Opposit problem here Lyn. 31C, 49% humidity and no measurable rain for weeks. Too hot, too sticky and too dry to garden. I shall go and dead head later when it's cooler - including my roses which are dotted here and there amongst my perennials so don't attract diseases or pests.
They've been fabulous this year.
I did plant a hedge of rugosas at the beginning of this garden along the boundary betwen our former cow pasture and the arable field behind. It spread and suckered like mad but didn't like the wind and wet and cold so always looked ropey and it was vicious. I gave up on it after a few years and now we have a trellis fence made form builders' reinforcing metal mesh attached to posts - great for training squashes and blackberries - and have a row of prolific black and redcurrants plus a couple of purple gooseberries. Bumper crops from all the fruit this year.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
couldn't agree more! a friend gave me a rose as a moving in gift when I got my own garden a couple of years ago. It has MASSIVE thorns, its peach (not my favourite colour) it grows in odd shapes (at the moment, one really tall gangly stem in the middle and a few sticking out sideways at odd angles) it doesn't smell of anything, and the local fox seems to like ripping the heads off and throwing them about the garden. Think its going to the compost heap this year
I agree with Verdun. I reckon Roses are the biggest con trick ever pulled on the gullible public. If I offered you a plant with the true description of a Rose. ie a dead twig for 6 months of the year, more diseases than any other plant,, more pests than most plants, prickles which carry Tetanus germs, flowers which turn to mush at the first hint of rain, extremely high maintenance with prunings which are hard to get rid of, no-one would buy the plant, BUT say a NEW rose from David Austin and everyone wants it.
Will confess we fell for the trick when we moved here and planted roses. They get one chance, scratch me and out it comes. I think we are down to half a dozen now.
I used to think I hated roses, then when I counted I at least a dozen throughout the garden.
Rose beds are horrible, Roses in mixed borders can be wonderful. Even when Christopher Lloyd ripped out his mothers Rose beds to build his exotic garden, he still felt the need to leave a few.
What about a rambler scrambling up a boring tree?
Boring foliage, what about Rosa glauca?
What about the newly emerging red leaves on many roses, or the huge hips on Rosa moyessi?
What about the Rose you planted in remembrance of your mother?
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
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I love SOME roses, but certainly not a huge fan.
Gertrude Jekyll is divine and I've a sumptuous blood red one in the tunnel waiting to be planted which also has the most wonderful perfume.
I agree ( as usual ) with Lyn. I don't get " rose gardens", nor indeed any monoculture garden.
Blackspot, rust, over-sized blooms of ugly shaped bushes, no thanks.
I like some of the species, rugosa is reliable
In the sticks near Peterborough
I have lovely wild ones growing on the banks that get huge orange hips in the autumn but I don't count those as garden roses.
verdun, flattery will get you everywhere or are you just after some of my Agastache plants?
Hosta, once she goes outside she is on a slippery slope, I think we are just to damp and windy here for them.
Opposit problem here Lyn. 31C, 49% humidity and no measurable rain for weeks. Too hot, too sticky and too dry to garden. I shall go and dead head later when it's cooler - including my roses which are dotted here and there amongst my perennials so don't attract diseases or pests.
They've been fabulous this year.
I did plant a hedge of rugosas at the beginning of this garden along the boundary betwen our former cow pasture and the arable field behind. It spread and suckered like mad but didn't like the wind and wet and cold so always looked ropey and it was vicious. I gave up on it after a few years and now we have a trellis fence made form builders' reinforcing metal mesh attached to posts - great for training squashes and blackberries - and have a row of prolific black and redcurrants plus a couple of purple gooseberries. Bumper crops from all the fruit this year.
couldn't agree more! a friend gave me a rose as a moving in gift when I got my own garden a couple of years ago. It has MASSIVE thorns, its peach (not my favourite colour) it grows in odd shapes (at the moment, one really tall gangly stem in the middle and a few sticking out sideways at odd angles) it doesn't smell of anything, and the local fox seems to like ripping the heads off and throwing them about the garden. Think its going to the compost heap this year
I agree with Verdun. I reckon Roses are the biggest con trick ever pulled on the gullible public. If I offered you a plant with the true description of a Rose. ie a dead twig for 6 months of the year, more diseases than any other plant,, more pests than most plants, prickles which carry Tetanus germs, flowers which turn to mush at the first hint of rain, extremely high maintenance with prunings which are hard to get rid of, no-one would buy the plant, BUT say a NEW rose from David Austin and everyone wants it.
Will confess we fell for the trick when we moved here and planted roses. They get one chance, scratch me and out it comes. I think we are down to half a dozen now.
I used to think I hated roses, then when I counted I at least a dozen throughout the garden.
Rose beds are horrible, Roses in mixed borders can be wonderful. Even when Christopher Lloyd ripped out his mothers Rose beds to build his exotic garden, he still felt the need to leave a few.
What about a rambler scrambling up a boring tree?
Boring foliage, what about Rosa glauca?
What about the newly emerging red leaves on many roses, or the huge hips on Rosa moyessi?
What about the Rose you planted in remembrance of your mother?
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Really sorry to take issue punkdoc, but a plant which you associate with grief?
I'm re-thinking the music for my funeral because I don't want those left to hate those pieces because they remind them of the funeral.
Sorry Punkdoc, I've just remembered that Verdun did indeed plant a rose.
I thought you were speaking in general terms.
Sorry