@ciaranmcgrenera - it looks good! You've got lots of horizontal or bent over canes which should throw out flowering lateral growth in spring.
RE fertilizer: I've divided and planted so much comfrey at my plot that I'm hoping to be able to almost exclusively use chopped comfrey leaves as a mulch and pressed comfrey juice diluted to feed the roses.
@PeterAberdeen, I loved Mme Alfred Carriere when I had it but I found it very vigorous, almost too much so, it can apparently get to 20 ft high with lots of very thin whippy canes so eventually I got rid of it, very reluctantly because as @WhereAreMySecateurs says the scent is gorgeous.
In a different spot I grow DA Winchester Cathedral which is more bushy but quite tall (5-6ft) for me. A beautiful white rose with a lovely fragrance. P.S It did have some pinkish blooms from its parent to start with but now seems to have grown out of those.
Another good white climber but with lemony yellow tones is DA Claire Austen.
On. the subject of climbing white roses I’d go Iceberg every time. .I’ve had mine for 36 years and it’s still going strong ,flowers every year and goes on all summer ,no scent to speak of ,but I find all the scents mingle anyway and the odd one with no perfume doesn’t matter .Iceberg is the most reliable rose in my garden .
I just love the way you all talk about your roses. They are not plants to you, but children (and I mean that with much affection). I think I am going to become a parent, too! Roses really can become an addiction - I better be careful not to start freebasing them.
And @bcpathome, you seem to be confirming what was said earlier about Iceberg, as yours is 36 years old and probably has better genetics than the newer ones, although I suppose it depends on who you buy from. But regarding scent I always think for mum (who is losing her sense of smell) more is more.
Thanks to all of you. Now I think I need to go and make the decision.
@PeterAberdeen, if your mum is losing her sense of smell, which I think I am as well, you must include the famous DA rose Gertrude Jekyll if you haven't already got it. It has the strongest smell of all my roses and is a lovely deep pink colour to boot.
@Lizzie27. GJ is one I have on my list. My aim was to use it on an archway elsewhere within the garden, or as the entrance to this new bed. I had planned to counter plant with Clematis Jackmanii Superba (this combination came after a lovely chat with the folks at Great Dixter about what to plant with the GJ).
Lovely to know that the scent is as powerful as its said to be. However, there is an ear worm that tells me I read somewhere from @Marlorena that there was the chance of GJ being 'retired' next year!
Otherwise it is on next years list, or if 'retired' I can source it from elsewhere.
I just love the way you all talk about your roses.
If you like roses, you are at right place
You will also hear very honest feedback about roses too. As much as I appreciate all the lovely pictures to brighten up my day, I also like to see whatever is not going well in the garden and what might be a possible reason for our different experiences with same rose.
Posts
I would be interested in any experience that might indicate otherwise.
PS. I am looking forward to pics when they restart. Talking about roses is a poor substitute.
For a clematis to go with roses, viticella alba luxurians looked good at Mottisfont.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
RE fertilizer: I've divided and planted so much comfrey at my plot that I'm hoping to be able to almost exclusively use chopped comfrey leaves as a mulch and pressed comfrey juice diluted to feed the roses.
In a different spot I grow DA Winchester Cathedral which is more bushy but quite tall
(5-6ft) for me. A beautiful white rose with a lovely fragrance. P.S It did have some pinkish blooms from its parent to start with but now seems to have grown out of those.
Another good white climber but with lemony yellow tones is DA Claire Austen.
Lovely to know that the scent is as powerful as its said to be. However, there is an ear worm that tells me I read somewhere from @Marlorena that there was the chance of GJ being 'retired' next year!
You will also hear very honest feedback about roses too. As much as I appreciate all the lovely pictures to brighten up my day, I also like to see whatever is not going well in the garden and what might be a possible reason for our different experiences with same rose.