

Another David Austin Rose, the Graham Thomas is a lovely addition to every garden. It provides a beautiful touch of soft, lemon yellow, to a mixed border. The roses are medium in size and come in clusters of 3 - 5 heads. Its scent is lovely and fresh. It isn't a strong scent but a subtle one. My daughter loves to pick these roses and put them in her hair and mine. It has a lovely foliage but it needs a lot of support as the stems are not particularly strong.

The Graham Thomas won an award for the Nations Favourite Rose. Although this rose is lovely I wouldn't personally rank it as my favourite, more like 8th from the top. All gardens look lovely with a glimpse of yellow peeping through a packed border and this rose certainly ticks that box. They look great cut but they do not come on singular stems so if you want to take a cutting you have to take the whole spray. Its not a particularly fast grower and they are predicted to grow 4ft x 4ft. It can also be grown as a short climber.

I have had this rose for three years now and I have not had a single problem with disease. There have been no yellow leaves or blackspot and the foliage has always been healthy. It repeats well and the roses do not seem to be susceptible to water damage. I would not be without this rose in my garden and I would definitely buy this for a friend.

I currently have it planted behind my cluster of Generous Gardeners' and Friends Forevers' which are in the front border of my back garden. I can sit here writing this and see this lovely rose peeking through. The Graham Thomas can be bought from David Austin for £14.50 for a bare root. It can also be bought from garden centres or online.

REVIEW:

Visual Impact - 5

Scent - 3

Growth Rate - 3

Stem Strength - 2

Durability (in poor weather) - 5

Resistance to Disease - 5

SUMMARY:

This lovely rose adds a wonderful touch of colour to a border. My only problem with it is that is it rather slow growing and that its stems are not particularly strong. Staking this rose is essential otherwise it just flops around. I think this rose is my daughters favourite as its the one she always cups, sniffs and removes. Despite the weaknesses mentioned I would recommend you buy this rose. It is very hardy, disease resistant, it has a wonderful scent and visually its colour is wonderful and can only be described as a touch of sunlight in a border.

Iceberg

I bought this rose because my father has a fantastic one growing in his garden and

every time I popped round the thing was still covered in an abundance of flowers and it looked amazing. This is a very popular rose and I can understand why. The roses come in clusters between 5 and 10 heads so the effect can look very much like a bridal bouquet.

They are a brilliant white which looks amazing in the sunshine, they have an excellent amount of foliage and they are pretty reliable. Unfortunately, since 2012 has produced weather that would even shock Noah things have not worked out too well for my own batch. I planted five Icebergs in between my Gertrude Jekyll's back in march this year. The border is filled with bright pinks and purples so I wanted to inject some white into the mix. They were doing really well at first, loads of heads and an abundance of leaves. Since then though the rain has caused all of them to be infected with mildew (see first picture or this one).

because of this I have had to do some serious spraying and trimming. Its such a shame as it could have had a massive impact on my border. I will keep treating it and hope that next year I get a bit more lucky and a bit less rain.

This floribunda rose is medium in eventual height as it grows to about 80cm x 70cm. The roses is produces are on the smaller side in comparison to the others I grow in my garden and the scent is light and fresh. If it wasn't for the trouble I have had this year I would regard this rose as a good one for the newest of gardeners to start with. It likes a well drained sunny spot and it requires very little attention in general. This rose can also be bought as a short climber.

You can purchase this rose from most garden centres and online sites such as www.crocus.com
It will cost between £8 - £15.

REVIEW

Visual Impact - 4

Scent - 2

Growth Rate - 3

Stem Strength - 4

Durability (in poor weather) - 3

Resistance to Disease - 3

SUMMARY

Overall I would definitely recommend this rose. It is very pretty and delicate looking. Despite the mildew this rose has stood up really well to the rain that we have had this year. None of the actual flowers were damaged by water so in that they are quite hardy. The Iceberg has a fantastic amount of foliage and it makes a great addition to any border. It is easy to look after, plant and prune. Although it doesn't make the impact a Braithewaite makes, it is great to add a touch of white to the border.

L. D. Braithwaite

Another David Austin rose which is absolutely fantastic! Wonderfully this rose is named after David Austin's Father-In-Law. Visually this is my favourite in my garden. It certainly gets its fair amounts of comments. I bought three more of these last November as bare roots and they have had the most amazing first crop of roses already. This rose has the most amazing colour. The buds are extremely dark and quite large and that clearly indicates how the final size of the rose will be huge. The blooms are bigger than my hand span and the petals settle into layers which look like sections of a big fat red pavlova.

