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New Rose bed

FlorafanFlorafan Posts: 15
in Garden design
Hello!  I'm new to forums and unsure as to protocol, but hoped that someone could offer me some advice.  I have a large, quarter circle, flower bed that sits in the far corner of our brick weave drive.  In the height of summer it does get good sunlight for at least half of the day as the boundaries are a low fence and low brick wall. It is currently jam packed with leggy, overgrown shrubs, which although I have cut back, I would rather replace.  I have a vision for a rose bed, filled with strong fragrant blooms that I can also cut and bring indoors when in bloom.  I have avoided roses in the past as I'm fearful of the work involved (aphids and disease) but would love to give them a go.  If I was to to take the plunge, should I plant the bed with the same variety of rose for impact (I estimate requiring approx 15-16 plants)?  What type and variety is recommended for good disease resistance and strongly scented blooms, and how should I prepare the bed (after I've taken out all the old shrubs) to give the roses the best chance.  There is so much information on line that I'm struggling to know where to start.  Many thanks.

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    edited March 2020
    Lots of helpful info on David Austin's website. You will be too late for bare root roses so perhaps a trip out to several garden centres in the rose season or to a rose garden to look at colours and to try the scent. All the roses I have are supposed to be heavily scented but some of them I can't smell at all. 
    To prepare the bed a good dig over, adding compost if you have it or soil taken from your garden alongm  with some farmyard manure, you can buy it bagged.
    You might also think about some ground cover of hardy geraniums 
    You could  go for several different colours.
    @Marlorena is our go to for rose advice she is very knowledgeable 

  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    Hi, welcome to the forum.
    Roses can be a lot of work or almost no work, depending on chosen varieties, your conditions and desired look.
    Your corner sounds like a good spot for roses (as long as the soil isn't too bad or you are willing to improve the soil). You could grow climbers or tall roses at the back and shrubs at the front.
    You haven's said how big it is, 15-16 roses sounds big. Can you clarify or maybe even post a photo? Personally, I would choose shrub roses rather than hybrid teas, although hybrid teas are good for cutting, shrubs are often less work and more disease resistant. But some of them can be big (depending on how much do you want to prune) and if your calculation is for narrow and upright hybrid teas, you may need fewer roses of the shrub type. Depending on chosen varieties, you could mix 3 to 5 varieties for a nice varied look.
    Without knowing more,  I can give you these quick ideas for fragrant and disease-resistant climbers for the back - The Generous Gardener (David Austin, very light pink) and Kiss me Kate (Kordes, pink). There are many more options for both climbers and shrubs.
    Also, there is a dedicated rose thread, you are welcome there too, for both inspiration and questions.
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    I've just reread your post and it looks like I misunderstood the back of the corner - is it only the drive, no wall or fence high enough for climbers?
    Then I would recommend looking into David Austin shrubs. Although not all of their roses are disease resistant, some are a very good compromise of fragrance and disease resistance. For example, Gabriel Oak looks very promising.
    Here is a website with reviews of DA roses: The right roses
  • FlorafanFlorafan Posts: 15
    I've just reread your post and it looks like I misunderstood the back of the corner - is it only the drive, no wall or fence high enough for climbers?
    Then I would recommend looking into David Austin shrubs. Although not all of their roses are disease resistant, some are a very good compromise of fragrance and disease resistance. For example, Gabriel Oak looks very promising.
    Here is a website with reviews of DA roses: The right roses
    Yes it's only a 3ft high wall, and 3ft high fence on the two boundaries.  Each of the boundaries is 4m long and the depth of the quarter circle at middle point (would that be radius??) is also 4m.  It is quite big but I may have not given enough thought to the spread once fully grown so maybe 15/16 is too many!. 
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