Finally I have managed to clear the weeds but it keeps coming☹️. I have fed and mulched roses which took at least 3 full days but done it over a week ! I am excited to see all your rose buds but sadly I have spotted none on mine yet! May be my roses are well behind or I should get glasses and look closer 🧐.
Constance spry is leafing out and in its 4th year. It has covered the structure. Last year this was the first one to flower and I am looking forward to see them this year. @Marlorena I remember seeing your garden with full of astrantia Roma flowers everywhere. Did you plant lots of them? Will it self seed? How to get that many plants please? Do I need to cut back to the ground after flowering to encourage flowers later? Sorry for asking many questions and Thank you in advance.
@Rojas - sorry I know that was directed at Marlorena, but I know that Roma is sterile. So propagation would be through division. Astrantia are easy to split up in spring or autumn.
@alexander.wade Heya... they both look good for the time of year.. what I would advise is for you to buy whichever one speaks to you, the one you really want, not the one we might say you should get, but the one that excites you most... if you don't mind yellow then go for it... the only thing I will say about 'Malvern Hills' is that after 3-4 years it does get very large if it's not controlled... I lost control of my plant which spread in excess of 20 feet.. so when it reaches the end of your window, you will have to start pruning it back otherwise it'll want to clamber over your front porch as well.
I'm sure you can do this without trouble though..
It has beautiful luxuriant foliage, almost sub-tropical, creating a draping effect.. not too many thorns but they are sharp but a beautiful cherry red colour when young.. the blooms didn't have much scent, light, and its main flowering for me was June 1st to July 16th, about 6 weeks, then it slows with sprays here and there, and on the ends of long pinkish shoots it produces after that.. that is when you start to see how it spreads..
There were always sprays of flowers, I don't think it was every without some during the summer, but nothing like as much as that first magnificent flush of blooms, but that's how it is with all ramblers..
..whichever you buy, don't plant it just yet unless you can see little white roots coming out from the bottom of the pot. If you can't see them [check when you lift it up].. then it will need to be grown on until mid May or so before planting..
@Rojas Yes as Mr Vine said, it's sterile so no seedlings... I have both 'Roma' and a white one called 'Warren Hills'.. very similar except for colour.. so no I don't get seedlings but they carry on flowering well into autumn..
If you can afford to do so, I recommend planting as a group of 5 plants for best effect..
'Roma'..
..oh and your Constance Spry is wonderful, really looking forward to see your summer pics of that again..
Lovely suggestions. I looked up each one and when I saw Westerland I fell head over heels. That is a beautiful colour and exactly the one I was imagining. Do you have any advise on Westerland @Marlorena ?
Plans for this border are developing at pace - we have now decided to also add in a pond (as we do not have one yet!) so that we can follow @Mr. Vine Eye and get some frogs to deal with the slug problem, as well as gain the other benefits.
@PeterAberdeen Yes I've had 'Westerland'.. what I can say about it is that it really wants to be a climber, and a big one, but you can keep as a shrub too but eventually you'll have to keep it in check. Your location may help in this as I think you have a shorter season, long summer days but from late August lower light levels, and early frosts??.. in this scenario, I think you get one big flush of blooms late June-August, but less of a repeat maybe? whereas further south we get a decent September/October flush on roses, that you may not get in Aberdeen.. I'm not certain about that..
In which case, I think I'd want a fast repeating rose that blooms continuously. In this colour range, do you already have 'The Lark Ascending'?. If not, I would consider it, the blooms are orange/apricot, semi double, golden amber that stand out from afar from top to bottom and all around the plant. Don't worry about north facing.. I've grown it upright on an obelisk to around 6-7 feet. It is thorny too. Beautiful sepals enclosing the buds, like wild roses.. always with upright stems full of buds ready to open.. never got a hint of disease anywhere..
Some comparisons... 'Westerland' during my dry hot summers outer petals can turn pink. You may not get this where you are.. ..lovely burnished foliage and copper coloured thorns.. ..on a very tall obelisk at Peter Beales, some 12 foot.. [with a red rose]..
That Lark ascending is really lovely. Ive been working on companion planting for my roses, filling some fence gaps (I dont like seeing my bare fence) and looking at some climbers for scrambling up the once flowering roses and trees for summer. I was left 'unsupervised' in morrisons earlier, and clearly theyd just had a delivery as the clematis plants looked lovely not bone dry or dead... ended up with 8! Some like etoile I have already, but wanted another pot of the same to scramble up a big plant from another angle, the rest are for various spots, Aotearoa for the bed with the yellow roses & crown princess M, Rhapsody / Arabella on the obelisk with Lady of Shalott.. one of the pinks for my cherry... very pleased with my haul! They had others too, montanas etc.
Your photos are as always superb @Marlorena and your advice valuable. Lovely selection of clematis plants @JessicaS. Here is a little helper at work early today morning.