I always catch my 2 year old daughter cupping these roses and giving them a big sniff. They look amazing when cut. One of the problems though is that they basically have no smell. They look like they would pack a punch in relation to smell because of their size but in fact they have no scent at all. Which seems rather misplaced.

The Braithwaite has a minimal amount of foliage so its best placed in a mixed bored as featured in my first image. In which I have mixed with white Campanula and Catmint. I find this provides a fantastic contrast against its blood red colour. It grows to about 3.5ft x 3ft but the growth rate is slow. Its bloom rate is reliable and you are assured a fantastic second crop in September albeit slightly less grand in size.

The Braithwaite is pretty resilient. I naughtily moved mine, due to inexperience on my part, and all the leaves fell off and it looked very sad for quite a while. Then it perked up and it has produced yet another fantastic crop of roses.

I provide this rose a sprinkle of slow release feed twice a year and thats enough. I have seven Braithwaites in my garden and none of them have needed a single support. They are strong stemmed, hardy and reliable. Occasionally I have had to deal with curled leaves but other than that they have required very little effort on my part. In regards to growth its spread is about 3.5ft x 3ft so it is fairly compact in comparison with others.

REVIEW:

Visual Impact - 5

Scent - 0

Growth Rate - 3

Stem Strength - 5

Durability (in poor weather) - 5

Resistance to Disease - 4

SUMMARY:

If you are a beginner to roses or the most seasoned of gardeners I would recommend this rose. Its impact is incredible and with so little effort it is so rewarding. I love taking cuttings of this rose to friends and family and they are always received well. They are a little more architectural in shape than the more blousy of old English roses but their stature is nothing less than regal and a beauty to behold. David Austin really hit the nail on the head with this rose. If you want to have a rose garden then start by buying a Braithwaite. As with all roses buy in odd numbers and surround with contrasting colours for an ultimate impact.

Lady Emma Hamilton

I took this photo yesterday so you can clearly see exactly how stunning these roses can be. Named after Horation Nelson's lover these roses are very romantic in their shape and colour. They are a lovely soft apricot in colour which lightens towards the centre and they make an unusaul impact on a boarder.

Whilst in its bud form it is encased in orange petals which are flecked with red. What is unsual is that the leaves on the shrub have a definite purplish tinge to them. With the orange colour of the roses this makes a fantastic contrast.

I have mine placed under a Buddleja and inbetween some Shirley Temple peonys. They are very much an old fashioned rose in nature. They have a soft melon like scent which is very pleasent but subtle. It is a fruity scent which reminds me of melon and lemons.

The bush itself has a fantastic growth of foliage. Much more so than the Gertrude Jekyll. It provides a great bush for the board as it provides substance even when it is not in flower.

I like this rose because of the colour its successful roses produce. They are different and very eye catching but it does not come without some significant faults.

The bush is fairly flimsy and I have had to use multiple canes to support its shape. This is problably due to its stems not being extremly strong in comparison to others. Now onto the two big faults that I have found with this rose. Not all of the roses produced will look like the pictures above. Many will look like those in the image below:

This is what half of the roses on the same bush look like. They are still attractive but very different from the perfect examples that can be produced. They also do not stand up to rain very well. It tends to stain the petals which is a shame as, when a good one is produced, it ruins the overall effect. Despite this the disease resistance of this rose is fantastic. I have had many admiring comments about them and I consider them a wonderful addition to my garden that I would not be without.

REVIEW:

Visual Impact - 5

Scent - 3

Growth Rate - 3

Stem Strength - 2

Durability (in poor weather) - 2

Resistance to Disease - 5

SUMMARY:
Again this rose is easily bought online from David Austin's website or from other garden centres at a price of approximately £15. It will grow to a spread of about  4ft x 3ft. It has a fantastic level of disease resistance and lots of foilage. The roses themselves are fantastic if they 'work out'. They are not very weather proof but overall they look fantastic against a purple backdrop of a plant such as Catmint.

Gertrude Jekyll

The Gertrude Jekyll is easily my favourite of all my roses. The shade of this David Austin rose is a mid-pink which deepens towards the centre. Although it looks delicate it definitely is not. Its very hardy and can stand up to all weather, even the most aggressive of batterings from the wind and rain as we've had the past few weeks.

