reading

The rose is the nation’s favourite flower and never goes out of fashion. In this definitive guide, Alan Titchmarsh shows how to grow and care for roses in your garden. He covers all the essential techniques and provides inspirational ideas for training and planting schemes that will ensure healthy plants and stunning displays year on year.

* A-Z directory of Alan’s recommended roses
* Essential techniques for pruning and support
* How to combine roses with other plants
* Suggested roses for all garden situations, including shady and exposed sites
* Comprehensive guide to understanding rose types

About the Author

Originally trained at Hertfordshire College of Horticulture and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Alan Titchmarsh is the author of over 40 books about gardening, including How to be a Gardener Book 1: Back to Basics, the fastest-selling of all time in the genre, and the bestselling The Kitchen Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg. He writes for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, and is gardening correspondent for the Daily Express and Sunday Express. A frequent broadcaster, Alan has covered The Chelsea Flower Show for the BBC for over 25 years, he has a seasonal daily chat show on ITV, and a weekly show on Radio 2.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

Published in 2011 by BBC Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing, a Random House Group Company

The right of Alan Titchmarsh to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at www.randomhouse.co.uk

Colour origination byAltaimage, London Printed and bound by Firmengruppe APPL, Wemding, Germany

Introduction

Gardening is one of the best and most fulfilling activities on earth, but it can sometimes seem complicated and confusing. The answers to problems can usually be found in books, but big fat gardening books can be rather daunting. Where do you start? How can you find just the information you want without wading through lots of stuff that is not appropriate to your particular problem? Well, a good index is helpful, but sometimes a smaller book devoted to one particular subject fits the bill better – especially if it is reasonably priced and if you have a small garden where you might not be able to fit in everything suggested in a larger volume.

The How to Garden books aim to fill that gap – even if sometimes it may be only a small one. They are clearly set out and written, I hope, in a straightforward, easy-to-understand style. I don’t see any point in making gardening complicated, when much of it is based on common sense and observation. (All the key techniques are explained and illustrated, and I’ve included plenty of tips and tricks of the trade.)

There are suggestions on the best plants and the best varieties to grow in particular situations and for a particular effect. I’ve tried to keep the information crisp and to the point so that you can find what you need quickly and easily and then put your new-found knowledge into practice. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with the Latin names of plants. They are there to make sure you can find the plant as it will be labelled in the nursery or garden centre, but where appropriate I have included common names, too. Forgetting a plant’s name need not stand in your way when it comes to being able to grow it.

Above all, the How to Garden books are designed to fill you with passion and enthusiasm for your garden and all that its creation and care entails, from designing and planting it to maintaining it and enjoying it. For more than fifty years gardening has been my passion, and that initial enthusiasm for watching plants grow, for trying something new and for just being outside pottering has never faded. If anything I am keener on gardening now than I ever was and get more satisfaction from my plants every day. It’s not that I am simply a romantic, but rather that I have learned to look for the good in gardens and in plants, and there is lots to be found. Oh, there are times when I fail – when my plants don’t grow as well as they should and I need to try harder. But where would I rather be on a sunny day? Nowhere!

The How to Garden handbooks will, I hope, allow some of that enthusiasm – childish though it may be – to rub off on you, and the information they contain will, I hope, make you a better gardener, as well as opening your eyes to the magic of plants and flowers.

Roses in gardens past and present

It is generally believed that roses were first cultivated about 5,000 years ago. It probably all started in China, but the ancient Egyptians were also great rose growers, as were the Greeks and the Arabians. The Romans established public rose gardens and grew roses for their petals, which were used as a source of perfume, for confetti in ceremonies and celebrations, and for medicinal purposes.

After the fall of the Roman empire the popularity of the rose declined and it found refuge in the gardens of monks and medics, coming to the fore again when knights brought back new species on their return from the Crusades. It may be that Rosa gallica made its way from France to England via a crusader in the 12th century. Rosa gallica var. officinalis, known as the apothecary’s rose because of its value in early medicine, is still a good rose for today’s gardens. Incidentally, officinalis means ‘of the shop’, referring to the apothecary’s shop. The striped form, Rosa gallica ‘Versicolor’, is also still popular; formerly known as Rosa mundi, it was named after ‘Fair Rosamund’, the mistress of Henry II.

