A year of roses
- patrickwiltshire3
- Jan 22
- 3 min read
There's a rose for every season - every month in fact. I’ve made a mental note over the years as a gardener and training at RHS Garden Wisley of the best roses that’ll work really well in our gardens.
While the weather's grim outside let's appreciate the roses that keep-going whatever the weather. Here's a calendar of roses that do just the job from January to December.
KEY OF ROSE TYPES AND THEIR CODES
Each variety mentioned has the following code. (HT) Hybrid tea (F) Floribunda (M) Miniature (C) Climbing (R) Rambling (S) Shrub
(HT) - Flowers come out singly on plants, generally large
(F) - Flowers come out in clusters on plants, generally more numerous yet smaller
(M) Plants reach a height of around 30-50cm. Perfect for pots on patios.
(C) Plants reach a height of 3m+. Perfect for growing up walls and arbours, even into trees
(R) Similar to climbing roses, though rambling types grow vigorously both up and across
(S) Large, scented flowers on hedge-like plants. With large, rounded hips from autumn
JANUARY - Best for hips
Rosa rubiginosa (S) Best for hedge roses. Lots of scarlet hips even in winter. Max height: 3m
FEBRUARY - Best for hips
Rosa arvensis (S) Best for hedges. Good-looking divided leaves. Bright red rosehips in autumn. Max height: 3m
MARCH -Best for hips
Rosa canina (S) Best for hedge roses. Native rose. Broader red hips in abundance. Max height 2m
APRIL - Best for early buds and blooms
Rosa banksiae lutea (R) Best as a rose grown into an arbour or into the canopy of a tree. Abundance of yellow blooms, non-repeating but spectacular in mid-spring. Max height 3+m
MAY - Best for blooms
Rosa banksiae (White-form) (R) All the attributes of lutea. With white flowers rather than yellow. Colour preference? Take your pick.
JUNE - Best for blooms
Rosa ‘Cutie-Pie’ (M) Beautiful, repeat-flowering miniature rose with pink to white petals. Enjoy as pot plants or at the front of your flowerbed. Max height 20cm
JULY - Best for blooms
Rosa ‘Pippin (C) Pin-cushion pink blooms in July and August, then a repeat flush in autumn. Max height: 2.5m
Rosa ‘Compassion’ (C) Apricot pink, scented roses in mid to late summer. Max height: 3m
AUGUST - Best for blooms
Rosa ‘Blue For You’ (F) A near-blue bloom (well OK, mauve!) with attractive yellow centres. Max height: 1.5m
Rosa ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ (HT) Single roses open through summer giving off a scent, sweet yet not overpowering. Max height: 90cm
SEPTEMBER - Best for hips
Rosa moyesii ‘Geranium’ (S) Best for large gardens Max height: 2.5m
OCTOBER - Best for hips
Rosa spinosissima (S) With purple black buds Max height: 1m
NOVEMBER - Best for hips
Rosa rugosa (S) Best for hedge roses with fragrant large pink blooms and large red rosehips
DECEMBER -Best for hips
Rosa multiflora (R) Rambling rose best for large gardens Max height 4.5m
Here are the winning features of roses
I learnt that the winning features of rose plants are:
Buds
Buds are an exciting stage of a flower’s life as the joy is in the anticipation. Rose buds are especially attractive as they take on the appearance of domes atop minarets.
Blooms
The quintessential stage of the flower’s life when the petals are at their most outreaching, scent is at its highest and pollinating insects like bees at their most present, adding lively animation.
Hips
Rose hips are the fruits that form after flowering; the most impressive generally from the shrub roses but from other varieties too that I will point out.
TOP TIPS FOR ONGOING ROSE CARE
Prune roses with bypass secateurs for safe, hygienic cuts that won’t crush the surrounding stem
Keep blades clean and sharp with camellia oil and sharpening stone
Prune out crossing, dead, damaged and spindly shoots
Prune out shoots growing into the centre of hybrid-tea and floribunda varieties
Prune just above a bud facing the direction you want the stem to grow
Feed well in March and October with well-rotted farmyard manure or home-made compost.
Water well in dry spells
Dual feed and water with tomato food solution fortnightly
