June Roses

Since before Roman times gardeners have revered the rose as the queen of flowering plants for the extraordinary beauty and scent of its blooms. The rose family offers an enormous range of colour, shape and perfume from the simple purity of the wild dog rose, the soft, pastel charm of the old garden rose or the jewel-like brilliance of the modern hybrids.

Whether grown alone in the splendour of a formal garden or enhancing the quality of a mixed planting it is hard to imagine a garden without roses heightening the glory of a summer’s day.

There literally is a rose for every part of the garden ranging from the low growing ground cover and patio roses, through the larger bush and shrub roses to the climbers and ramblers for growing up walls, arches, pergolas and even through trees.

They all generally prefer an open, sunny site and a fertile soil. When planting, and each year as a surface mulch, it is important to add organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure. For your roses to perform at their best, it is also vital to feed them, preferably twice a year in April and June, with a special rose fertilizer.

This done they will reward you with beautiful flowers from June to well into the autumn year after year.