Well Being producing lovely fragrant blooms for the house:
Went to take some hardwood cuttings of Dark Desire as a relative admired it this summer so an easy gift. However, it was a mistake as the thorns on that thing are like no other rose I have; lethal.
@FireBat69 - yes I’m not sure cuttings will survive that trip 😂 It is a good yellow rose. The scent is lovely. I never thought much to yellow roses until I bought this. Since getting Well Being I have gone on to buy Julia C, Country Parson and Poet’s Wife.
As things are going quiet in the garden and quiet on this thread, I thought I would post up the list of my best performing roses in various categories for this year.
I'm in an "inbetween year" so I can't really comment on 'best roses performing'. I put a lot of new roses (many repeats) this year and hope to get some good action in 2024. I also don't have as many roses as the hard core group here, so have less to offer.
Crimson Glory was nearly always in flower this year - loving all the rain. I gave a lot in posies this year. It seemed to be an all round great year for scent. I have a theory this is because of the rain. CG was kicking it out in buckets (though not at all wafty). All my roses seem to want is water.
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Moonlight too always had some bloom. It's covered in buds, which is pretty amazing, going into Nov. As a late bloomer it offers valuable late nectar and is well used by bees.
My only wafty rose is Chandos and it is divine, but I don't know what to do with it. It has been completely defoliated many times over by sawfly (despite night hunts). It's quite deep in the border and not that easy to access, currently. I'm not sure if they should go in pots to give more tlc. I will give it a few years and see if it really merits all the space.
One of my least impressive has been new Buff Beauties which have done nothing at all. They currently look like sticks. Hopefully they will beef up next year. Admittedly I haven't given them much tlc but I'm hoping they won't need any.
I'm looking forward to new Champagne Moment taking pride of place for next year and I have high hopes and
with any luck all my Ghislaines will burst into song:
@LateralBreaks I hear you on the Albertine mess! If we ever move id pick a different & repeating pink, however much its beautiful for a few weeks in dry weather!!
------ Im finally feeling a bit better post covid (probably as ive slept all evening after work all this week!) & able to do bits and bobs, just as well as my Boscobel standard arrived today - it looks good and came with a full size thick wooden stake included! Wasnt expecting that, those are usually extra so im quite pleased with that for £43 delivered. Ive quickly heeled it in a big pot and also potted my mill on the floss in an empty DA pot (I always keep the roses nursery pots!). I did some light pruning and cleared some dead leaves away too. Hopefully more tomorrow.
Interesting that your Clementina wafts @LateralBreaks Mine has a strong tea/ tarry scent but only on sniffing.. I love it for always being in blooms but they don't like rain much.. Fragrant cloud as climbing? do you have a bush shot? mine is in its first year and the scent is divine.. Claire Marshall is moderately scented as per Harkness??
I have never grown climbers before Fire.. Crimson Glory seems like a good red.. as much as I love growing them, I am worried that blooms would be beyond my reach to sniff.. I tried growing Strawberry hill as a shrub, but the flexible canes are not easy to prop up..
I have never grown climbers before, Fire.. Crimson Glory seems like a good red.. as much as I love growing them, I am worried that blooms would be beyond my reach to sniff.
I am growing part of a CG along a low fence - horizontally. Almost like a cordon apple. It's certainly easier to manage and sniff that way. There is certainly many advantages to keeping blooms at head level, as I am finding with many climbers.
@Fire Good to hear what is working well for you. I like that Moonlight blooms late into the season. I probably don't have enough roses that do that.
@JessicaS Albertine was already in the garden when we bought the house last year. I've pruned her back and she is getting another year but will probably be seeing the sharp end of a shovel after that. She looks and smells wonderful for all too short a period before turning into a mess.
@cooldoc wasn't expecting my Clementina Carbonieri to waft but it is planted in a bit of a sheltered sun trap spot, so maybe that is why.
I think my Fragrant Cloud is the climbing sport not the original bush form. It has only been in the ground since March and is already 6ft. Sorry the picture is best I could get.
I don't greatly trust Harkness's assessment of their own roses fragrance. My Claire Marshall is definitely one of my strongest scented ones. The Help Me Find database also describes it as strong. To my nose it is old rose with lemon.
