Roses

I do not think these need much introduction as I think we all love roses, as for the colour range grown today, there are not many colours of the rainbow not available. One thing worth talking about though, is how to grow your own successfully.

Share your views and experience with Roses Click HERE to go to the Rose Forum and create a NEWTOPIC and tell us about your favourite Roses and how to best succeed growing them..  

The rose family is vast and it includes all sorts of other plants, such as Fruit Trees, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, Flowring Cherries (Prunus), Crab Apples (Malus), Laurel (Prunus), Spiraea, Photinia, Hawthorn (Crataegus), to name but a few. It is wise for long term success to plant a rose well away form the root systems of the plants mentioned above and many others besides. It is worth checking out the surrounding plants for big rooted, other rose related plants. So choosing your site for roses, it needs to have plenty of afternoon sun, deep, fertile soil and good access for looking after them.

When it comes to choosing roses, it is first and foremost important to decide on the type of rose you would like. Hybrid T (Single Blooms), Floribunda (Cluster flowers), Patio types are container and tub friendly, Miniature (Small Varieties). Then there are the Shrub Roses which have lots categories within themselves. There are different heights and types of Standard Rose. You can have Climbing Roses and Rambling Roses. I am trying to highlight the importance of doing your homework before you buy a rose. It is important to consider that a variety of rose with good disease resistance is preferable to a variety that is disease prone.

In order to keep roses in top shape, spraying is necessary during the growing season, using fungicides and insecticides. Mulching around roses in the autumn, with old manure is good, do not put the manure against the rose stems, come away 3 inches or more before spreading the manure, no more than 3 inches thick. A good rose is worth all the hard work. Any queries on variety and reliability, don't hesitate to ask all about it in the Rose Forum.