Oxford. The City of Dreaming Spires.
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils (roses). Taking a bit of liberty with Wordsworth
@Eustace aww love watching the birds! We have Robins, blue tits and blackbirds nesting, love watching them looking for materials and grubs. Ive been putting out mealworms as well as the usual, and dog fur for warm nests!
Posts
I am excited to see all your rose buds but sadly I have spotted none on mine yet! May be my roses are well behind or I should get glasses and look closer 🧐.
Constance spry is leafing out and in its 4th year. It has covered the structure. Last year this was the first one to flower and I am looking forward to see them this year.
@Marlorena I remember seeing your garden with full of astrantia Roma flowers everywhere. Did you plant lots of them? Will it self seed? How to get that many plants please? Do I need to cut back to the ground after flowering to encourage flowers later? Sorry for asking many questions and Thank you in advance.
@alexander.wade
Do these help? I did something similar when trying to pick my rose
Lady of the Lake
Heya... they both look good for the time of year.. what I would advise is for you to buy whichever one speaks to you, the one you really want, not the one we might say you should get, but the one that excites you most... if you don't mind yellow then go for it... the only thing I will say about 'Malvern Hills' is that after 3-4 years it does get very large if it's not controlled... I lost control of my plant which spread in excess of 20 feet.. so when it reaches the end of your window, you will have to start pruning it back otherwise it'll want to clamber over your front porch as well.
I'm sure you can do this without trouble though..
It has beautiful luxuriant foliage, almost sub-tropical, creating a draping effect.. not too many thorns but they are sharp but a beautiful cherry red colour when young..
the blooms didn't have much scent, light, and its main flowering for me was June 1st to July 16th, about 6 weeks, then it slows with sprays here and there, and on the ends of long pinkish shoots it produces after that.. that is when you start to see how it spreads..
There were always sprays of flowers, I don't think it was every without some during the summer, but nothing like as much as that first magnificent flush of blooms, but that's how it is with all ramblers..
..whichever you buy, don't plant it just yet unless you can see little white roots coming out from the bottom of the pot. If you can't see them [check when you lift it up].. then it will need to be grown on until mid May or so before planting..
Yes as Mr Vine said, it's sterile so no seedlings... I have both 'Roma' and a white one called 'Warren Hills'.. very similar except for colour.. so no I don't get seedlings but they carry on flowering well into autumn..
If you can afford to do so, I recommend planting as a group of 5 plants for best effect..
'Roma'..
..oh and your Constance Spry is wonderful, really looking forward to see your summer pics of that again..
Lovely suggestions. I looked up each one and when I saw Westerland I fell head over heels. That is a beautiful colour and exactly the one I was imagining. Do you have any advise on Westerland @Marlorena ?
Plans for this border are developing at pace - we have now decided to also add in a pond (as we do not have one yet!) so that we can follow @Mr. Vine Eye and get some frogs to deal with the slug problem, as well as gain the other benefits.
Yes I've had 'Westerland'.. what I can say about it is that it really wants to be a climber, and a big one, but you can keep as a shrub too but eventually you'll have to keep it in check.
Your location may help in this as I think you have a shorter season, long summer days but from late August lower light levels, and early frosts??.. in this scenario, I think you get one big flush of blooms late June-August, but less of a repeat maybe? whereas further south we get a decent September/October flush on roses, that you may not get in Aberdeen.. I'm not certain about that..
In which case, I think I'd want a fast repeating rose that blooms continuously. In this colour range, do you already have 'The Lark Ascending'?. If not, I would consider it, the blooms are orange/apricot, semi double, golden amber that stand out from afar from top to bottom and all around the plant. Don't worry about north facing..
I've grown it upright on an obelisk to around 6-7 feet. It is thorny too. Beautiful sepals enclosing the buds, like wild roses.. always with upright stems full of buds ready to open.. never got a hint of disease anywhere..
Some comparisons... 'Westerland' during my dry hot summers outer petals can turn pink. You may not get this where you are..
..lovely burnished foliage and copper coloured thorns..
..on a very tall obelisk at Peter Beales, some 12 foot.. [with a red rose]..
'The Lark Ascending'..
..happy choosing Peter..
Ive been working on companion planting for my roses, filling some fence gaps (I dont like seeing my bare fence) and looking at some climbers for scrambling up the once flowering roses and trees for summer. I was left 'unsupervised' in morrisons earlier, and clearly theyd just had a delivery as the clematis plants looked lovely not bone dry or dead... ended up with 8! Some like etoile I have already, but wanted another pot of the same to scramble up a big plant from another angle, the rest are for various spots, Aotearoa for the bed with the yellow roses & crown princess M, Rhapsody / Arabella on the obelisk with Lady of Shalott.. one of the pinks for my cherry... very pleased with my haul! They had others too, montanas etc.