CLIMBER / PILLAR

"For a formal structure, rough-sawn timber is the least expensive of the prepared materials and should likewise be ready-treated with preservative. Upright poles or posts should be a minimum thickness of 4" (10cm) and should always be sunk at least 2' (60cm) into the ground. Rails and cross-members can be thinner than this but not less than 2" (5cm). Since the principal purpose of such structures is to provide support for climbing roses which will eventually cover them almost completely, the pattern created by criss-crossing timber need not - unless so desired - be very elaborate. What is important, in order to ensure long life, is the quantity and quality of the upright poles placed in the ground. The spacing of these poles is therefore crucial. The best rustic trellis has uprights placed at about 6' (1.8m) intervals. Rustic arches should be well anchored in the soil at each corner."

Ordinary trellis should be 1" (2.5cm) x 1" (2.5cm) timber in 6" (15cm) squares to carry the weight of the roses.

A more simple form of support for climbers and ramblers is post and wire. 4" x 4" Posts can be set at 6' (1.8m) apart before attaching chainlink fencing from 2' (60cm) to 5' (1.5m) in height up the 6' above ground post. All end or corner posts should have additional straining posts to enable the chainlink to be stretched tightly.

See Climber / Pillar page for 10 Good old-fashioned Rambers for Trellis and Arch.

See Climber / Pillar page for 10 Good older Climbers for Trellises and Arches.

Climbing roses, if grown on walls, will need support. Starting at 18" (45cm) above ground drill holes in the centre of the brick to take screw-eyes in their plastic plugs. Vertically every 4th brick and then horizontally every second brick will provide the neccessary support structure. The top and bottom rows with each end column of short vine-eyes should have its screw thread fully screwed into the plug to provide a secure unbending vine-eye so that the wire can be stretched tightly between each end of each row. Then, the remaining 4" long screw-eyes with their 1" length of screw thread should have their screw thread fully screwed into the plug to give a 2" gap behind the wire stretched in the vine-eyes to allow air ventilation for the roses.

See Climber / Pillar page for 10 Good older Climbers and Rambers for colder shaded North-facing Walls.

CUT-FLOWER

" Flower arranging is an art, and is all about proportion and balance...... Some years ago, a very persuasive lady telephoned me to ask for help. 'I need a 1000 blooms,' she said, 'for a festival of Rossini Music and Song'. Until the day I arrived in Sunderland I cursed myself for not saying No; the logistics were ridiculous - cut 1000 blooms one day, up at the crack of dawn, travel for 7 hours the next. But when I arrived at Bishopswearmouth church I knew it was all worthwhile. I was beseiged, embraced and thoroughly spoilt by an army of 'Geordie' lady flower arrangers who produced some real works of art with my roses in that church. Later, when the soprano hit top C, petals fluttered to the floor to add an extra sense of unreality to my first encounter with the friendly Northeast. ...

Selecting roses for cutting is an acquired skill. Cut them too tight and they never open, too open and they last only fleetingly. The best stage is when the sepals have started to fold back and the furled petals are showing colour. Timing is important. Early morning or late evening is best, but at whatever time flowers are cut they should always be placed in water up to their necks and stood in a cool place for 2 or 3 hours before they are arranged. A couple of spoonfuls of sugar or even a pint of lemonade to about 1 gallon of water will help them to stay fresh for a few hours longer. Before placing the flowers in water it is best to remove the 2 bottom leaves - no more - and scrape the thorns from the bottom 3" (7.5cm). Some people crush the base of each stem but I usually make a cut about half-an-inch (1cm) long upwards into it. This exposes a bigger area of inner tissue and enables the flower to take up more water. Cut roses will wilt in warm, dry conditions, and lightly syringing the leaves with cold water will help to revive them. I am told by the experts that plunging the bottom inch of stem into boiling water for about 1 minute and then placing them quickly back into cold water will sometimes revive wilting blooms.

Some people believe that harm can be done to rose bushes by the cutting of blooms, and certainly if too many are taken with long stems the plants do suffer slightly, but they should come to no real harm. Try to cut to an eye though, so as not to leave an unsightly stump to die back on the bush. ...

2 or 3 carefully chosen bushes, growing in even the smallest garden, can usually provide enough flowers for taking indoors without any detriment to the outdoor display; and their scent will pervade the entire house, rivalling both sweet peas and ten-week stocks."

EXHIBITION / SPECIMAN

Speciman roses can be planted to create a focal point by themselves, at corners of flower beds or enmasse:-
Rosa Centifolia muscosa please follow Mildew recommendation.

GROUNDCOVER

GROW IN A POT

HEDGE

" Formal Hedges.

