La vie en rose
The garden is currently blooming with breathtaking intensity. The elder is in bloom, as are the roses. Both the wild forms and the noble roses. And it is fragrant. Only the climbing and rambler roses are taking their time. Which is fine, because the flowering period lasts longer overall. We love roses!
They are usually uncomplicated, just don't like it too dry and some of them can withstand partial shade. We have varieties that flower almost continuously but are hardly fragrant, those with huge flower heads - semi-double so that insects can also enjoy the splendor - and old varieties that flower once and are wonderfully fragrant. Small, many flowers and large, single ones. Everything is represented. Shiny and matt leaves.
We #Beetschwestern mainly buy bare-root roses because they are much cheaper and have a better chance of growing than container plants. However, these can only be purchased and planted for a few months of the year, from around November to the beginning of May. We do not spray the plants, provide them with compost once a year and rely on the biological balance in the garden. If you notice mildew on a plant, pruning helps to improve the air circulation so that the moisture does not remain on the rose for too long. Infected branches that are removed must be disposed of in the residual waste, do not put them in the compost!
And a rambler rose (= the giant among roses) that has already climbed seven meters up the old spruce in two years. We are big fans of roses growing in trees. So we have both a rose and a honeysuckle growing on the old apple tree, which is partly bare. The combination of rose and climbing plant such as honeysuckle or clematis is a very attractive one. The picture shows the honeysuckle currently in bloom, although the climbing rose itself still has buds (under the honeysuckle flower).
We have also planted two Trigintipetala roses, which are Damask roses. They are used to make rose water, syrups and the like and exude a wonderful fragrance. This rose is extremely uncomplicated and easy to grow. We have already had to cut it back in size. We will prune it back a little after flowering.
Here is a photo of another rambler rose, although we #Beetschwestern no longer know exactly whether we used Kiftgate, Bobby James or Lykkefund. As you can see, this rose has grown so much in just a few years that it has now reached the house over a dead tree.
We have already written an article on pruning roses.
https://news.pro.earth/2023/03/16/jetzt-ist-die-richtige-zeit-fuer-den-rosenrueckschnitt/
