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Thursday 19 June 2008

RAVING ABOUT ROSES

ROSA 'WILLIAM LOBB' shown here with the rambling rose 'BOBBIE JAMES' and 'CALAMAGROSTIS 'KARL FOERSTER'

Like my mother, I'm a complete sucker for Roses - especially the old fashioned blousey blooms and species roses.

One of my favourites is the moss rose 'William Lobb' with double, deep purple crimson blooms that fade to dusty violet over a few days. Richly scented and relaxed in habit, this is a great rose for informal borders (In fact I spotted it in Arabella Lennox Boyd's garden the other day, so I'm not alone in my admiration for it!)

The stems are covered in a furry, moss like growth (hence the name!) which is a lovely contrast of texture to the velvety blooms.


Another beauty is the double pink Scots Rose, Rosa pimpinellifolia (or Rosa spinosissima) This makes a neat little bush about 1.5 metres high and has delicate little leaves which are stunning in their own right. Try this in an informal setting - perhaps in a woodland walk - combined with the dwarf lilac Syringa microphylla 'Superba'.


Try Rosa Spinosissima 'Falkland' or 'Marbled Pink' from David Austin for a similar look


In the border, I also have lots of the classic R 'Gertrude Jekyll', along with the deeper pink, and richly scented 'Isaphan' which I love to cut and bring inside to enjoy whilst I am working.

ROSA 'GERTRUDE JEKYLL'


ROSA 'ISAPHAN' - Just look at the size of the flowers at almost 15cm across!
This rose flowers for a much longer season than other Damask Roses. Great foliage
Spicy scent - almost like cloves

One of my favourite roses for cutting is the long flowering Rosa 'Iceberg' which flowers all summer long - and then some... Iceberg is great for long lasting cut blooms (shame it doesn't really have any scent!)

ROSA 'ICEBERG' can be grown as a shrub or a climber

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