When planting a formal hedge, consideration should be given to any upright-growing variety capable of reaching the desired height. Bushes should either be in a single row, with 18" (45cm) between each plant or, for a really thick hedge, a double row of staggered bushes with 12" (30cm) between each row and 24" (60cm) between each plant. It is essential to prune the bushes very hard in the first year to encourage basal growth for later years, when such pruning will not be possible. If formality is desired from some of the old-fashioned and species roses, traditional methods of pruning have to be abandoned in favour of shears; and since not all types take kindly to such treatment, the choice of variety is particularly important. Clipped hedges can look very attractive, but these must be pruned very hard both their first and second year. Once the hedge is growing well, clipping can start, but if this is not timed correctly flowering may be affected. Clipping should be practised after flowering so that the hedge has time to make growth for the following year.Throughout the rest of the summer it should only be necessary to remove extra vigorous or 'awkward' shoots as they appear. Only the 'once-flowering' varieties are suitable for treatment this way. So, if you require more from your hedge, such as autumn flowers and/or hips, then informality must be accepted. Planting distances for old-fashioned and species roses will depend on the variety but few will need to be closer than 24" (60cm) and most make satisfactory hedges planted 36" (90cm) apart.

See Hedge Page for 10 Good Shrub Roses which can be kept trimmed for Ornamental Hedges.

Informal Hedges.

Some of the Hybrid Musks make quite neat plants as hedgerows, whereas the Centifolias will form wide, impenetrable, untidy jungles. The secret of good informal rose hedges, no matter what the type, is, as already stressed, hard pruning in the first year and light clipping or tidying when the hedge is matured. Feeding, too, is important to keep them at their best.

See Hedge Page for 10 Good Tall, Recurrent old and shrub Roses for use as Informal Hedges.

See Hedge Page for roses which are excellent for edging bed borders.

CLIMBER IN A TREE

Some gardens have old trees of dubious purpose and dead tree trunks which could be put to the " use of supporting a climbing rose. Also some rather boring stretches of hedgerow, atractive only for their bird population, could well be enhanced by the addition of a few well-chosen vigorous climbing rose species.

Nature does not provide for growing and flowering at the same time; thus without exception, all the vigorous tree-climbing roses flower only once each season. Some do have good autumn foliage and produce abundant hips to give colour later. As with the climbers for north walls, the most suitable, with 1 or 2 exceptions, are white, cream or yellow in colour. Size of tree should not present a problem since some of the very vigorous climbers can reach 30' (9m) with ease.

It is best to plant these roses a little distance, about 2' (60cm), from the trunk on the side of the tree with most light, giving them a helping hand initially with string or wire, until they can scamble their own way up through the branches. Bear in mind that, being vigorous, they need to make big roots. If soil is poor, as so often under trees, give them a good start by adding a pocket of good soil at planting time and apply plenty of water at the height of summer.

See Climber in a Tree Page for 11 older Roses suitable for growing up into Trees and Hedgerows.

Because the tree's roots will extend from the trunk to the drip-line from the end of the branches, Chris would suggest that the rose is planted outside that drip-line so that its roots do not compete with the roots of that tree.

WOODLAND AND COVERT PLANTING

TOLERANT OF POOR SOILS

Roses prefer acidic soil of pH 6.5 (sand) but will tolerate alkaline soils up to pH 7.5 (chalk). Mix 25 litres farmyard manure, or pulverized tree bark with bone meal, in soil before planting. Broadcast rose fertilizer in early Spring and in early summer as well.

"The Roses of Yesterday and Today Garden in California, which has developed with the help of four generations of the Wiley/Stemler family, has more than 230 rose varieties on display.  Picnic tables are available. It has compiled this following list:-

"Abraham Darby, Agnes,  Alchymist, Alfred de Dalmas, Altissimo, Austrian Copper, Ballerina, Baron Girod de l'Ain, Baronne Prevost, Belinda, Belle de Crecy, Blanc Double de Coubert,  Blush Damask, Blush Noisette, Cardinal de Richelieu, Cecile Brunner, Celestial, Celsiana, Charles de Mills, Chapeau de Napolean, Comte de Chambord, Cornelia, Dortmund, Dublin Bay, Eglantine, Erfurt, Felicite Parmentier,  Francis E. Lester, F. J. Grootendorst, Frau Dagmar Hastrup, Gipsy Boy, Golden Showers, Cli., Green Rose, Hansa, Harison's Yellow, Henri Martin, Honorine de Brabant, Jacques Cartier, Kathleen, Kathleen Harrop, Kazanlik, Konigen von Danemark, Lavender Lassie, Leverkusen, Madame Alfred Carriere, Madame Hardy, Madame Isaac Periere, Mrs. John Laing, Mutabilis, New Dawn, Old Blush, Paul's Lemon Pillar, Pax, Penelope, Persian Yellow, Pink Grootendorst, Quatre Saison, Queen of Denmark, Reine des Violettes, Rosa Mundi, Rosa Rugosa Alba and Rubra, Rosa Damascena Trigintipetala (Kazanlik), Rosa Gallica Officianalis (Apothecary Rose), Roserie de l'Hay, Sally Holmes, Shot Silk, Cli., The Fairy, Therese Bugnet, Topaz Jewell, Variegata di Bologna, Veilchenblau, Westerland, White Pet, York and Lancaster, Zephirine Drouhin."
 

