Commercial cut roses are loaded with romantic good intentions, but they lack the charm of almost any rose growing in the ground.
However, much as I adore my roses in their full summer display in the garden, I also love going out early on a June morning, when the dew is still fresh, and cutting roses to bring indoors to make up into posies – from a single exquisite bloom in a small vase to an opulent display filled with countless fabulous petals.
The truth is that roses are the most beautiful of garden flowers, and getting superb cut flowers from the plants is perfectly possible.
Monty Don (pictured) says that commercial cut roses lack the charm of ones growing in your garden
You can have your dozen red roses growing in the garden on one bush alone, just not on 14 February.
Mid-February is the perfect time, though, to plant a rose, and I think a rose bush that will last for a generation – and costing just £20 or so – is a much better present than a bunch of stiff, lifeless cut roses, completely out of season and flown halfway across the world, for twice the price.
Bare-root roses tend to be cheaper, healthier and available across a much wider selection of varieties, but they do need planting straight away.
When yours arrives, unwrap it and place in a bucket of water for half an hour or so. If you can’t plant it in its permanent site on the same day, then either put it temporarily in a pot or make a hole in a spare piece of ground, covering the roots in soil.
You can have your dozen red roses growing in the garden on one bush alone, the gardening expert says
It will be fine like that for weeks until you’re ready to plant it properly. A rose in a pot can be set aside until you’re ready to plant in the ground, but water thoroughly at least weekly.
Choose your planting site carefully, taking into account the size your rose will be when it reaches maturity, which can take three to five years.
The majority of roses like full sunshine, although most will flower well if they get a few hours of sun.
The ideal soil is rich but well-drained – roses thrive best on clay soils but any ground with plenty of organic material added will do – and mulching annually will substantially improve any soil.
Dig a hole that’s wide rather than deep and remove every scrap of weed, because once a perennial weed such as couch grass, bindweed or ground elder gets in among the roots, you’ll never get rid of it.
There’s no need to add compost to the planting hole if you have good topsoil – a thick mulch on the soil surface is much more beneficial.
But I do advise using mycorrhizal fungi (available as granules from garden centres or online) to aid fast root development.
The vast majority of rose plants you can buy have been grafted.
When planting them, I always ensure that the join, or union, between the rootstock and the top part is fully buried, and just the branches are sticking out of the ground.
This will secure it firmly and reduce the growth of suckers – shoots from the rootstock – which take nutrients away from the plant.
Water the rose well and then mulch very generously with well-rotted compost, to feed the roots, suppress weeds and retain moisture.
ASK MONTY
Q: Voles in my compost bins have stopped me turning them. What shall I do?
Maurice Hollister, Norfolk
A: Every compost bin is home to a host of creatures – most too small to see, but also worms, slugs, mice, and even snakes and hedgehogs. All of them will move when you start to turn the compost, but moving the material layer by layer gives them time to avoid harm. If the pile is small, you could almost lift the whole thing and tip it out first.
Q: I planted my Arthur Bell climbing rose in summer but it hasn’t flowered. Do you have any advice?
Mike Hyde, Wiltshire
A: Roses take a year or two to get established and it’s not uncommon for a climbing rose to be shy about flowering for a season or two. All you need is patience – after all, a rose is for life.
Q: I planted broad bean seeds (Aquadulce) in November, but they have sprouted and are 3in tall. I’ve protected them with cloches. What else should I do?
Steve Myers, Berks
A: It’s normal for autumn-sown broad beans to grow 3-6in before Christmas, then stall until spring. Just provide temporary support once they grow again.
Although it’s a seasonal delicacy that begins about now and only lasts for another five weeks or so, for that brief time purple sprouting broccoli is a delicious treat
MONTY’S PLANT OF THE WEEK
PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI
Although it’s a seasonal delicacy that begins about now and only lasts for another five weeks or so, for that brief time purple sprouting broccoli is a delicious treat.
It is slow to grow and although the florets are small – best picked when no bigger than a walnut – the plant is very large and takes up a lot of space.
It continues to do so for a considerable period due to its long growing time – purple-sprouting should be sown in March and planted out in May.
However, it is unquestionably worth every inch of space and week of time.
THIS WEEK’S JOB
CUT BORDER GRASSES
Deciduous grasses such as miscanthus and calamagrostis can be cut to the ground now. Set aside the old growth and compost gradually.
Do not cut back evergreen species – comb through each plant with a rake or your hands, wearing stout gloves, pulling out all dead growth.
Deciduous grasses such as miscanthus and calamagrostis can be cut to the ground now