I have a local garden centre will a large stock of Harkness roses. Being interested in rose fragrance I have noticed most of them are a bit disappointing, thought scent levels will vary greatly due to lots of factors. The best ones over several visits seem to be Claire Marshall, Chandos Beauty, Mary Berry, Fetzer Syrah and John Ystumllyn.
Don't grow up - grow sideways.
Gardening in the West Midlands on a mix of neutral loamy sand & Victorian building rubble.
I still have a few roses & clematis out. Ive been pottering outside, so posted my friends some rose tips after my activities. Anything anyone would add?
1) Whilst its good to not cut back or clear perennials etc because of hibernating insects for ROSES you do need to clear dead leaves & debris from round the feet of them as this can harbour disease spores like blackspot. Clear & bin in household not garden waste.
2) you can prune roses now - unless you have once flowerers, ramblers etc that only flower once a year in May / June. This time of year your looking to prune out any dead (brown or yellow) damaged / diseased stems and any tall whippy bits that winter winds can snap, or shake the plant. I reduce my biggest by 1/3 about now then neaten in feb/march. Dispose of cut bits in bin, dont mulch it.
3) Once cleared of debris, top dress your rose with fresh compost / topsoil as a winter mulch. Dont feed or use manure, its bedtime for them!
4) Tie in any climbing rose stems whipping about horizontally, this encourages lots of growth upwards.
5) To further help prevent disease, Remove any dead / yellowing / tatty / blackspotted leaves on the stems as they finish & bin - gently bend downwards, they should come off easily. If they resist, leave them longer. Roses defoliate in winter naturally* & will grow new ones next year, so tatty leaves are just harbouring diseases. You might have some reddish or pale green new growth as its been mild. Leave it - frost might catch it but it'll be fine!
*small exception, some of my Hulthemia / persica roses dont really do this so much in winter & dont seem to need the rest period as much i.e Eyes for you, For your eyes only, Angel eyes
@Marlorena I noticed you grew both Kew Gardens and Tottering By Gently. I am looking to make a low hedge along a path. Location is south-west facing, shaded by some trees but nothing is overhanging. Would Tottering work in such a setting? If so, between the two which one is more floriferous? You mentioned previously that Kew Gardens is your favourite but I would love to hear your opinion of Tottering if possible? Thank you!
Posts
Black Spot Resistance: Stanwell Perpetual / Sweet Briar / Rugosa rubra
Best Fragrance: Claire Marshall (Wendy Cussons, Fragrant Cloud were runners-up)
Strongest Waft: Clementina Carbonieri
Best Display of Hips: Rosa villosa (example below)
Continuous Flowering Award: Stanwell Perpetual - lived up to its name.
Longevity of Individual Flowers: Red Abundance
Best in Vase: Julia's Rose (below)
Self Cleaning: Yellow Dream
Octopus canes award: Ayrshire Splendens (16 ft and still growing)
Best Companion Plant: Lavender Anouk (and cheap from Lidl)
Worst Fragrance (in garden centres, I wouldn't buy these roses): Pure Poetry (antiseptic wipes), Pink Meilove (processed cheese)
Ugliest Spent Blooms: Albertine
Balling Mess Award: Mocha Rosa
Finally my top 3 in reverse order...
3rd best in Garden: Fragrant Cloud climbing
2nd best in Garden: Claire Marshall
Overall Best in Garden: Stanwell Perpetual
@Fire I love that moonlight! Stunning.
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Im finally feeling a bit better post covid (probably as ive slept all evening after work all this week!) & able to do bits and bobs, just as well as my Boscobel standard arrived today - it looks good and came with a full size thick wooden stake included! Wasnt expecting that, those are usually extra so im quite pleased with that for £43 delivered. Ive quickly heeled it in a big pot and also potted my mill on the floss in an empty DA pot (I always keep the roses nursery pots!). I did some light pruning and cleared some dead leaves away too. Hopefully more tomorrow.
Fragrant cloud as climbing? do you have a bush shot? mine is in its first year and the scent is divine..
Claire Marshall is moderately scented as per Harkness??
I have never grown climbers before Fire.. Crimson Glory seems like a good red.. as much as I love growing them, I am worried that blooms would be beyond my reach to sniff.. I tried growing Strawberry hill as a shrub, but the flexible canes are not easy to prop up..
True about Harkness messing their fragrance ratings and even deliveries in the past..