In the 15th century the rose made its debut in politics. It was adopted as the symbol for the Houses of York and Lancaster, both of which were vying for control of England. The white rose symbolized York and the red rose Lancaster – hence the Wars of the Roses. Although the hostilities have long ceased, it’s still hard for a Yorkshire man to resist planting a white rose in his garden!

Roses were prized during the 16th and 17th centuries for their wonderful fragrance. In those days these scented roses would have been the double-flowered cabbage roses, or Centifolias. During this time, roses and rose water were so valued that the nobility considered them legal tender.

Rose breeding

Rose breeding as we know it today began in the late 18th century. Rosa × odorata ‘Pallida’, or the old blush China rose, was brought back from China by the Dutch East India Company in 1781. This was not the showiest of roses, but it repeat flowered from early summer through to autumn. Over the next few years the tea clippers brought back many more China roses which, when hybridized with the summer-flowering Shrub roses already in cultivation, led to the development of Tea, Bourbon and Portland roses. These had double flowers and scent and, most importantly, repeat flowered – every rose lover’s dream.

The meaning of colour

Great symbolic significance has been attributed to roses over the years. Different coloured roses mean different things; perhaps it’s wise to know this before you choose which one to give. A red rose means love and desire. A white rose, on the other hand, indicates friendship and innocence. Pink roses symbolize elegance and refinement. Yellow roses indicated jealousy in Victorian times, which is perhaps why Algernon rejects the offer of a yellow ‘Maréchal Niel’ in favour of a pink rose in Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest.

Probably the most famous rose grower of all time gardened in the late 18th century. This was Empress Josephine, Napoleon’s wife. She was a great collector and had around 250 species of rose in her garden at the Château de la Malmaison, just outside Paris. Her roses became the muses of the botanical artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840), who immortalized them in what is considered to be the finest collection of botanical illustrations ever painted. Was he inspired by the roses or by the Empress? We’ll never know. Legend has it that when Napoleon departed for Waterloo, Josephine presented him with a beautiful, pale pink Bourbon rose saying, ‘Take this as a souvenir de la Malmaison’. The rose that carries this name is still grown today – a temperamental beauty that likes her creature comforts, just like Josephine.

Josephine is also attributed with a certain style of rose garden: beds devoted purely to roses, usually consisting of one or two varieties. This way of growing roses has lasted and, although we grow roses in lots of different ways today, the dedicated rose bed has survived in gardens for the past 200 years.

The mid-19th century saw the introduction of the first Hybrid Tea rose. Although we claim that the rose is a quintessentially English flower, up to now its history had belonged to Asia and mainland Europe, and this next leap forward took place in France. A chance seedling of unknown parentage was found by a Frenchman in his garden. This signified the dawn of a new era in the romance of the rose. Not surprisingly, this first Hybrid Tea was named ‘La France’.

Modern roses

More recently, in the mid-20th century, a great surge of interest in rose growing led to countless new varieties of Modern Bush roses (Hybrid Teas and Floribundas). New colour breaks, such as the brilliant vermilion ‘Super Star’ and the deliciously scented ‘Fragrant Cloud’, fuelled the demand. Roses were accessible. No longer did you have to order them from the rose nursery; you could buy them in plastic bags or coloured boxes from the local shop or department store, including Woolworths. Rose aficionados planted dedicated beds of new varieties. However, the average plot in 1970s suburbia would have sported a collection of ill-matched varieties amassed over a number of years, including ‘Masquerade’, ‘Queen Elizabeth’, ‘Lili Marlene’ and of course the best-loved Hybrid Tea of all time: ‘Peace’.

The roses we filled our gardens with quickly became fair game for pests and diseases that did not have to search too far to find hosts. Black spot and mildew moved in with a vengeance, particularly after the ban on coal fires in 1956, as diseases spread more rapidly in clean air. The quest for a miracle cure began, and still goes on. However, nowadays we understand the importance of growing disease-resistant varieties, and how good gardening practice helps to combat pests and diseases more successfully than a regime of using pesticides and other chemicals.

