Rose Information

The amount of information available about roses is almost never-ending, many large books have been written about them and their care. If you are seriously interested in rose growing then we would highly recommend you buy a book, if however you are looking for some general information then we've probably covered it here. The information we have included is a broad guide and covers the subjects that we get asked about most. It can all be used in regards to the rose varieties we stock. When you peruse our rose list you will note that we state heights for the varieties (except on the standards). The heights for the shrub roses are the size to which you would expect them to grow in average conditions after ten years of growth. The heights on the Hybrid Teas and Floribunda roses are the sizes you would expect them to be at the end of the season, assuming the annual prune as described takes place. Heights for climbing and rambling roses are difficult to state especially if they are trained and pruned as recommended because the majority of the stems are trained down, not up! However the heights stated can be used as a guide to compare the vigour of the diffferent varieties so we have included a height simply for that reason.

Hybrid Teas (Large flowered hybrids).

The blooms on these bushes have the 'classic' rose shape - a long pointed bud opening to reveal many satiny petals, which are neatly arranged around a central cone of tighter petals. The flowers are held singly or with one or two side buds. These flowers are produced in bursts throughout summer.

Pruning of Hybrid Tea roses

Pruning is usually done in early or mid March. It can be done slightly earlier or later depending upon the weather conditions. Cuts should always be made to just above a bud using sharp, strong secateurs to ensure a clean cut.

1. Remove dead, diseased or damaged stems.
2. Remove thin weak stems or stems which rub against each other.
3. Prune the remaining stems to within two inches of the previous year's pruning cuts.

Floribundas (Cluster flowered hybrids).

The blooms on these bushes are similar to Hybrid Teas but have smaller flowers with a much looser form. They are however borne in clusters giving a greater show of colour. They also tend to flower more continuously, rather than in the stop-go manner of the Hybrid Teas.

Pruning of Floribundas

There are differing schools of thought on the pruning of Floribunda roses but we have found that pruning in a similar manner as for Hybrid Teas, but without cutting back quite so hard, gives very satisfactory results.

Climbing and Rambling Roses.

These types of roses although classed as climbing and rambling are not self-clinging but can be used in a situation where a climbing plant is needed by tying to a support, e.g. trellis or wires or by allowing them to scramble through a large shrub or tree, as is often done with the ramblers.

Climbing Roses

Climbing roses tend to have stiffer stems and larger flowers than the ramblers and also they usually repeat flower through summer. They are most suitable for training against a wall, post or pergola.

Pruning and Training of Climbing Roses

Stems should be trained down so that they are as horizontal as possible, to form a network of evenly spaced permanent branches. Side shoots will then grow up from these permanent branches and these side shoots will produce the flowers. These side shoots should then be pruned to about 10cm long in March.

Rambling Roses.

Rambling roses have long bendable stems and usually have masses of smaller flowers that are produced in one impressive display in early summer completely smothering the branches. They are usually more vigorous than the climbing roses. They are excellent growing through large shrubs or trees and for covering arches and pergolas.

Pruning and Training of Rambling Roses.

Immediately after flowering the shoots that have just flowered should be completely removed leaving the new long growths which will flower the next year. If you are trying to train the plant into a new area it may be a good idea to leave some of the old, long shoots for the new growth to shoot from so increasing the plant's coverage.

Patio and Miniature Roses.

These roses are in effect small versions of Floribunda roses. They normally grow between 45cm and 60cm in height and produces masses of small flowers throught summer. Owing to their small size they are ideal growing in large containers or at the front of the border.

Pruning of Patio and Miniature Roses.

In March remove any straggly growths from the centre of the bush and reduce the remaining shoots by approximately half.

Shrub Roses.

These roses fall into a number of smaller groups, but they all make splendid specimens for either the shrub border, rose bed or as individual specimens.

Pruning of Shrub Roses.

Little or no pruning is required, however growth can be reduced in spring as required by cutting back to the desired height. Early flowering cultivars, such as 'Canary Bird' should be pruned after flowering if required.

Soils for Roses.

Roses will grow in most soils including clay. However, for the rose to flourish it is important to improve the soil by mixing in a generous amount of organic matter such as well-rotted manure, garden compost or a proprietary soil improver. This will enhance the soil structure to provide a moisture retentive soil that will not dry out too much in summer but at the same time will not waterlog in winter. If you are considering replanting in a situation that has previously been planted with roses for 10 years or more it is likely that the soil will be 'rose-sick'. This condition means that newly planted roses often struggle to grow, even though the established surrounding plants may be thriving. To overcome this problem, a 60cm cube of soil needs to be removed and replaced with soil from another location mixed in with organic matter. The old soil can be moved elsewhere in the garden and used safely provided you are not planting more roses in that location too.

Sites for Roses.