The rose buds seem tiny in comparison to the size of what bursts out of them. They open very neatly and begin by looking like a Hybrid Tea. They they unfold into what can only be described as a rosette in nature. They are huge heads which can be cupped in the hand and smelt. The scent they produce is exquisite. It really packs a punch with notes of melon and honey.

They make the most amazing display in a vase but to be honest I can't bare to cut them as they just look so grand as they are. They can be grown as a bush or as a short climber. I have mine growing as a bush and they are expected to reach a height of 4ft 5 by 3ft 5 inches. They have a decent foliage but it is not a bountiful as other varieties that I have grown. Some times the bush can look a little sparse so mixing the roses with other plant varieties would help to bolster the greenery.

Now for the review. I have added an extra catagory, Resistance to Disease, since my initial blog as I think thats rather important. Especially if you are looking for something low maintenance.

REVIEW:

Visual Impact - 5

Scent - 5

Growth Rate - 4

Stem Strength - 3

Durability (in poor weather) - 5

 Resistance to Disease - 3

This rose is easily bought online or in garden centres and it is produced by David Austin who has his own website. The rose should cost between £12 - £15 for a bare root rose and £18 - £24 for a potted rose. in regards to maintenance the Gertrude Jekyll is easy. I give them a springle of slow release granula feed three times a year, November, March (pruning time) and after the first flush of flowers (late July early September). I personally use Top Rose feed.

The Gertrude Jekyll can get a few yellow leaves and can be prown to black spot so I make sure that I spray them every other month. A good spray to use is Rose Clear which gets rid of not only black spot but also green fly, rust and mildew. I have also found that my Gertrude Jekylls can get quite a few yellow leaves. I just pick these off and put them in the bin as leaving them will cause it too spred.

SUMMARY:

Overall I would definitely recommend the Gertrude Jekyll for those who are new to gardening and those who are masters of the art. This was the first rose I bought and all of them are still standing and looking better each year. Its not hard to maintain, it just needs the occassional tlc. Growing them in groups of odd numbers produces the most fantastic of displays and I love having my living room window open in the summer with its incredible scent wafting through the window. I grow mine with Lavender Hidcote and Foxgloves Excelsior Mixed Colour.

My Garden

When I bought my house there were no boarders so before I could decide what roses I wanted I have I would have to get digging! Armed with a spade, a fork and a pair of gardening gloves I manically set to work. I should have used a hose to plan out where I was going to dig but as I didn't have one I decided to wing-it. This meant that my boarders ended up a lot larger than I intended but hey-ho.

I went for an S shape garden as I wanted to be able to see a variety of different displays from my kitchen window. I soon discovered that I have an Alkaline based soil after a few chunks of chalk were unearthed so that was something of a help in relation to choosing my future plants.

Once the boarders were dug I sat down with some graph paper to figure out what colours I wanted to have in which display. I didn't know the names of any flowers so that's why I began with colour. I then went out and bought several books and began to read.

I invested in a book called Roses: 200 Roses for Every Place in the Garden by Patrick O'Neill. This is a fantastic book as O'Neill gives a really gives excellent reviews and the photographs used are fantastic. I recommend this to anyone who wants to create their own rose garden.

Now that I have done that brief introduction in to the beginnings of the garden I can start loading, discussing and hopefully hearing from you in regards to various roses.

The Awakening

I have become a little bit obsessed with photographing the roses in my garden. Due to this i have decided to start a Blog in order to catalogue my images, share them with others along with my experience in becoming a first time gardener. I would love to hear from you and see your images of your favourite roses. Especially if they are from your own garden. I am always on the lookout for more roses to invest in.

Firstly, I'll introduce myself. I began gardening at the end of 2009 when my husband and I bought our very first house. I have all these wonderful ideas about having a cottage style garden and when faced with a wild, abandoned cottage garden the bubble quickly burst and it dawned on me that I would have to cast aside the daydream and get digging. I have loved every minute of it. There have been moments of stupidity, blood, sweat and tears. Despite this there have been moments of such pride that my obsession with roses was born.

The aim of this blog is to run through the roses I have. Their characteristics, the negative sides of them and also the positive. I will rate them out of 5 in the following categories:

• Visual Impact
• Scent
• Growth Rate
• Stem Strength
• Durability (in poor weather)

I will also add in plants that grow nicely alongside my roses in order to maximise their visual impact.