@CDouch, have you considered Trachelospermum jasminoides ? It never looks stunning like rose or clematis but it looks good in all seasons. I love roses and clematis but next to seating area I have planted a star jasmine.
I promised Harry White @HarryWhite some obelisk photos, so here are a few.. I hope it gives you some inspiration. There's no need to rearrange yours if you've planted in the middle, they will grow up alright..
Orientation of the rose can be quite important as the flowers and top growth will aim in the warmest direction, usually E-South if it's not blocked. This 'Tottering by Gently' rose was planted E-S. I would have preferred to have planted it on the North side but I couldn't do that. Hence the growth will be away from the obelisk, to the right. I get around this by tying the canes tight to the structure and around it and through it, so I get flowers all around the support.. ..from top.. .. to bottom.. the left side is north-W facing. If I didn't train the canes around I wouldn't get many flowers on that side.. ..this rose is 'Scented Garden'.. it gets little sun from the E-S, right of picture, as it's blocked by the house. So all the flowers and growth is to the left - West facing, which is where it gets the afternoon sunshine. If I didn't have an obelisk the rose would be somewhat unruly, and unstable because of the shady situation. I tie it back to the support and around the right, so I get some flowering on the sunless side [right].. I think it creates a nice effect..
..this 6 foot obelisk is being renovated.. ..the rose was planted on the north side, so naturally grew towards the South side but retaining north facing canes, with judicial pruning lower down, I got blooms all around it.. this is a May photo just before flowering showing the base area.. In June it smothers the obelisk.. with a clematis on another side, and a purple Geranium in the centre which climbs and surrounds the base.. This effect appeals to me very much and is the way I like to do things.. this view is from the South side, where it flowers best..
..it's very easy really, enjoy your obelisk roses !... experiment a little, see what you like and what you don't..
They look lovely and I'm glad i'm giving obelisks a go now. Mine are spaced 6 or 7 feet apart and should get at very least 8 hours sunlight during the summer months. No shade, i don't know if that's a good thing or not?
Having looked at your pictures again, i wish i'd of invested in Tottering By Gently, now. I'll have to find room for one!
Thanks for sharing
I've just seen Ronnie O'Sullivan at the garden center. I think he was eyeing up a plant.
@Nollie - hope your mum is well on the mend @Marlorena - gorgeous clems and roses
A good geranium is definitely Elworthy Eyecatcher - seems to flower all year, looking great now
Mary Delaney is certainly an upright rose, I’ve taken some cuttings from mine.
@newbie77 - cutting pots are filled with garden soil mixed with a little sharp sand. As long as it drains. No need for anything too fancy or nutritious and it’s just to get that initial root growth and avoid rot. Then I’ll empty them out and repot individually in a soil/peat free multipurpose/sand mix once they’re showing signs of root formation.
Some June photos
In view - Malvern Hills, Ghislaine de Feligonde, Rhapsody in Blue, Gabriel Oak and Lady Emma Hamilton (that darker foliage centre)
Bathsheba centre, Kew Gardens, Vanessa Bell
Royal Jubilee, Scarborough Fair, Munstead Wood, The Ancient Mariner, Princess Alexandra of Kent, The Generous Gardener
How long have you had your Malvern Rambler? Mine will of been in the ground for 2 years come May and i'm not sure about pruning. I've read that i probably dont need to worry about it for the first couple of years. Is this correct or should i cut/trim back Jan/Feb time?
Also DA notes it as being good for hips. Is there a way of encouraging hips?
I've just seen Ronnie O'Sullivan at the garden center. I think he was eyeing up a plant.
Depends how and where you’re growing it. You want to tie in/keep any useful growth that extends the structure and the cut back all the other side shoots/laterals shorter leaving a few buds.
Hopefully this photo is helpful for showing what I do. Before and After pruning
@Mr. Vine Eye ..I think those are the best pictures I've seen of your garden.. really, outstanding, considering you don't always have that much time I understand...