TOLERANT OF SHADE
"The Roses of Yesterday and Today Garden in California, which has developed with the help of four generations of the Wiley/Stemler family, has more than 230 rose varieties on display.  Picnic tables are available. It has compiled this list:-

"Agnes, Alchymist, Alfred de Dalmas, Apothecary Rose (Rosa gallica officianalis), Ballerina, Belinda, Blanc Double de Coubert,  Blush Noisette, Buff Beauty, Cecile Brunner, cli./bush,  Celestial, Cornelia, Dortmund, Eglantine, Erfurt, Felicite Parmentier,  Francis E. Lester, Frau Dagmar Hastrup, Golden Showers, cli., Green Rose, Hansa, Honorine de Brabant,  Iceberg, bush and cli., Kathleen Harrop,  Kazanlik, Konigen von Danemark, Lavender Lassie, Leverkusen, Louise Odier, Madame Hardy, Madame Isaac Periere, New Dawn, Old Blush, Paul's Lemon Pillar,  Pax, Penelope, Queen of Denmark, Reine des Violettes,  Robin Hood, Rosa Damascena Trigintipetala (Kazanlik), Rosa Gallica Officianalis, Rosa Mundi,Rosa Rugosa Alba and Rubra, Sally Holmes, Seven Sisters,  Sombreuil,  Therese Bugnet, Topaz Jewell, Veilchenblau, Westerland, White Dawn, White Pet, York and Lancaster, Zephirine Drouhin."

BACK OF BORDER

EDGING BORDERS

PLANT ADJACENT TO WATER

USE ON NORTH FACING WALL

ROSES NOTED FOR FRAGRANCE

"The Roses of Yesterday and Today Garden in California, which has developed with the help of four generations of the Wiley/Stemler family, has more than 230 rose varieties on display.  Picnic tables are available. It has compiled this list:-

Abraham Darby, Aloha, cli., Alchymist, Aloha, Angel Face, America, cli. Belle de Crecy,  Blanc Double de Coubert,  Blush Noisette,  Buff Beauty, 
Cardinal de Richelieu, Celestial, Celsiana, Chapeau de Napolean (Crested Moss), Comte de Chambord, Cecile Brunner, cli. or reg., Cornelia, Coquette des Blanches, Country Dancer, Dainty Bess, Distant Drums,  Don Juan, cli., Dortmund, cli., Double Delight, Felicite Parmentier, Fragrant Cloud,  Francis E. Lester, Gloire de Dijon, Golden Showers, cli.,  Graham Thomas, Gruss an Aachen, Hansa,  Henri Martin, Heritage, Jacques Cartier, Just Joey, Kathleen Harrop, Konigen von Danemark, Lady Hillingdon, Lamarque, La Reine, Lavender Lassie, La Ville de Bruxelles, Louise Odier,  Madame Alfred Carreire, Madame De La Roche-Lambert, Madame Hardy, Madame Isaac Periere, Madame Pierre Oger,  Maman Cochet, cli., Mary Rose, Mister Lincoln, Mrs. John Laing, New Dawn, cli., Oskar Cordel, Othello, Paul Neyron, Paul's Lemon Pillar, Penelope, Quatre Saison, Queen of Denmark, Robin Hood, Rosa Damascena Trigintipetala (Kazanlik), Rosa Gallica Officianalis (Apothecary Rose),  Rosa Mundi, Rosa Alba Semi-plena, Rose a Parfum de l'Hay, Seven Sisters, Shot Silk, cl.,  Sombreuil, Souvenir de la Malmaison,,  Stainless Steel, Sterling Silver,  Tamora, The Prince, The Squire, White Dawn, cl., York and Lancaster, Zephirine Drouhin.

Spacing Between Roses in America - 
Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora, Floribunda, Compact and Average Varieties - 2 to 2 1/2 feet apart. 
Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora, Floribunda, Tall Varieties - 2 1/2 to 3 feet apart. 
Low-Growing Shrubs - 3-4 feet. 
Shrubs - 4 to 6 feet or half of expected height apart. 
Climbers and Ramblers, trained horizontally - 8-10 feet apart"

Mottisfont Rose Gardens It is still regarded as a masterclass in how to combine roses with other plants:-

Our walled garden is one of the most famous rose gardens in the world, forming a range of colouring, style and fragrance that has never been surpassed. Created by Graham Stuart Thomas in the 1970s - one of the most important figures in 20th century British horticulture - it is home to many varieties that may otherwise have become extinct.

If you’re inspired by the scented sights of our gardens and want to try growing roses yourself, here are some top tips from Assistant Head Gardener Jonny Bass:-

• Healthy root system – Here at Mottisfont we use Mycorrhizal fungi religiously. It’s added into the soil around the roots when planting and will create a beneficial or symbiotic relationship with the plant to help produce new, fibrous roots.
• Food – You can’t beat a good dose of well-rotted manure. Either dug into the soil or used as a mulch around the roses it will give excellent results and it’s 100 per cent organic and natural.
• Pruning - When pruning your roses don’t be afraid to get stuck in. It’s important to have strong new growth coming up from the base and you should be looking to cut out some of the oldest wood every year."