It’s Valentine’s day on Sunday so it seems appropriate to talk about rose gardens this week. I am utterly bored by the sight of rows of stiff Hybrid Tea roses sticking out of acres of brown, bark-mulched beds. However, times have changed and rose gardens are now much more informal with the plants allowed more freedom of expression and, more importantly, a few friends. Yes, even roses need friends and mixing them with companion plants helps keep them disease free and also shows them off to advantage.
These days you don’t even have to worry so much about devastating diseases and time consuming after-care, new varieties are bred to keep maintenance to a minimum.
Montisfont Abbey Rose Garden
Even if you do not want a full blown rose garden it is really worthwhile reconsidering these lovely plants and introducing a few more into your garden – after all, they are the symbol of love par excellence which has to be a good thing and not just for Valentine’s.
If you’re looking for inspiration, you could start with getting some ideas from famous rose breeder David Austen http://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/
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