You don’t have to display roses in an old-fashioned formal bed. They come in all sizes and there are different varieties for different locations. There are roses with amazing scents, some with astonishing beauty, and others with extraordinary, vigorous growth that’ll sprint up a tree, using it as a frame. They can be trained over arches, up pergolas, and are undoubtedly one of the great summer sights.

Choosing a rose
The best way to make a selection is to get a colour-illustrated catalogue from a specialist nursery to see the full range of roses and their heights and colours. Then visit a rose garden, check them out, and look for good combinations with other plants.

I have a great selection of patio & climbing Roses on offer on the website at the moment. They offer something a little bit different from your standard hybrid teas and bush roses. You can plant these in pots, in the border and up against something. WE have the following:

Laura Ford – Climbing Rose. Soft yellow Rose with tinges of pink. Laura Ford is lightly scented with a glossy foliage. Winner of RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Peter Pan – Patio Rose. Vibrant red in colour with a profusion of blooms. Peter Pan has glossy foliage and is a very reliable performing Rose.
The Holt – Patio Rose. Beautiful fuchsia pink, full blooms in large showy trusses. Very healthy looking plants.
Warm Welcome – Climbing Rose. One of our favourites, Warm Welcome has brilliant glowing orange flowers. This is an eyecatching popular variety that is lightly scented with a glossy foliage. Winner of RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Niceday – Patio Rose.
Salmon pink flowers, classic Rose flower form. Niceday is lightly scented and a garden favourite.

All these Roses available separately or also as a mix of 1 of each for less than £1.80 per plant!

Growing tips
Site and soil: the first ingredient is a sunny site (though some roses will tolerate shade) with well-worked, rich soil including lots of organic matter, and decent drainage. Avoid the extremes of acidity and alkalinity.

Planting and pruning: container-grown roses can be planted at any time of year, but bare-root roses are only available when dormant. After planting, remove any dead or spindly growth, and cut back hard to within about 15cm of the ground in late winter/early spring to promote new growth from the bottom. This equally applies to climbers, and to a lesser extent ramblers; the former’s new growth should be trained out in a fan shape if possible (tied to rows of sturdy wall wires), promoting new growth and flowers from a low level, otherwise they’ll all be up in the air and you’ll never be able to smell them. When growing up trees and pillars, spiral the new growth up and around.

Subsequent late winter/early spring pruning: climbers and ramblers can be left alone, especially if they’re growing up trees, though they can be cut back after flowering if they are accessible and getting out of control. With bush roses, the rule is the harder you prune, the more new growth and the greater the number of flowers, though they will be smaller. A light prune means less new growth, but fewer, larger blooms. With shrub and species roses, make sure the centre doesn’t become congested with old, unproductive wood. Thin out as necessary.

Problems

Blackspot
If it’s a problem, you have two choices. Either spray with the likes of a proprietary chemical in spring before the symptoms appear (black spots, yellowing leaves and leaf fall) or, better still, grow only those roses with good disease-resistance, and make sure they are well cared for with feeding, mulching, and watering, making them strong and healthy.

Powdery mildew
This is often a sign of dryness around the roots, so keep plants mulched and well-watered. It can be treated by proprietary chemical sprays.

Wind rock
Plant roses with the bud union 8cm below the soil to promote extra roots, giving greater stability and minimizing suckers.