Recent years have seen a change in the way we garden. The range of plant material available to the gardener has never been greater, and our approach to gardening is more informal than it used to be. Rather than simply growing roses on their own, in dedicated beds, we often plant them in borders combined with other shrubs and perennials. This type of planting demands a different kind of rose – one that enjoys the company of other plants. The old-fashioned Shrub rose suits mixed plantings, but often flowers only once and is sometimes not of strong enough constitution to stand up to our less attentive approach to the garden. The English rose fits the bill (see here and here), combining the best attributes of ancient and modern while retaining the essence and beauty of the rose.

When you visit a rose garden, take a notebook and a camera with you. You could photograph the roses with their labels, if they have them, so you won’t forget your favourites. Remember to look at the whole planting, not just the rose.

Seeking inspiration

There is nothing like seeing a rose ‘in the flesh’ to help you decide whether it is the right one to grow in your garden. You can study its size, habit and flower power, and see what it looks like combined with other plants. A visit to a rose garden, ideally in early summer, is the best way to do this. Try to visit in the evenings if possible, because both colour and fragrance are at their best at this time of day.

The Alnwick Garden, Northumberland This amazing garden gives the visitor an opportunity to see a very young Grand Garden, containing over 3,000 English, Shrub, Climbing and Rambler roses.

Coughton Court, Warwickshire The National Trust’s Tudor manor garden boasts the amazing Rose Labyrinth. Recognized as one of the finest rose gardens in the world, it is planted with over 200 different rose varieties.

David Austin Rose Garden, Albrighton, Wolverhampton (above) These are the rose gardens of David Austin, the rose breeder responsible for the English rose; here you will see a wonderful collection of over 700 different rose varieties in two acres of inspiring settings.

Mottisfont Abbey, Hampshire (right) A National Trust Garden and home to the National Collection of Old Roses, but it also includes Modern Shrub and English roses. In addition, the garden abounds with lovely perennials and is a great place to get ideas on what to grow with roses.

RHS Rosemoor, Devon Rose lovers will delight in both the dedicated rose gardens and the use of roses in mixed plantings. The Queen Mother’s Rose Garden showcases modern roses in formal settings. More than 200 varieties of Shrub rose are to be found elsewhere in the gardens.

Other good rose gardens to visit

Queen Mary’s Garden, Regents Park, London

RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate, Yorkshire

RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Chelmsford, Essex

RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey

The Savill Garden, Windsor Great Park, Berkshire

Trentham Gardens, Staffordshire

Wollerton Old Hall, Shropshire

What is a rose?

However limited your knowledge of plants and gardening, the chances are you know what a rose looks like. We all have an image in our minds of the typical rose – the sort we see on a greetings card, a box of chocolates or in the florist’s window. But what exactly is a rose?

Roses are perennial plants, surviving from year to year by producing woody stems. Most have a dormant period in winter, when growth slows down and flowering stops; usually the leaves fall, although a few semi-evergreen varieties retain most of their foliage. In warmer climates roses can behave differently, and even the deciduous types remain evergreen and continue to grow and flower all year.

Some roses grow as shrubs, producing a number of stems rising from ground level to heights that can be anything from 30cm (12in) to 3m (10ft) or more. Others produce much longer stems and climb or scramble over anything that will provide support. Most roses have thorny stems, particularly those in the wild that scramble through hedges and up trees. However, some garden roses have much smoother stems and are a lot less prickly.

Garden roses are the result of years of breeding and selection, and bear little resemblance to their wild ancestors. It is rose breeding that is responsible for the amazing range of colours, flower forms and fragrances we find in our gardens today.

Beauty and fragrance

Roses are grown primarily for their blooms. Many produce only one major flush of flowers in early summer, while others repeat flower, or bloom almost continuously through summer and into autumn.

Arrangement of flowers on the stem

The way in which rose flowerheads are carried on their stems varies according to the type of rose. They may be solitary, sometimes with two or more buds behind the main flower, or grouped in clusters or sprays.

SOLITARY
A single flower is carried at the end of each stem, as with many Hybrid Teas.

CLUSTER
Several flowers arise from a single, often upright stem, as with Floribundas.

SPRAY
A profusion of smaller flowers is borne on a lax, single stem, as with Ramblers.

Number of petals

Roses are single, semi-double or double, depending on the number of petals.

SINGLE
Species roses and some cultivars (here, ‘Francis E. Lester’) have single flowers with fewer than 8 petals.

