Choose Roses With Care

Viewing in summer and September is prudent, says Peter

- Peter Seabrook

Over the years, the advice has regularly been given to choose new roses for your garden in early summer, when you can select colours, fragrances and cultivar vigour to suit your requirements. Looking at some recent plantings, these recommendations have to be reconsidered with the additional suggestion, having made a choice, that you return to see them again in September before making a purchase.

Roses planted in well-prepared soil, which has not grown roses before, are likely to give good service for at least 20 years, so you need to pick out cultivars carefully. My parents had roses bought from Woolworths (when they were a three old penny and sixpenny store) that flowered freely for all of their married lives. Roses in those days were budded onto wild dog rose (Rosa canina), which does live to a great age.