Still our favourite flower, the rose is found in almost every garden. These pages are for Rose Lovers, for those looking for a rose for their planting scheme, and because they are quite simply gorgeous to look at! Our Rose Pages are to be enjoyed.
Summer and roses. Whether you are a fan of heritage roses or their modern cousins, summer is your time.
Good care will give you healthy roses and more enjoyment of your roses, still our favourite flower.
Water and Routine Care Regular watering is key in summer. Dry and stressed plants are far more vulnerable to disease, and they won't flower at all well.
Deadheading will encourage repeat flowering; weeding removes plants competing for moisture, food and light.
A Summer Feed A mulch with compost, foliar feed or solid fertiliser to give hard-working roses a boost. (If using chemical fertiliser, follow the directions.)
Disease Wet Weather Roses can turn into mushy lumps in wet, miserable weather. When the outer layer of petals is soaked, and then dry hard, they preventing the flower from opening. Remove them!
Pruning Pruning should be left until late winter. In cold areas, wait until the last frosts have passed as pruning early encourages new growth that is vulnerable to frost.
Confused and, well, flummoxed by the prospect of pruning your roses? See our pruning advice and gear up now.
More Rose care Rose care through the seasons, or to tackle now.
R. 'Comtesse du Cayla' An old China rose that has a wonderful semi-double flower, coral with a touch of yellow at the base, and an absolutely delicious scent, fruity and rich, as you would expect from a rose named for a mistress of Louis XVI. A rather twiggy bush, the Comtesse will flower over a long season from late spring into the winter, longer in mild climates.
The foliage is a good green and the new leaves are reddish. The Comtesse's only fault is that the flowers hang from the slender purplish stems, rather than the modern trend for upward looking blooms. The profusion of richly coloured flowers, the scrumptious fragrance more than make up for this. Great in the flower border where the good foliage and long flowering season make a real contribution.
Cultivation: Plant in good soil in a position with plenty of sun, as she becomes straggly and unkempt in shade, and the Comtesse will exceed the 1.0m (3ft) the books tell you to expect.
Propagation: Cuttings
The rugosas and many species roses are carrying spectacular hips now. 'Fru Dagmar Hastrup' contrast these with colourful foliage while 'Scarbrosa' continues to produce cerise-maenta blloms alongside bright red hips. The double rugosas generally don't bear hips.
Rose Profiles Photographs and information on lovely roses to choose for your garden Rose Care From planting onwards ...
