War of the roses

Roses are a bit like many people – they like sun. So try to give them a warm, sunny spot, preferably where there are no cold winds to give them a hard time. That applies to both roses and people.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Jul 2013, 01:00 BST
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But when it comes to planting just roses, excavate a hole that’s bigger than the root ball of the plant in question, and then throw in plenty of well-rotted manure, because roses are pretty greedy things, and the more muck they get, the better they grow.

Newly-planted roses – like all shrubs and trees – also need plenty of water to help them establish themselves. So water them thoroughly at planting time and then water at least once a week. You can occasionally add a liquid fertiliser.

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To make the watering chore a little easier, and to make sure that moisture gets to the roots, when planting, place an empty, bottomless plastic water bottle in the hole so that it sits next to the roots. Leave the top of the bottle protruding from the soil; when it’s time to water, pour straight into the bottle and all the water will get to where it’s needed the most.

Sadly, that’s not the end of the job because roses need regular care and attention.

Gardeners aren’t the only ones who like roses. You’ll need to keep a wary eye for greenfly and other pests – spray with a systemic insecticide or, if you prefer to keep the environment chemical-free, hose off aphids by using soapy water. They’ll be back, but at least it gives the plant a bit of a breathing space.

Dead-head regularly to encourage more blooms –and then prune to the next outward-facing bud. Pruning depends on your rose; most appreciate hard-pruning in late March and perhaps a light going-over pre-winter, but there’s no real hard-and-fast rule, and roses which have been ‘pruned’ with a chainsaw have been known to flourish.

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Roses are still probably the nation’s most popular flower – they’re relatively easy to grow, provide superb flowers and fragrance, live for years without too much care and attention, are relatively cheap and come in thousands of varieties with names to suit all occasions.

And yet we rarely do them justice and many are just pale shadows of what they could be if they were looked after properly. Perhaps it’s time we took time to appreciate them more.