There is a rose to suit every garden style, spot, and situation – from Hybrid Teas and miniatures to climbers and floribundas. They come in a huge variety of colours, styles, and scents, and they will fill your garden with flowers. You can even grow roses indoors!
Looking rosy
Roses suit traditional or contemporary gardens. They grow in beds, borders, and containers as well as up walls, across fences and over pergolas. You can train them up trellis and over arches for cover and privacy.
They are immensely versatile and a classic British flower. The question is, why should you not plant them?
Growing roses
Buy roses in containers as these can be planted all year round. Their preferred spot and conditions will vary depending on the type, so check the label.
Dig a hole roughly twice as wide as the rootball to a spade’s depth. Mix in a spadeful of organic matter like compost, and fork in a general fertiliser.
Tease out some of the roots to help them establish and plant the rose to the same depth as it was in the container. Top up with soil, firm down and water in. For the first couple of years, water well in dry spells.
Apply a special rose fertiliser every spring for impressive flower displays. If you think growth has slowed in mid-summer, apply again.
Pick of the bunch
Give your roses a good start by choosing the right rose that will grow its best in the space you want to position it. So, decide if you want a potted patio rose, a rambling rose for a pergola, or a large shrub with a fantastic fragrance.
Find out more about how to grow the best roses here.
Types to try
Rosa ‘Madame Hardy’
The deep green, matt foliage of this medium-sized shrub is joined by white flowers that are fragrant, for added interest in the garden. This variety is tolerant of poor soil and shady conditions and is also well-suited for hedging as it grows up to 1.5m tall.
- Flowers in summer
- Fully hardy
- Grows up to 1.5m tall
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Exposed or sheltered
Rosa ‘Aloha’
Next is a vigorous climbing rose that will look fantastic on a wall or trellis where the fragrant pink flowers will put on a show through summer and autumn. Either make the most of the fragranced flowers in your garden, or use them as cut flowers in your home to bring their beauty indoors.
- Flowers in summer
- Fully hardy
- Grows up to 8m tall
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun
- Exposed or sheltered
Rosa ‘Roald Dahl’
The soft orangey-apricot flowers have a lovely fruity scent that will grace your garden in pots, containers, or borders. Named after the author who had a love for gardening, the colouring of the flowers is reminiscent of the peach from his book ‘James and the Giant Peach’.
- Flowers in summer
- Fully hardy
- Grows up to 1.1m tall
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Exposed or sheltered
Roses are bound to be a winner in your garden, with their showy flowers and fragrance. No matter what your garden style, there is sure to be a charming rose to suit your cottage garden, contemporary space or courtyard hideaway.
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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