Coming up ROSES

Find the perfect bloom for your garden from this fragrant selection

- LOUISE MIDGLEY

With their classic beauty, wealth of beguiling colours and intoxicating scents, roses have rightfully earnt a place in our hearts over the centuries. But while they are symbolic of love and associated with special occasions when given in long-stemmed form, roses often look their best when picked straight from the garden and displayed informally in a simple jug on the kitchen table.

They’re surprisingly easy to grow. When their hunger and thirst is satisfied, they produce optimum displays of flowers, and keep pests and diseases at bay; this explains why wet winters are often followed by bountiful first flushes of blooms. And no matter what aspect or soil conditions your garden offers, there are roses to grace the space, from skyward ramblers and creeping ground-cover varieties, to upright shrubs and diminutive patio species.

These are our some of our favourites for their extra-special qualities.

BEST FOR SCENT

Roses in bloom will fill the air with a unique mix of tea, musk and myrrh perfumes, so it’s a good idea to position them close to seating areas, by an entrance or along a well-trodden path. And choose repeat-flowering varieties to provide the longest season of fragrance. The sumptuous semi-double flowers of the climber ‘Scent from Heaven’ (H2m) emit a deliciously rich, fruity scent, while the timeless shrub rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ (H110cm) has a quintessential old-rose perfume.