SEMI-DOUBLE
Semi-double roses (here, ‘Queen Mother’) have between 8 and 20 petals in two or three rows.

DOUBLE
Double roses have over 20 petals (here, ‘Scepter’d Isle’). Fully double varieties have over 30 petals.

The flowers vary considerably in number of petals, flower shape, and how they are carried on the stem.

Some roses produce attractive fruits, known as hips, when the flowers fade. They may be round, oval or bottle-shaped, in red, orange or brown, and can have as much ornamental value as the flowers.

Rose leaves are made up of several leaflets arranged on a leaf-stalk and range in colour from light apple green to very dark green flushed with purple. The new foliage is often flushed copper or red as it unfurls.

One of the main reasons gardeners grow roses is because of their fragrance. This scent can be heavy, light, fresh, fruity or spicy. Some roses have a real old-rose fragrance while others smell of tea, myrrh or lemon. To some extent, fragrance is subjective, so what one gardener considers delightful, another may consider insignificant.

Flower shapes

Roses come in a range of shapes. Below are some of the most distinctive double forms.

HIGH-CENTRED
A tall, tight centre is typical of a Hybrid Tea.

POMPON
Small and rounded with lots of regularly arranged petals.

ROSETTE
Fairly flat, with many short, often overlapping petals.

QUARTERED
Almost flat and seems to be divided into four sections.

RECURVED
Petals arch backwards, giving an ‘open’ appearance.

INCURVED
Petals bend inwards, giving a ‘closed’ appearance.

Growth habits of roses

Roses are very varied in habit, but they fall loosely into three main growth types: bushy, arching and upright. Shrub roses (including English roses) can be bushy, arching or upright; Modern Bush roses are usually bushy or upright; Climbing and Rambler roses tend to have arching or upright stems; Patio roses are bushy; and Ground-cover roses have arching, ground-hugging stems.

BUSHY HABIT
A rounded to spreading form, with a relatively dense centre.

ARCHING HABIT
Stems spread outwards and, in the case of some Ground-cover roses, downwards.

UPRIGHT HABIT
Strong, stiff, erect stems that grow vertically rather than horizontally.

Rose types and uses

There are so many different types of rose. Their diversity in flower form and colour means that there’s one that is sure to please for just about every garden situation, including neat, compact varieties that grow in pots on the patio, large, bushy shrubs for borders, climbing types that make their way up a wall or a pergola, and vigorous varieties that scramble through the tallest trees. Some roses seem happier planted with their own kind, while others are more gregarious creatures that mix happily with shrubs and perennials.

Shrub roses

This is a loose umbrella term for a large and diverse group of roses that vary in habit from small, bushy shrubs growing to around 1m (40in) in height and spread to sizeable, arching shrubs reaching three or four times that size. The group includes the garden-worthy species (wild) roses, old garden roses that have been grown for hundreds of years, and many more recent introductions. As with any other flowering shrub, roses in this group generally cohabit well with other roses or shrubs in mixed borders. Some Shrub roses – particularly the old-fashioned types – flower only once, in early summer, while others (including Ground-cover roses and English roses) repeat flower. For more information on types of Shrub rose and individual cultivars, see here and here.

Summer-flowering varieties

Despite their lack of repeat performance, these beautiful old roses possess a subtle charm that earns them a place in today’s gardens and in the heart of many a gardener. A great number of them are wonderfully fragrant. They have pleasingly flattened double flowers, their petals often crimped into an intricate rosette or gathered into quarters. They can be richly coloured, like the dark crimson ‘William Lobb’. He is a tall aristocrat for the back of the border, while the deep-purple ‘Tuscany Superb’ is a gem to savour closer at hand. Some have intricately formed buds, like those of Rosa × centifolia ‘Cristata’ (formerly ‘Chapeau de Napoléon’), whose textured calyces earn it the common name crested moss rose. Sometimes the colour of summer-flowering varieties is more intense in the depths of the bloom, fading to more subtle shades.

Repeat-flowering varieties

As rose breeding progressed, breeders developed Shrub roses that bloomed more than once in a season, some with great continuity. They were understandably popular, and many of these earlier varieties have stood the test of time, despite the introduction of thousands of new varieties over recent years.

