The new Rose bed with 2nd flush of flowers now appearing.

This is one of the best things about roses. Just as everything starts to die off, they put on a brilliant late display! My little china rose is beautiful right now! I'm not digging up any roses from my garden, but I know exactly which ones I shall be buying again. Top of the list...Chartreuse de Parme, R. Odorata mutabilis, The Pilgrim, Scented Carpet and Graham Thomas.

hasn't your new rose bed matured brilliantly!?

It certainly has, my Pilgrim has not looked well this year, think it is the lack of moisture, it is back up and running since we had some rain though. On the other hand the Generous Gardener, which is in a very dry spot has gone mad. Strange isn't it. Not seen the Scented Carpet is that one of the ground cover roses. Paul has some of those at work. At the minute they are covered in huge hips. The kids keep throwing them all around the ground. ooops. lol.

Yes, it is a 'ground cover, but it grows to about 4' here. That's the thing with roses....you can't go by the book because a lot depends on conditions. A lot of my roses are, like yours, heading for the sky to try to get more light. I rather like the idea of pegging the long shoots in to the ground with tent pegs....that seems a grand idea to me as it would make them produce more blooms.

yes it does :O)

It's a lot better when people give helpful advice and ideas from their personal experience rather than a line from their horticultural 'bible' isn't it?!

Bibles are just for reading up on, much better to get something from the horses mouth. lol.

Lol....what are you suggesting there Mum?! Lol!

Stop now I need the loo :O) lol

Lol!

I've got two roses for the first time this year. I've never grown roses before, and as yours look so beautiful, can I tap your brain?
When do I prune them (one is Gertrude Jekyll the other a patio bush 'Ruby Wedding) and by how much? Thanks :)

(Mouldy reads attentively). :-)

Good luck Mouldy....Mum and me sometimes communicate in code! ;)

Yeah, I'd noticed.
Very chic clique. Lol.

Waddy I am no expert, roses are new to me. lol :O) but I understand that you cut them back at the end of winter. After saying that you can cut out dead or dying wood anytime and I always dead head and chop a good few inches off when I do dead head. I am still learning although I am much better than I used to be. lol. Think this year is the first time I have more or less got the pruning game right. There is lots of advice on line for when to prune and how to prune. I keep looking and learning as I go along. Good luck with it.

I read that they need pruning twice.
Once, harshly, in Oct, then a shaping prune in March.
Millions of books, worldwide on roses.
What's the bet they all differ, as to when & by how much?
I'm almost too scared to prune now. Lol.

I Do the twice thing as you say mouldy, but it also depends on the habit. a shrub rose only needs a tidy up. climbers the same. with them its more important to tie the stems horizontally..that way you get blooms all along the stem. The good thing is it's extremely hard to kill a rose by pruning it, so follow your gut feelings. always try to prune just above a growth point, then you won't get too much die back. Some experts say it makes no difference if you hack them with a pair of hand shears or spend half an hour on each one! So not something worth worrying about!

Phew, thanks you guys. I must admit Mouldy, each piece of advise I've read in a book or on line seems to contradict the previous one.
Karensusan, I'm not sure I'd go as far as a pair of shears, but just above the growth point seems sensible. :)

No, me neither Waddy....although, if it was a hedge of roses you'd probably have to go that way. There is a house near here that has a hedge of roses in the front garden. Those wonderful single deep magenta ones that make huuuuge hips in the autumn. And a couple of winters ago the whole lot got a good shearing...came back beautifully!

lovely rose bed olive...

Paul chops his back, at work, right down to the floor, they are the ground cover ones which you are talking about and they come back as thick as ever every year without fail. An amazing rose feature, the hips are fantastic just now.l

So, when the two climbers & the other start screaming texas chainsaw massacre style, I'll tell them to stow the dramatics, 'cos Karen said it's okay. ;-)

I just tidy mine up (the climbers that is) the others I cut back apart from Rosa de Recht which is a large bush rose, that one I just take off about 2 ft of growth, just so I can see up the garden. lol. It is in front of the kitchen window so gets a good trim back or else I would not be able to see anything whilst doing my chores. lol. As Karen says the climbers need to be laid horizontally and then they grow along the branch and produce more flowers. I just tie them in using electric cable ties. Very useful in the garden and cheap to buy.

That bed has established quickly Olive :o)

I know it looks like it has been there forever doesn't it? Cannot believe it was all new this summer. We got lots of rain this morning, just after I had moved some plants now how lucky was that. Sun is shining at the minute but it is quite chilly here hope you are not getting blown away at your end Annie.

It's not too bad here Olive and the sun is out, in fact yesterday was wet but nothing like as windy as they forecast. Saturday turned out to be a good planting day now the soil has softened up a bit :o)

One of my climbers is growing at a ferocious rate.
The other has a problem...a powdery residue on the leaves.
Any ideas what it might be?

Sounds like mildew Mouldy, give it a spray with one of the sprays available for roses, they sell them in the supermarkets so you should find one to suit. Mine have Blackspot but I keep ignoring it and hope next year it will not be here. lol. I hate using sprays it doesn't seem to harm the flowers just the leaves (well at the moment that is).

I've been cutting off the affected parts, Olive.
Is there no alternative to lab chemicals? :-(

That is what I do too. I have no idea Mouldy if there is a non chemical answer to the problem. Wonder if we google it and see if there is a remedy which is not going to harm the wildlife. I am off to have a look. :O)

Mouldy found this remedy on the google website:

1½ tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ tablespoons Safer Insecticidal Soap (or liquid, not dish, soap)
1 gallon water
1 tablespoon vinegar

think you have to spray it every week with the solution. Not sure what it means by Safer Insecticidal Soap though think it was an American thing.

There were organic solutions also for Blackspot on roses.

I think I'll substitute garlic or chilli for the soap.
Or maybe teatree oil.
Thanks, Olive!
What's the site you googled?

I just googled rose mildew and rose blackspot remedies and they came up, sorry cannot remember which particular site it was with the remedy on. sorry :O(

See, I wouldn't have thought of adding 'remedy' & I'd have been trawling through tons of twaddle, as I'm easily distracted, while my poor plant transpired it's last choking breath. Lol.
Thanks again Olive!