Shrub Roses and Compatible Plantings to Enhance Your Garden Sally Allison (1998, Hodder Moa Beckett)
You will not be able to read this book without going out and buying one of the beautiful roses Sally Allison describes and has photographed so beautifully.
Sally Allison's credentials as a shrub rose expert are impressive. Here she bring her knowledge of old, heritage roses together with her experience of growing newer shrub roses in her own garden and adds the ideas and inspiration gleaned on her travels through many New Zealand and international gardens.
The book introduces us to the various rose families, from the ancient species roses to the newer floribunda and 'English roses' bred by David Austin. Understanding the lineage of your roses is one of the keys to planting and caring for them, and thus to success.
The 'Planting Companions' section of the book provides exhaustive lists of plants by colour, foliage and form that will make your rose garden even more beautiful. A special section discusses clematis to grow with roses, and provides hints on how to grow these lovely climbers successfully.
Practical rose care, pruning and planting advice are given in a central chapter. These are practical hands on notes and not those of the desk-bound theoretician. Sally Allison has developed her own views and has the courage to stay with them. "My theories on [pruning] are very simple: prune a little or a lot, whatever suits you or the rose or your particular style of garden." And she leads the reader into a discussion on how and when to prune various rose families.
The main section of the book, where 240 roses are individually discussed, and most have photographs, is the irresistible part. How anyone can read this book and not covet another dozen roses is beyond our understanding.
Best of all, this book is written by a New Zealander. These roses are available here and the practical notes on them relate to our gardening conditions. A truly lovely and useful book.
