Rose growing tips from a National Trust gardening expert

Rose growing tips from a National Trust gardening expert

4:06pm Thursday 29th May 2014 in Leisure latest news

Rose growing tips from a National Trust gardening expert

Strolling around an English country garden with roses in full bloom is one of the pleasures of summer.

The National Trust has top tips on where to find some of the best gardens and also how to get the best out of your own roses.

At Winston Churchill’s old house Chartwell, near Westerham, the rose garden is filled with a mixture of Floribundas and Hybrid Teas. It was Lady Churchill’s favourite part of the garden.  The heavily scented Ice cream and Royal William varieties are some of the most popular, alongside the dramatic climbing roses around the walled garden

Emmetts Garden, near Ide Hill, has a small formal rose garden that is planted in a classic style. It is home a pink rose collection with complementing pink herbaceous borders and bulbs, which matches the original colour designs of its creator Frederic Lubbock.

Rose tips

For rose enthusiasts who are keen to create their own rose garden, Troy Scott Smith, head gardener at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, names his favourite species and top tips on how to look after them:

1. Top roses

All roses are lovely – we grow nearly 300 different species at Sissinghurst Castle. But for me I love the wayward nature and the romance associated with the ramblers, try Mme Alfred Carriere, Paul’s Himalayan Musk or for a more modest size go for the early flowering and wonderful scented Claire Jacquier. They are easy to grow in all soil types, flower for long periods and all have a wonderful scent

2. All roses need food!

We use a good amount of compost or cow muck in late winter and early spring, in addition to a good feed of rose fertiliser. I would also recommend additional liquid feeds during spring on a fortnightly basis and another application of rose fertiliser after flowering. Depending on which varieties you’ve chosen to grown, don’t forget that regular spraying for rust and blackspot is essential

3. Don’t miss the roses in bloom

My final tip would be to make sure you’re not on holiday when the roses perform.

Go to nationaltrust.org.uk

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