Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Rose recommendations please

RobmarstonRobmarston Posts: 338
in Plants
I've decided to dedicate the area to one side of my greenhouse as a rose border.  I currently have three there, and I'm looking to add three or four more.  I currently have Margaret Merrill and Gertrude Jekyll. There is also another that came with the house whose name I don't know.  It's nearly 6ft tall, narrow and with lovely hybrid looking pink roses although there's no scent.  The position is in front of a south/west facing wall and although I'm in Wales (higher up one of the more open south valleys) roses have grown successfully there before.  I'm planning on underplanting them with catmint, salvia, russian sage, and alliums and I"m currently trying to train a wisteria along the wall behind (it has been planted further away and trained.) I have been trawling the net, and this site for ideas and my mind now boggles, so I thought I'd ask for direct recommendations. I'd like varying heights and sizes of the bush/shrub type, mainly reds, pinks and whites and of course with all the usual requirements of disease resistant, good scent, profuse flowing and good for cutting too!!!  I don't like garish colours but don't mind a hint of yellow.  However, as I have a pale pink, gertrude pink and margaret merrill, what colours do you think would go well with those?  thanks in advance for all your ideas.  
«13

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I grew Eustacia Vye last year, that's a kind of peachy pink

    and it has a lovely scent.
    Burgundy Ice is one l am growing for the first time this year, that is from Iceberg,  a white that may be an old variety,  but is very reliable. I know what you mean about so much choice! 

    @Marlorena knows a fair bit about roses, so l've tagged her.
    Good luck with your roses!   :)
  • RobmarstonRobmarston Posts: 338
    Thanks for those recommendations Anni.  Eustacia Vye seems to look very much like Gertrude Jekyll so I'm not sure I'd go for that. I love the iceberg but I believe it's not very scented - that said I wouldn't rule it out!
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    Yours are great pictures @AnniD... I also love Eustacia Vye and yours has a richer colour than mind had this first year gone...
    I get as confused as anybody regarding choices but I think you need some more white and purple in your mix, so I might look for those... Burgundy Ice as Anni has shown above, would be a good fit but it isn't scented much and I don't find it very disease resistant...if you can source 'Forever Royal'..[R.V.Roger in Yorkshire]..  it's a much better purple in every way..  a superlative variety..
    ...   you might also like something Welsh considering your location... 'Cariad' which means something nice in Welsh... momentarily forgotten what...  has good weather and black spot resistance so I'm told...

    It might be better if you picked some out that you like the look of, then asked about them.. we could perhaps enlighten you further... as what I like, you may not... 

    ...my rose friend @edhelka lives in Wales, she might have some useful ideas for you too...
    East Anglia, England
  • RobmarstonRobmarston Posts: 338
    Cariad means darling. And what a lovely idea! 
  • RobmarstonRobmarston Posts: 338
    I tend to prefer reds and whites. I have a climbing Mme Alfred which I love. I used to have an Ena Harkness, which I liked but the stems were very weak and the flowers hung down. Same
    with Claire Austin, which also shed its petals at the slightest touch. I like the flowers to stand proud. I also had a fragrant cloud in my last house but I wasn’t struck on the colour....
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Unfortunately l can't take the credit for the rose pictures,  l did post one of my Eustacia Vye on the roses thread last year,  but that is stored on my PC and I'm using my tablet at the moment. 
    I find Iceberg very disease resistant, and it does have a lovely perfume,  but it's not a very strong one, you have to stick your nose right in, and it is a very old variety.
    I was trying to think of the David Austin rose launched at the same time as E.Vye, it was Gabriel Oak (not my photo,  it was one l didn't buy !)

  • HazybHazyb Posts: 336
    Munstead Wood goes beautifully with pink.  It is also a little lower growing than some. 

    Smells gorgeous as well. 


  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    Thanks to Marlorena for tagging.
    I am in north Wales, on west slopes of Snowdonia (but luckily not too high, every meter above sea counts here, I would guess that the village uphill from us gets half of the sunny days we get), the biggest problem here are Atlantic winds and rain and humidity. Still, I would say roses do well here. They should do well for you too as long as they get enough sun, enough water in summer and the soil is decent.
    If Margaret Merill and Gertrude Jekyll do well for you, you can probably choose any rose you like.
    My most disease resistant roses aren't the most fragrant one (it's exactly the opposite, to be honest).
    Would you consider single or semi-double roses? They look very good in mixed borders and can work as a perfect backdrop for more sophisticated and showy roses.
  • RobmarstonRobmarston Posts: 338
    I don’t mind wether single or double to be honest. It’s more the colour that swings it for me. And MM and GJ smell quite strongly so if I had one or two without fragrance I wouldn’t mind. I was looking at reds and deep secret and velvet fragrance look nice. Any info on those?
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    @Robmarston ...oh gosh, lucky you... I've been wanting Velvet Fragrance myself.... do give it a try..  I've heard nothing but good things about it...  incidentally, its parents are Deep Secret and Fragrant Cloud, but it's probably better than both....
    East Anglia, England
Sign In or Register to comment.