Now's a good time to plant roses

FAVOURITE: Absolutely Fabulous displays good vigour and excellent health with good resistance to black spot. PICTURE / SUPPLIED

We are now in the first official month of winter, with some colder nights over the past few weeks confirming the change of season.
Now is the best time of the year to plant roses. New stocks are filling stores and there are some wonderful varieties available.
I personally 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. A rose bush purchased now (that looks like a group of sticks in a pot) will, by November be 60-80cm high producing a mass of eye popping colourful blooms, that can (depending on the variety) repeat flower throughout summer and well into next 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 a combination. 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 wanting to have low maintenance gardens, but also wanting to have some flamboyant colour and scent as well. Stunning varieties have been developed that are not only colourful, but are highly fragrant and healthy growers.
Roses also come in a number of forms, including the well known 'ordinary' or bush rose, standard roses (two main stem heights are common, 800mm, 450mm and less commonly 1.8m) and climbing varieties.
It is not surprising that gardeners for centuries have 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 space is limited then growing in pots is a good way to ensure some bright colour on the patio.
Modern roses come in virtually every colour of the spectrum, from pale pastels to bold, bright reds and yellows. A rare colour is found in Blue Moon, which has lavender blue flowers on long stems. 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 and white or purple and 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.
There's 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 Lasting Love and 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 specie roses are a dusky plum purple and the foliage of some turn 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 Absolutely Fabulous. This rose displays good vigour and excellent health with good resistance to black spot. Its flowers are truly stunning with butter gold blooms, and a delicious strong fragrance.
A recent release of note is the rose Purpleicious. This beauty is a deep purple with a delicious fragrance. It has a flat, old-fashioned flower form and grows approximately 80cm.
Rose Planting Tips
When a rose is being planted it is generally expected that it will last for many years. Preparation of the soil is important. The ground should be cultivated about two lengths of your spade blade or about 450mm. 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 a light soil the water holding capacity will increase as the organic material can hold additional moisture. The addition of a slow release fertiliser such as Manutec Planting Tablets into the hole when planting will help ensure excellent root development and growth.
Roses are never completely dormant and the less the roots are disturbed the better the plants will establish. A hole should be dug large and deep enough to accommodate the roots when spread out. Be careful that no damage is done to the plants when the soil is firmed round the roots. The bud union of bush and climbing roses is left just above the ground surface.
If planting a group of standard roses they should all be the same height so that they can be planted with the heads at a uniform level. It is preferable before planting standard roses to put in the stakes that will support them. This avoids damage to the roots. Use a soft 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.
Plants from a garden centre or nursery have usually been cut back for the ease of handling and packing, but they are not pruned. Early planting (now) is recommended and pruning should be done during the normal pruning season which is best done in mid to late July for gardens in Wanganui.
More on pruning roses when it is time!
Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre