A mass of blooms

June is all about the mighty rose this is the height of the rose season and if you are lucky enough to have the space then a mighty climber or rambling rose can be a show stopper! From a mass of colour up the façade of a large barn to a romping rambler over a crumbling garage, these roses are goliaths and add drama and romance to the June garden.

Dramatic arches

The difference between Climbing and rambling roses: Rambling roses normally only flower once. They have clusters of blooms in bunches. They produce long lax stems of growth, they are very vigorous and very tough putting up with even dry shade, doing well planted up trees to ramble over. Climbing roses,  normally have single roses, or small groups of flowers, growth is upright and there are climbing roses in most of the rose groups, Noisette, English Roses, Tea Roses, Bourbon and Hybrid-Tea Roses.   Here are some classics to consider.

Rosa Alchymist

R. Alchymist: this stunning climbing rose, with old style rosette-shaped flowers of a warm apricot fading to soft pink, with a strong fragrance. With good vigorous upright growth up to 18ft. One major flowering in June and repeats flowers with less flowers into the autumn.

Rosa Altisimo

R. Altissimo: An eye stooping climbing rose, with large single flowered blood red blooms with a cluster of golden stamens. Repeat flowers but a bit shy, it has huge orange hips that stay on till spring the next year. 12 to 15ft.

Rosa Constant Spry

R. Constance Spry: Named after the famed florist and cook. This is a huge climbing rose up to 20 to 25ft. But what a sight. Cup shaped multi-petalled blooms, in soft pink with a strong old tea scent, this once flowering climber gives an impressive one off show in mid- summer.

Rosa Albertine

R. ‘Alberine’; A traditional rambler with strong growth growing to 20ft. Salmon red buds open to lax semi-double flowers of a coppery pink. Strong scent and free flowering. With one off mass of flowers and the odd one or two produced latter.

Rosa Veichen blau

R. ‘Veilnblau’: This unusual rambler produces clusters of same semi-double flowers, from purple to light mauve and a mass of small orange hips. It is almost thorn less and has a strong orange scent. Vigorous growth up to 20ft.

Rosa Wedding Day

R. ‘Wedding Day’: This is a big daddy of rambling roses getting to 35ft and some with ease. vigorous grower. A one off mass of bloom. With clusters of almost golden buds opening to soft white single flowers. A very healthy rose that is strongly fragranced. For that romantic ruin!

Roses in full bloom add wow factor!

Top tips: traditional climbing and rambling roses, usually only give one off massive displays, more modern varieties of climbers, will repeat flower. It is rare to find a rambling rose repeat flowering. For tips on pruning see January 2017 Blog. If you do not have a large façade or a romantic ruin to grow these big roses over. Then shrub roses can be trained to grow up stranded height fences and smaller arches and pergolas and for most of us this is the best option to enjoy a garden wall or fence with a rose on it. A Rosa ‘kifsgate’ on a bit of trellis next to the sitting room window, will cause nothing but misery. Right rose right place!

The full impacted of the wonderful Rose.

I hope I have inspired you to choose one of these ‘grand-dames’ of the rose world to take centre stage in your garden. If you want help redeveloping a rose garden or a summer mixed boarder or any other garden design needs, then I know just the person to help. Give me Emily a ring on 01273 470753.