This is the time of the year when roses are coming into their first bloom of the season. New stocks have been filling stores and there are some wonderful varieties available.
Personally, I love roses, they really are an impressive plant. There are few plants that can boast the growth rate and extent of flowering that a good rose will provide, producing masses of eye-popping colourful blooms that usually (depending on the variety) repeat their flowering throughout summer and well into autumn.
Such is the popularity of roses that new varieties have been selected and bred for hundreds of years to gain the desired flower form, colour, fragrance or combination of all these!
In recent years, rose breeders have developed varieties that will thrive with little or no spraying. This response has helped to balance the scales between people who want low maintenance gardens but also want some flamboyant colour and scent in the garden. There are some stunning varieties that have been developed that are not only colourful, but are highly fragrant and healthy growers.
Roses come in a number of forms: the bush rose; the tree-like standard rose ( main stem heights are 800mm and 450mm - less common is the 1.8m stem); and climbing varieties.
It is not surprising that gardeners have for centuries revered the rose as "Queen of the Shrubs" for the extraordinary beauty of its flowers. There are so many different roses in so many flower colours, shapes, fragrance and plant height that there really is a rose for every situation and garden style. Few plants are so versatile and varied in growth habit, height, foliage and form. It is possible to smother the whole garden with roses. Whether grown en masse or singly to heighten the profusion of a mixed planting, roses epitomise the glory of the garden on a summer's day. Be inspired to grow some roses in your garden. If you are limited on space then growing in pots is a good way to ensure some bright colour on the patio for summer.
Modern roses come in virtually every colour of the spectrum, from pale pastels to bold, bright reds and yellows. A rare colour is Rhapsody in Blue, which has fabulous deep and dark purple buds opening to bluish purple flowers that fade to lavender. It's available as a bush.
The old garden roses range in colour from white through the palest of blush pinks, deep pink, crimson and violet to purple. Many have striped pink/white or purple /white flowers.
Most roses co-ordinate well but a combination of too many brilliant colours may create a discordant effect. Plant white roses or those with soft pastel tones between your groups of strong coloured roses to prevent them from clashing.
Within the rose family is a great variety of flower shapes from single flat open (such as Mutabilis), to the urn shaped, curved, modern hybrid tea types such as well known Aotearoa and Blackberry Nip Then there are the cabbage-like types of many old rose flowers.
Foliage colour of roses varies from a soft grey-green to a deep glossy blue-green. Some species of rose are a dusky plum purple and the foliage of some turns to vivid fiery autumn colours. Some rugosa and species roses develop bright ornamental hips in autumn that range in colour from yellow and orange though all the shades of red.
A particular favourite is Lasting Love. This rose displays good vigour and excellent health with good resistance to black spot. Its flowers are stunning, being dusky red in bud and opening to fragrant deep red blooms.
A brilliantly fragrant rose of note is Mum in a Million. This beauty has stunning large blooms of soft rose pink with a powerful fragrance. It has an urn-shaped curved modern hybrid tea flower form and grows approximately 80cm.
Rose Planting Tips
When a rose is planted, it's generally expected that it will remain in existence for many years. The preparation of the soil is therefore important. The ground should be cultivated about two lengths of your spade blade, or about 45cm. Most soils will benefit by incorporating material such as Natural Bark Poultry Compost or sheep pellets. The digging will open up soils, improving the general structure. In light soil water retention will be greatly increased as the organic material can hold additional moisture. The addition into the hole of a slow-release fertiliser, such as Manutec planting tablets will help ensure excellent root development and growth.
A hole should be dug significantly large and deep to accommodate the roots. Be careful that no damage is done to the plants when the soil is firmed round the roots. Roses should be planted into the garden at the same height as they are in the pots in the garden centre.
When planting standard roses it is important that they are staked at the time of planting. This avoids damage to the roots which may otherwise occur. Use a soft tie material for tying standard roses. Wire should never be used and padding should be placed under a tie of twine or cord. Ensure that one of the ties is secured to its stake near the head of the rose to prevent damage or the possibility of it snapping off in strong wind.
Pest and Disease Control
For all of their beauty, some rose varieties do require regular spraying and maintenance to keep them pest and disease free. Yates Rose Gun is a very effective spray that will control both insects and fungus diseases.
If fungus disease, mildew, rust and black spot are particularly stubborn, then spray with Watkins Fungus & Mildew Spray. An early and late winter spray of copper plus Conqueror Oil will generally reduce problems in spring.
Pests: Aphids are small sucking insects that appear on new growth. Rose scale are sucking insects that look like fine white flakes stuck to the stem. Mites are minute sucking insects found on the underside of leaves, causing distortion, speckling or silvering and leaf dehydration. Diseases: Black spot appears as dark brown black spots in yellow rings on the leaf, usually in summer. Powdery mildew appears as a white floury powder on the leaf surface. Downy mildew is a disease sometimes confused with black spot as the symptoms are very similar. With downy mildew, the spots are more irregular and tend to follow the leaf veins. Downy mildew tends to attack in early spring and autumn, while black spot is more prevalent in late spring, summer.
¦Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre
