Plantcare - The Versatile Rose:

Modern roses owe their splendour to a long history that spans every corner of the globe and their evolution to the patience and endeavours of botanists and hybridisers throughout the centuries. This exploded with the discovery and the introduction into Europe of the China roses during the late eighteenth century, which had been cultivated long before being brought to Europe. These varieties encompassed perpetual flowering and the Tea-scented China’s, which when crossed with the Bourbon’s that originated from Reunion Island, and the Noisettes that had been raised in America created an original class of Tea rose. These early Tea roses have since been enthusiastically crossed with other hybrids that have ancient traits, including hardiness, disease resistance, habit and fragrance to produce not only the traditional Hybrid Tea but were the forerunners of the diverse array of roses at our disposal today.

These modern sturdy new roses have value in almost every garden situation. With the classic and formal Hybrid Tea having blooms that are full of all the romance that the rose has to offer, to the remontant floriferous modern bush roses that supply a mass of colour and have merit either as an individual plant or are at home co-existing with their neighbours in an herbaceous border or shrubbery, adding structure to a winter garden scene.

For those with paving or decking we have at our disposal the Patio, and low growing roses that are covered with a mass of repeat flowering colour throughout the summer season. These have added charm and versatility when grown in tubs or containers and can be situated to dress any scene. As well as being ideal for planting towards the front of a traditional border.

In contrast climbing and rambling roses offer variations in habit to suit every occasion. For the compact garden, patio climbers that grow to an average height of 2.5m are adorned with a mass of miniature blooms from head to toe, to the traditional climber that drapes its-self around front doors and cottage windows reaching up 5 or 6m is covered with classic blooms. Finally the rambler with varieties that can creep through trees, cover large unsightly areas with dense lush foliage and grow in excess of 15m, often having huge clusters of small flowers or pretty frilled blooms with old world charm.

On a more traditional note the specimen rose tree is the crowning spectacle, standing proud on stems that vary in height from 30cm for a patio variety, to the majestic 125cm weeping rose tree.