|  Know
Your Roses
There
are five main classes of roses. Which ones are suitable
for your garden?
Hybrid Tea Roses
The hybrid tea rose, perhaps the most popular choice, comes
as either a standard or a bush. The flower is the classic
rose with a pronounced core of of petals in the centre.There
are a wide range of colours and they are usually scented.
The roses are borne as single flowers or a small cluster.
Generally, they have a long flowering period from about
June to October.
They can be grown in sun
or partial shade in good, well drained soil. An alkaline
soil
should have well rotted compost added to it. This group
of roses are subject to the usual pests
and diseases and the large flowers can be damaged by
strong wind and heavy rain so they should be planted in
a sheltered position.
Floribunda Roses
This is another favourite group and comes from crossing
hybrid tea roses with polyanthus. The flowers are borne
on large trusses (groups of blooms). The flowers are less
of the classic rose shape than the Hybrid Teas and very
few varieties are fragrant. Many varieties bloom continuously
during the summer, though. It is also less susceptible to
damage by wind and rain.
Cultivation is much the same
as for hybrid tea roses.
Modern Shrub Roses
This group
is a cross between species roses and old roses. The flowers
are more like wild roses with a flat bloom and, like floribunda,
few are fragrant. Many varieties have repeated flushes of
flowers throughout the summer. Although they can be used
as single plants in a border, they are also good for hedging.
They need only light pruning
but make sure you cut out dead or diseased stems.
Climbers and Ramblers
In the 19th century, this group of roses was probably the
most popular. Now they are ideal for decorating a pergola,
arches, old trees or a house wall.
Ramblers have long supple
stems but are prone to mildew and only flower for a short
period in June and July. They are more suitable for pergolas
and arches rather than for growing against walls as the
lack of air circulation makes mildew more likely. The flowers
grow in large trusses are are about 2 inches in diameter.
Climbers have much less supple
stems and they have smaller trusses of flowers but the individual
blooms are usually larger, 3 to 5 inches in diameter, than
those seen on ramblers. Pruning
is easier too because the flowers are borne on mature rather
than new wood. Many varieties also have repeat flushes of
flowers during the summer.
Miniature Roses
This class of roses is growing in popularity. The height
of these delicate, pretty plants varies from around 9 to
18 inches. Some people like to grow it as an indoor plant
but it is often unhappy indoors and does poorly. The tiny
flowers, measuring as a little as 3/4 inch to less than
2 inches, are borne in small clusters in June and July with
many varieties giving repeat flowerings.
Cuttings can be taken with
a reasonable degree of success. If they are budded on to
a different rootstock, though, their miniature character
will be lost.
They can be grown in the
border but not with tall plants otherwise they will be swamped
and their beauty will not be appreciated. They make good
outdoor pot plants but they should be fed and well watered
and repotted annually.
See more about roses.
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