@HarryWhite .. No problem, hope they work out for you, it's fun to do..
@Alfie_ .. it's the same rose, there is no separate climbing version, it's just the way it's trained. It's capable of growing quite tall.. and yes you could achieve something similar with other roses but I've always loved 'Armada' since I first saw it, and I've had it must be 10 years now, but it's time for a change, so something different will be happening there.. Just pick out a combination you like, and ask about it, and we can advise you further on your choices...
@Alfie_ I have Gertrude Jekyll and just to let you know there is no separate climbing and shrub versions even though DA list it twice - it’s the same rose just grown different ways. Many DA shrubs can climb if trained that way and I actually have great difficulty keeping GJ as a shrub, it wants to climb for me. It throws out a thicket of stiff, long canes that I whack back after the first flush but they just shoot right back up again.
It starts off the season reasonably compact like this:
But ignores any attempt to keep it under control and just grows and grows.. gets to 2m easily with no support:
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Posts
https://www.classicroses.co.uk/roses/armada-shrub-rose.html
Or do they do a climbing version you have? Likewise, would GJ shrub or climber be best for a similar effect as your photo? Thanks
Thanks @Marlorena
They look lovely and I'm glad i'm giving obelisks a go now.
Mine are spaced 6 or 7 feet apart and should get at very least 8 hours sunlight during the summer months. No shade, i don't know if that's a good thing or not?
Having looked at your pictures again, i wish i'd of invested in Tottering By Gently, now. I'll have to find room for one!
Thanks for sharing
@Marlorena - gorgeous clems and roses
A good geranium is definitely Elworthy Eyecatcher - seems to flower all year, looking great now
Mary Delaney is certainly an upright rose, I’ve taken some cuttings from mine.
@newbie77 - cutting pots are filled with garden soil mixed with a little sharp sand. As long as it drains. No need for anything too fancy or nutritious and it’s just to get that initial root growth and avoid rot. Then I’ll empty them out and repot individually in a soil/peat free multipurpose/sand mix once they’re showing signs of root formation.
Some June photos
In view - Malvern Hills, Ghislaine de Feligonde, Rhapsody in Blue, Gabriel Oak and Lady Emma Hamilton (that darker foliage centre)
How long have you had your Malvern Rambler? Mine will of been in the ground for 2 years come May and i'm not sure about pruning. I've read that i probably dont need to worry about it for the first couple of years. Is this correct or should i cut/trim back Jan/Feb time?
Also DA notes it as being good for hips. Is there a way of encouraging hips?
Depends how and where you’re growing it. You want to tie in/keep any useful growth that extends the structure and the cut back all the other side shoots/laterals shorter leaving a few buds.
Hopefully this photo is helpful for showing what I do. Before and After pruning
..I think those are the best pictures I've seen of your garden.. really, outstanding, considering you don't always have that much time I understand...
@HarryWhite
.. No problem, hope they work out for you, it's fun to do..
@Alfie_
.. it's the same rose, there is no separate climbing version, it's just the way it's trained. It's capable of growing quite tall.. and yes you could achieve something similar with other roses but I've always loved 'Armada' since I first saw it, and I've had it must be 10 years now, but it's time for a change, so something different will be happening there..
Just pick out a combination you like, and ask about it, and we can advise you further on your choices...
@Alfie_ I have Gertrude Jekyll and just to let you know there is no separate climbing and shrub versions even though DA list it twice - it’s the same rose just grown different ways. Many DA shrubs can climb if trained that way and I actually have great difficulty keeping GJ as a shrub, it wants to climb for me. It throws out a thicket of stiff, long canes that I whack back after the first flush but they just shoot right back up again.
It starts off the season reasonably compact like this:
But ignores any attempt to keep it under control and just grows and grows.. gets to 2m easily with no support:
Good luck with rooting MW, @newbie77. This rose needs to be kept going!