Roses prefer to be in full sun, ie in sun all day, and will flower much better if they are. There are however some climbing and rambling varieties that will tolerate more shady positions. This will be indicated in the description for the rose but a list follows:

Albéric Barbier, American Pillar, Casino, Danse du Feu, Emily Gray, Frühlingsgold, Félicité Perpétue, Golden Showers, Goldfinch, Climbing Iceberg, Kiftsgate, Leverkusen, Maigold, Mme. Alfred Carrière, Climbing Madame Caroline Testout, Mme. Grégoire Staechelin, New Dawn, Paul's Himalayan Musk, Penny Lane, Pink Perpétué, Rambling Rector, Seagull, Souvenir de Madame Léonie Viennot, Souvenir du Docteur Jamain, Super Excelsa, Veilchenblau,  Zéphirine Drouhin and Zigeunerknabe.

Planting Roses.

When planting container grown roses as opposed to a bare rooted specimen it is advisable to plant the rose at the same depth in the soil as it is grown in the container, ie the top of the compost should be level with the surface of the soil. However when it comes to the planting of bare root plants there has been much debate. The question being, 'Do you plant with the union (where the shoots grow from the rootstock) above or below the ground?' The outcome seems to be that it doesn't make much difference if it is at soil level or 2cm below, the choice is yours!

Maintenance of Roses.

Dead-heading

This is the term used to describe the removal of finished flowers. If the old flowers are removed it encourages the formation of new flowers. Dead-heading only takes a few minutes each week and makes a big difference to flower production so it is worth making the effort. Some varieties produce attractive hips and if you want those you should not dead-head.

Mulching

Keeping the soil in good condition is important for the well-being of your roses and a mulch of organic matter around the base of them in early autumn will help keep the soil in good condition and be beneficial to the roses. Take care not to mound the mulch up against the rose stems.

Feeding

To encourage good health and flower production throughout summer roses should be fed with a proprietary rose food in March and again after the first show of flowers has faded (this is usually around early July).

Autumn pruning

In preparation for winter we recommend that an autumn prune be given in October/November. The idea is to slightly reduce the longer stems on your plants, without giving a full prune as described earlier. The aim is to make the plant less susceptible to being blown around in the wind which can then cause the plant to rock about in the soil leading to a weakened and damaged rose.

Pests and Diseases of Roses.

Pests of Roses.

The main pest of roses is aphid, there are at least seven different types that attack roses. They can be pink, green, pink-brown or orange in colour. You will usually find them on new shoots and flower buds and on the undersides of leaves where they suck the sap from the plant and cause distorted and weakened growth. You can spray with a suitable insecticide, but unfortunately many of the chemicals available to the public are also harmful to beneficial insects, such as bees, so if at all possible we would recommend encouraging birds and other wildlife into your garden. Hanging fat balls around the garden will encourage Blue Tits and Great Tits which also feed on aphids. Other beneficial creatures include hover flies and ladybirds, they too eat aphids, offering them a place of shelter will encourage them to stay. You will not see instant results, but the fewer chemicals you use the more wildlife friendly your garden will become and in subsequent years you will see an increase in the natural control of unwanted pests and hopefully gained a lot of pleasure from watching the birds and beneficial insects with the added bonus of knowing you're helping your local environment.

Occasionally Leaf-Rolling Rose Sawfly can affect roses, some varieties being more susceptible than others. Although the rose may look slightly unsightly, the sawfly does as its name suggests and rolls leaves up tightly on the plant, generally the sawfly does no long-term damage, it does not appear to weaken the plant or lessen its vigour. Spraying is not very effective as by the time signs of the sawfly are visible the damage is already done. You can pick off and burn any leaves that you feel spoil the look of the plant and cultivating the soil below the plant in autumn and spring will help reduce the numbers of any over-wintering larvae. If however you have a heavy infestation one year that is seriously blighting the look of your plants then you can spray using a systemic insecticide the following May to reduce a possible re-infestation later in the season.

Diseases of Roses.

The three main rose diseases can be controlled by using a proprietary fungicide and destroying the old leaves at the end of the season. We recommend spraying regularly as prevention is a lot easier than cure. If however you have not been spraying regularly it is still possible to minimise the damage of a heavy infestation by picking off any leaves showing the beginnings of the disease and spraying immediately.

The three diseases are:

1. Rust. This shows up as orange pustules on the undersides of the leaves, these pustules turn black in autumn.
2. Blackspot. The leaves develop black spots and then the leaves turn yellow. With a bad infestation the stems of the plant may also develop dark markings and many leaves will fall off, greatly weakening the plant.
3. Mildew. This is a white, powdery coating on the new leaves and buds, often the leaves become distorted and premature leaf fall takes place.

We hope you have found this information helpful but if you need any further assistance then please do not hesitate to contact us.