The Bourbon roses have remained popular for their double, fragrant blooms. Like many Bourbons, the glorious ‘Madame Isaac Pereire’, which dates from the mid-19th century, has a lax habit but it can be grown as a beautiful climber and has deep-pink flowers with a wonderful scent. Another good, old-fashioned repeat-flowering rose is ‘Madame Knorr’ (formerly ‘Comte de Chambord’), with lovely, double, pink, strongly scented blooms carried on a short, compact plant. ‘Ferdinand Pichard’ is another enduring variety, with mauve-pink, fragrant blooms that are boldly striped crimson-purple. It has been attracting attention in gardens for nearly 90 years.

Planting summer-flowering roses with later-flowering perennials, such as achilleas, salvias and asters, helps to extend the season. Try growing small, late-flowering clematis through mature Shrub roses to add colour when the rose blooms fade.

Ground-cover roses

Some repeat-flowering Shrub roses form mounds or even sprawl over a wide area of ground. These can be used as effective ground cover on sunny banks or even at the front of large beds and borders.

The Flower Carpet roses have become very popular in recent years. These are free-flowering over a long period and have shiny, disease-resistant foliage. They form lax mounds of stems and need little attention apart from the occasional tidy-up with a pair of shears in spring. The original ‘Flower Carpet Pink’ has now been joined by a whole spectrum of other colours.

Regular dead-heading of repeat-flowering Shrub roses encourages further flowers and keeps plants tidy. Look for where a new shoot is emerging behind the existing flowerhead and cut just above it (see here and here).

Flower Carpet roses produce a continuous show of blooms throughout the season and are undemanding.

Glossary of Shrub rose types

There are many different types of Shrub rose. You don’t want to get bogged down with these terms, but it can be useful as well as interesting to know a little about the background of rose types, because understanding their origin is likely to give an indication of common characteristics, cultivation requirements and uses. English roses are described on here.

ALBA
This is an ancient group thought to be derived from Rosa damascena and R. canina. The habit is upright, the foliage blue-grey and striking, and the semi-double to double blooms, which appear in a single flush in summer, are delicate and fragrant. Albas are tolerant and relatively disease-resistant. R. × alba ‘Alba Semiplena’ (left) is one of the oldest of all Albas.

BOURBON
Bourbons came into being in about 1817, after a chance cross between the Autumn Damask and the old blush China rose on the Île de Bourbon (Réunion Island), in the Indian Ocean. They have double or fully double, fragrant flowers in flushes in summer and autumn, and can be trained to climb. ‘Madame Isaac Pereire’ (left) is a justly popular Bourbon.

CENTIFOLIA
Derived from the cabbage or Provence rose, and popular in the 17th century, these have double or fully double, often fragrant flowers that appear in one flush in summer. Although beautiful, they are not very pest- or disease-resistant, and have a lax habit so need supporting. ‘Robert le Diable’ (left) has neat, purple flowers splashed with cerise.

CHINA
The old blush China rose (Rosa × odorata ‘Pallida’, left), which came to Europe from China in the late 18th century, is the ancestor of modern repeat-flowering roses. This rose is still grown, as are various hybrids. China roses are single to double, borne in clusters, and are sometimes fragrant. There are both bushy and climbing types available.

DAMASK
Grown mainly for their intense fragrance, most Damasks, including ‘Celsiana’ (left), flower in a single flush in summer and derive from R. damascena. The blooms are semi-double to double. There are also some repeat-flowering varieties, derived from the Autumn Damask, which was important in rose breeding in the 19th century.

GALLICA
Some of the oldest roses are in this group, including the apothecary’s rose (Rosa gallica var. officinalis) and R. gallica ‘Versicolor’ (left). They are derived from the wild rose R. gallica – one of the main ancestors of modern roses. Gallicas are normally compact, with single to fully double flowers in summer; they are usually tolerant of poor soil.

HYBRID MUSK
This is a group of vigorous, repeat-flowering roses that emerged in the early 20th century, yet have the informal charm of the old, summer-flowering Shrub roses. They produce a profusion of mainly double blooms, borne in large clusters, and usually have a distinctive scent. ‘Felicia’ (left) has healthy foliage and delicate, creamy-pink flowers.

