Garden Plants in Profile: Roses

What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.

This famous quote by Shakespeare from Romeo and Juliet is just one of many references to this flower that has the ability to invoke so much emotion worldwide. Widely regarded as a universal symbol of love, roses are sent as a display of affection.

The rose itself is a perennial flowering shrub that originates from the Rosaceae family. Rose bushes can be found in many guises and fall in two main types. These are climbing/trailing plants and erect shrubs. Characteristically, roses are well known for their flower shape, which typically consists of five leaves and their thorny stems.

There are well over 100 species of rose and many hybrids are in existence. The majority of original rose types originate in Asia but other species have found to be native of Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Roses have been used throughout history for their smell and have been utilised in other forms such as rose water. It is also started that roses became popular in Europe in and around the 1800's when they first stated being imported from China.

Some roses however are better recognised than others, an example of which is the tea rose. This rose got its name because its scent was somewhat reminiscent of a newly opened sample of the choicest tea. Originating in China, the tea rose is often regarded by discerning plant lovers as having the best colour and appearance.

Another popular rose is the floribunda, which grows as rose bushes and produces multiple flowers on each stem. Fantastic for bedding displays these roses are often thought to look their best in larger quantities although still can be seen as individually beautiful too. Some people have even argued that the floribunda may even be a better variety of rose than the tea.

The rose compliments much of our product range, such as the commemorative rose. An example includes the Rememberance rose with its beautiful dark orange/red bloom.

Climbing or rambling roses are great since they can offer good coverage and again typically have hybrid tea and floribunda origin. Due to their nature of growth, these roses will give maximum effect when trained to grow horizontally as more shoots will be produced than allowing it to grow vertically. There are however some differences between climbers and ramblers such as climbing roses having five leaves whereas a rambler generally has seven. Stems from climbers are also usually more rigid.

Of course, there are a plethora of rose types and these are just some of the most popular types. When it comes to growing techniques, rose bushes tend to prefer to be placed in well-drained, fertile soil and thrive in open sunny sites. Pruning and deadheading is needed when maintaining roses and keeping a good rose garden is seen by some as an art form or labour of love.

Whichever type of rose you prefer, they can be a great addition to any garden. Rose bushes can be a beautiful focal point and look equally as good on their own as they do as part of a larger flowerbed. By simply following the instructions on how to grow and keep your flowers looking their best will ensure that your rose bushes will be an eye-catching feature for you to enjoy.



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