Hello @Marlolena@Omori@edhelka@Nollie et al, newbie here. Thanks for this informative, inspiring and mutually supportive thread. Hope you don't mind me joining.
I have never grown roses before, but when redesigning my south-facing garden, I decided to give it a go. I bought bare-roots from DA that were planted in mid-March: 3 Susan Williams-Ellis about 2ft apart in the hope they will form a clump, and an Iceberg climber for an obelisk. I did all the right things (compost, MF, mulch, frequent and generous watering) and they have recently had a feed. They have all grown, and look healthy, with buds (but nothing opened yet!) and I have picked off the aphids!
BUT I am very depressed - they are feeble and pathetic compared to all your wonderful plants. The SWE are about a foot high, 6-8 inches wide, and the Iceberg has two 6 inch canes and a few shorter ones. My stupid questions: 1. Am I just being impatient and neurotic, or am I doing something wrong? Is there anything else I could/should be doing? 2. Assuming the Iceberg ever grows, is it a climber that needs winding as near horizontal as possible to encourage the flowering laterals? I am trying to avoid the mistake of having a few desultory roses at the top of long canes!
Thanks in advance, and apologies for the long essay!
Hello @Marlolena@Omori@edhelka@Nollie et al, newbie here. Thanks for this informative, inspiring and mutually supportive thread. Hope you don't mind me joining. You're very welcome, great to have you here... please show photos when ready... they don't have to be anything top notch..
I have never grown roses before, but when redesigning my south-facing garden, I decided to give it a go. I bought bare-roots from DA that were planted in mid-March: 3 Susan Williams-Ellis about 2ft apart in the hope they will form a clump, and an Iceberg climber for an obelisk. I did all the right things (compost, MF, mulch, frequent and generous watering) and they have recently had a feed. They have all grown, and look healthy, with buds (but nothing opened yet!) and I have picked off the aphids!
BUT I am very depressed [there's no need to be, I know they are all doing well without seeing them from what you say]..- they are feeble and pathetic compared to all your wonderful plants. ..they will be at this stage...The SWE are about a foot high, 6-8 inches wide, [so is mine !] and the Iceberg has two 6 inch canes and a few shorter ones. My stupid questions: 1. Am I just being impatient and neurotic,[yes, absolutely..lol].. or am I doing something wrong? No, not at all... Is there anything else I could/should be doing? yes, develop patience... I know it's tough but it pays in the end.. 2. Assuming the Iceberg ever grows, oh it will... is it a climber that needs winding as near horizontal as possible to encourage the flowering laterals? I am trying to avoid the mistake of having a few desultory roses at the top of long canes! the best one I've seen is growing on a piece of trellis... fan trained.. it's so floriferous, you don't really need to do that horizontal thing with clg Iceberg.. but it's a rose that needs time.. so that's why you need patience, clg Iceberg may not bloom much in the first year as it flowers on old wood, so you must retain as much framework as possible each year, and allow the rose to develop..
Thanks in advance, and apologies for the long essay! not at all.. questions are no problem... others may have different advice, but you got mine so far...
Roses are easy, don't worry about them... and don't forget to show us any blooms...
..fabulous Pink Perpetue with the clematis... @cats_and_dogs ... great photo and so well grown... I've often looked at those 'Nova' clematis as there are several newish ones... I did have 'Astra Nova' but it died on me for some reason... snails probably..
My list is getting ever longer thanks to finding this forum!
At the moment, I've pre-ordered these roses:
gentle Hermione
Soul
La rose de molinard
boscobel
But my extended list includes:
wild edric
felicia
foxi pavement
gruss an aachen
aquarell
ingenious mr Fairchild
othello
jardin des Tuileries
louise odier
scented garden
Desdemona
Quite where these will go is another issue! Or is it...I am in the process of ripping out an old lonerica hedge and appear to have an extra 16x2m part of the south facing garden. Only issue is that it's rather under the shade of two cherry trees and will need a LOT of tlc for the soil. I've already found one straggling rose, which doesn't have any flowers, but I imagine is a wild rose rather than anything cultivated.
So if anyone can suggest some lovely shrub like roses to add to a mixed border that are scented and interesting, hit me up!
I like your extended list... it's a feel good list... and your 'Boule de Neige' is fabulous, if anybody wants a white shrub rose, they could do a lot worse... fragrant too I gather.. and repeats in autumn.. You have some interesting roses Katsa… makes a change from all the Austins… I think half my garden are Austins these days...it's finding the great ones..
Thanks @Marlorena. I expect some more DAs will make it into the list, definitely sceptre'd isle and maybe mayflower. I'm hoping to get some semi doubles (they the ones you can see the stamens) and a wilder rose for a dark north facing corner. Do you have any suggestions?
Now, I just need to start thinking of what to plant with these roses so I can have cute little posies in the house and ensure food for the wildlife ...
@Omori Forgot to say BdN smells AMAZING!! It's so fragrant and really complements Peter Beales' papworths pride. The rich velvety red of PP is a lovely foil for the white.
Posts
I have never grown roses before, but when redesigning my south-facing garden, I decided to give it a go. I bought bare-roots from DA that were planted in mid-March: 3 Susan Williams-Ellis about 2ft apart in the hope they will form a clump, and an Iceberg climber for an obelisk. I did all the right things (compost, MF, mulch, frequent and generous watering) and they have recently had a feed. They have all grown, and look healthy, with buds (but nothing opened yet!) and I have picked off the aphids!
BUT I am very depressed - they are feeble and pathetic compared to all your wonderful plants. The SWE are about a foot high, 6-8 inches wide, and the Iceberg has two 6 inch canes and a few shorter ones. My stupid questions:
1. Am I just being impatient and neurotic, or am I doing something wrong? Is there anything else I could/should be doing?
2. Assuming the Iceberg ever grows, is it a climber that needs winding as near horizontal as possible to encourage the flowering laterals? I am trying to avoid the mistake of having a few desultory roses at the top of long canes!
Thanks in advance, and apologies for the long essay!
... great photo and so well grown... I've often looked at those 'Nova' clematis as there are several newish ones... I did have 'Astra Nova' but it died on me for some reason... snails probably..
Pure poetry aka Goethe should arrive tomorrow.
Most of my roses are being very coy. The weather probably hasn't helped. Here's Comtesse Marie-Henriette (lovely parfuma), just starting to open
Raymond Blanc looks like it may take a while to start to open, but I love the shape of the buds
Finally, Boule de Neige is still going strong:
At the moment, I've pre-ordered these roses:
But my extended list includes:
Quite where these will go is another issue! Or is it...I am in the process of ripping out an old lonerica hedge and appear to have an extra 16x2m part of the south facing garden. Only issue is that it's rather under the shade of two cherry trees and will need a LOT of tlc for the soil. I've already found one straggling rose, which doesn't have any flowers, but I imagine is a wild rose rather than anything cultivated.
So if anyone can suggest some lovely shrub like roses to add to a mixed border that are scented and interesting, hit me up!
You have some interesting roses Katsa… makes a change from all the Austins… I think half my garden are Austins these days...it's finding the great ones..
Regarding rose growth...the old adage holds true: the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap.
Now, I just need to start thinking of what to plant with these roses so I can have cute little posies in the house and ensure food for the wildlife ...
@Omori Forgot to say BdN smells AMAZING!! It's so fragrant and really complements Peter Beales' papworths pride. The rich velvety red of PP is a lovely foil for the white.