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Need advice on roses, what type, where to grow, where to buy and where to plant

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  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Have you looked at Peter Beales Classic Roses? Their site gives lists of what you want in a rose so you can tick the boxes and narrow it down.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    Thank you Marlonena.....you have told me what is not available in the UK, I did not even realise that I was looking at USA sites.  I do not think I would buy plants from Amazon

    I like what you have suggested Rambling Rosie

  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    So sorry, posted before I had finished, want to finish now but a bit difficult as visitors have descended.  Will definitely continue this post in the morning
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    You said you've made your choices based on what was recommended on various sites. I am not sure if these are forums or gardening blogs or general gardening sites. But this type of research has a couple of problems.
    - You are right that roses need more careful choices than other plants. Rose is the queen of all flowers and so many were bred but it is also a plant susceptible to many problems and in some cases, bred a bit too far. Some roses do well in some locations but not in others. Some excel in one feature (fragrance, colour for example) but are bad at something else (disease resistance... or the other way around). You need to know what do you want in roses because it can be different from what someone else wants in roses.
    - Location. For the same reason as in the previous paragraph, some roses do very well in some specific locations and climates and not everywhere else. You need to choose a rose which is good for your location or climate. There are no all-around-the world winners.
    - If the advice is from general gardening websites or magazines, the authors can favour roses that have been around for a long time, are well known or often grown. But that doesn't mean they are the best on the market.
    'Dublin Bay' is a nice rose, probably one of the best reds and a classic. But it is a rose from 1969. On the other hand, there's 'Florentina', a rose bred in 2002 (introduced 2011) by a German Kordes family, known for breeding very disease resistance roses. I am not saying that 'Florentina' is a better rose than 'Dublin Bay', just that most probably, you wouldn't read a recommendation for 'Florentina' as often as for 'Dublin Bay'. Neither is significantly fragrant but that's often a problem with red roses. Red-fragrant-disease resistant is often "choose two" type of situation.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    You do not say how much room you have in your garden. I had a Golden Showers in a previous garden which was lovely but rather shy to flower. It was quite spindly in growth and the scent was not very strong. In another garden I had New Dawn, slightly scented, it took a lot of pruning to keep it under control  as it rambled along a fence and spread out a long way into what was a large garden so it didn't matter but if your garden is on the smaller side, it could be too vigorous. 
    Look up UK rose breeders, they will sing abut their own varieties but if anything goes wrong with any plants you buy from them you can easily get back to the company for help or refund.David Austin in my favourite breeder but there are plenty of others. I would never waste my money on supermarket plants. They are so badly looked after in store.
    I will never buy a rose without strong perfume, that is my number one priority, down here in Cornwall we suffer with black spot badly so disease resistance is another quality I look for, I could go on and on.
    Good luck with your search, I am sure you will make one or two bad choices but then you can dig up the plant, give it to someone who loves it and choose another variety.
    You should never plant a new rose in a place where another rose has lived because there is something called rose sickness and the new rose will struggle to survive.

  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    Thank you Busy lizzie will certainly look at Peter Beales site as I will want to know that I am buying from a reputable site, am starting to write a list

    Edhelka, thanks for your reply, I totally agree with everything you say, I have picked up information from endless sites, have forgotten most of it and do not always know if it is always right anyway.  This was proven by Marlorenas post where she pointed out that some I had listed were not even in the UK, she also mentioned dublin bay

    As for the choice of roses available and being able to pick the right one....I find it almost impossible that is why I appreciate any advice from this site

    All I want is something hardy, easy to grow, and climbs a fence with help. 

    I know have mentioned red and peach and dark pink which I do really like but I would consider any colour if it gave me more chance of success
  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    Thank you Joyce for that info on the golden Showers, that is exactly what I do not want ie spindly with not many flowers

    I know I cannot guarantee getting exactly what I want and having it fill the fence with gorgeous flowers but at least i can try and get something with the best chance

    I am willing to forfeit scent and unique or special flowers just to get a colourful display

    The space I was considering is 6 ft high (that is height of fence, neighbour does not mind if anything grows over the top to her side) and about 5 ft wide, I could make it a bit wider if the plant needed it


  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    I have 3 roses growing in very large containers, 3ft square, outside my conservatory. Harlow Car, very floppy growth, rosa mundi and Gertrude Jeykyll, all delicious scent. They need to be kept well fed and watered but I love walking into the pool of scent as I walk past. I also have some large pots planted up with lilium regale, in full flower right now, to follow on from the roses. Again, what perfume.
    It sounds to me as if you should look for repeat flowering varieties as they will give you longer flowering time.Check the flowering time for any varieties you fancy as different varieties flower at different times. Another choice to make!
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    @susananwms
    ..my advice to you is not to make it too complicated... you are a novice gardener, probably newish to roses by your own admission, therefore you should stick with tried and tested varieties and not experiment... leave that to others.. roses that have stood the test of time have done so for a very good reason... they are easy for beginners..

    I can tell you that Golden Showers would be perfect for the type of gardener you are.. it's a free flowering yellow, upright and always in bloom...and needs no expert care or attention..

    Other easy care roses you should consider are.. Handel... Compassion... and climbing Iceberg... along with Dublin Bay, you have one in each of the main colour ranges, and all would be suitable for your situation.. and most importantly, you as a gardener..

    Forget New Dawn, it can be tricky as some are not repeating these days..
    Jasmina is very thorny and floppy... and needs some experience in my opinion..

    best of luck... 
    East Anglia, England
  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    Thanks joyce, I never realised there were so many different types of roses, I have read there are 27 groups.  I started reading about the different types but gave up as it was just too much, I will be dreaming about them soon.

    I recognise the name Gertrude Jeckyll so I have obviously looked that one up at sometime or have it down on one of my lists  :)
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