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Roses in Mixed borders?
Jordan Lister
Posts: 9
Im currently re-planting my garden, and have 3 new roses as well as 3 existing (Two standard) I need help deciding whether or not to plant the roses in a strictly rose bed - or whether to mix the roses in with the mixed perennial borders
Are there any benefits/drawbacks you can think of? Which would look better - my garden is formally structured with cottage/informal planting
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I cannot make up my mind
0
Posts
I incorporate into mixed borders, I think they look much better. Rose beds only have interest during the summer months, the rest of the year they are boring. In a mixed border you can surround them with complimentary planting and create a border that looks good all year round.
Well, a mixed border is good at hiding roses when they aren't doing anything interesting. I visited a private garden last summer where roses were used as features of mixed borders - really large bushes - at the back, mounds in the middle and climbers up the walls. It was absolutely beautiful. Colour had been carefully chosen and flower form. It was also very English cottage. I can't grow roses and I was so jealous.....
I use them in mixed borders as well. Rose beds are only really effective if you plant in blocks of the same colour and type of rose. Have a look at the Davis Austin site to see what I mean. They plant the same rose in groups of 3 to 5 and when in full bloom it looks great. Not good out of season though.
I understand that roses in mixed borders are less likely to spread disease to each other. My roses are dotted about the garden with other plants . I particularly like to mix them with euphorbia , toadflax or hardy geraniums.
As above.
I think a rose monoculture, looks very depressing, whereas roses mixed in with other plants can look great.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Mine are all in borders too. The only drawback for me is that underplanting makes it harder to apply a manure mulch for feeding, but that is usually managed in early spring or autumn, weather permitting. I even have some old shrub roses growing in rough grass, with no additional feeding and they flower ok. They might have a more intense show with feed, but they suit the wild setting better without. I like old roses and species - they are more resistant to blackspot and need less intensive care than more highly bred types. We tend to have cool summers here, so they flower a little later, but last longer than they would somewhere warmer, so the fact they are once flowering is less important.
With them I have hellebores, snowdrops, brunnera and pulmonaria for early colour, hardy geraniums, astrantias, campanulas, foxgloves and aquilegias to follow on until the roses take centre stage. Alchemilla mollis flowers look wonderful under roses too.
I hate monoculure beds, be it roses, dahlias, or even hostas.
I regularly visit RHS Rosemoor and don't even go into the rose garden except in high summer. Too dull for most of the year.
I would definitely do some underplanting. I think there is some research that shows planting aromatic plants with roses can help reduce disease. So you could look at plants like the salvias, or others from the lamiaceae family, or alliums, which would both look nice. I've got thyme under mine, and spring bulbs, which gives a really nice backdrop. I just leave some space around the base of the roses for mulching.
Another mixed border vote here
. Rosebeds are dreadful for 10 months of the year