HYBRID PERPETUAL
These tall, upright, repeat-I flowering roses were popular in the 19th century and many I are still grown today, including ‘Ferdinand Pichard’ (left). However, their popularity waned when their offspring, the Hybrid Teas, were created, as these have a neater, more compact habit. The flowers tend to be red or pink, fully double and often fragrant.

MOSS
This group of intriguing roses, derived from a Centifolia and an Autumn Damask, is named for the aromatic, moss-like growth on the stem and just below the sepals. The semi-double to fully double flowers are usually scented and some varieties are repeat-flowering. The crested moss rose (Rosa × centifolia ‘Cristata’) is a summer-flowering variety.

NOISETTE
The Noisettes came into being in the 19th century, when an old blush China rose (see here) was crossed with a musk rose (R. moschata) to produce fragrant, repeat-flowering varieties, such as ‘Noisette Carnée’ (right). Most are white, cream or pale pink. Noisettes tend to be large with lax stems and so are best grown as climbers.

POLYANTHA
Popular in the late 19th century, these compact roses produce sprays of single to double flowers in flushes in summer and autumn. They are very colourful and hardy, but the blooms are small and rarely fragrant. Polyanthas were crossed with Hybrid Teas to create Floribundas, which have almost replaced them. ‘The Fairy’ (right) is still grown today.

PORTLAND
In the late 18th century, a chance cross between a Gallica rose and an Autumn Damask resulted in the first Portland rose. More cultivars were developed when this was crossed with China roses. Portlands are upright, compact and repeat-flowering, with semi-to fully double blooms that are often scented, such as ‘Marchesa Boccella’ (right).

RUGOSA
These tough modern roses, derived from the Japanese rose Rosa rugosa, have upright, very thorny stems. All repeat flower, have disease-free, heavily veined foliage, fragrant blooms and are very tolerant. The single varieties, such as R. rugosa ‘Alba’ (right), produce attractive, large, tomato-like hips. Some varieties are semi-double or double.

SCOTS
These low, spreading roses, all derived from the Burnet rose (Rosa spinosissima), were popular in the early 19th century. They have prickly stems and single to double flowers that bloom for a short time. In the 20th century, they were crossed with Hybrid Teas for longer flowering. ‘Stanwell Perpetual’ (right) is the most widely grown Scots rose.

SWEET BRIAR
Initially bred from the eglantine rose, or sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa, right) in the 19th century, these vigorous, free-branching, thorny bushes are excellent for hedging. The usually single blooms are fragrant, borne in summer and followed by hips in autumn. The foliage of the species and some of its varieties has a wonderful, apple-like scent.

TEA
The original Tea rose (Rosa odorata) came from China in the 1800s and was crossed with other roses to create fragrant, elegant hybrids with high-centred, semi-to fully double blooms. However, they were not hardy, so they were crossed with the hardier Hybrid Perpetuals to create Hybrid Teas. ‘Gloire de Dijon’ (right) is a Climbing Tea rose.

SPECIES
Most of the roses we grow in our gardens are the results of extensive breeding and cultivation and have come a long way from their wild rose ancestors. However, there are a number of roses, including Rosa primula (right), that are much closer to their roots, so to speak. Known as species roses, these are either just as they would grow in the wild or are selections or hybrids that retain the basic characteristics of the species. Usually known by their Latin name, most are hardy characters with great charm. They usually produce single blooms in one flush in early summer and are followed by colourful hips, which can be even more of a feature than the flowers. Species roses can be magnets for bees and other pollinating insects.

English roses

While the purists may stick with the classic old, summer-flowering roses, many gardeners today prefer to grow the English roses. These are the work of rose breeder David Austin and combine the charm and flower form of the old Shrub roses with the repeat-flowering quality, reliability and disease-resistance of many modern varieties. English roses also have a much wider colour range than the old roses, as well as delicious perfumes, new flower forms and versatile growth habits. These are real garden roses that fit in anywhere. All look glorious in a mixed border and they will also satisfy the enthusiast who wants a dedicated rose garden. Some are very suitable for pots; others can be grown as controllable climbers.

About the Book

About the Author

Introduction

Roses in gardens past and present

Rose breeding

Modern roses

What is a rose?

Beauty and fragrance

Rose types and uses

Shrub roses

Summer-flowering varieties

Repeat-flowering varieties

Ground-cover roses

Glossary of Shrub rose types

English roses