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NEW!!! Roses as a Gift Article (also Beware of Cowboy Experts) Most
roses are bagged in black plastic bags by the garden centre for sale to the
public. 1.
Sturdy canes Choose a rose with sturdy
canes, three or four that are fresh looking, either green or red in colour. Avoid
rips and slashes if possible. 2.
Be Picky Don’t be tempted to buy
the last one of a variety. Often it
will be a poor specimen. 3.
Sight the rose Buy a rose if you can that
you have seen. Some retailers have
the whole lot wrapped in plastic, so you don’t know what it is like until it
is removed. It may be badly
damaged. 4.
Standards Miniature standards are
ideal for growing in pots and they flower for a long time. Great for a feature rose that can be shifted when not in
flower. Ideal for Barbecue areas, patios, as a feature or by a pool.
If you are looking at large flowering roses on a standard, be careful in
your selection. Some such as
Solitaire, Sheer Bliss, Aotearoa or Loving Memory grow naturally tall and
vigorous. They can look
ridiculously tall and you won’t see the blooms on a standard. 5.
English or David Austin Roses These
roses have an old fashioned look and are usually heavily scented.
There are gorgeous ones like Sally Holmes or Mary Rose but they need
plenty of space. Climbers
can be trained along a fence. A
standard rose looks great as a feature in a lawn. A
number of standard roses will screen a drive. Low-growing
bush roses could line a path or the front foot path. Scented
roses are great by an entrance or under a window. A
pillar rose could be planted by a verandah post. Patio
roses and ground covers grow well on a bank.
Many of us abandon slaving over a hot stove in
preference for the far more relaxed and informal barbecue.
And what better is there to impress your family and friends than a
wonderful; display of roses, which even the most lion-hearted, finds it
irresistible to plunge their nose and tickle olfactory. We are blessed indeed with the range of modern roses available today including the miniatures, patios and standards that are particularly well suited to container planting. Many of' these are either non-stop or very quick to repeat their bloom, providing constant colour throughout the summer months. Not, only do these roses make great outdoor container plants imparting both their beauty and fragrance, but they are also an ideal Christmas gift and cut flower with which to adorn your interior. So, if the rush of the maddening crowd becomes all too
much, scrap your Christmas shopping list and head for your local garden centre
where you are sure to be able to find suitable gifts for most of the family. Miniature roses are excellent and inexpensive gifts for
children to give or try planting a few together in a terracotta bowl to use as a
table decoration. "Beauty Secret
- a wonderful red - and White Dream - a pure white - from the Butterfly
collection, make a great festive combination.
However, you will be surprised at the wide range of other colours
available in these delicate little plants. Miniatures
are particularly good for small containers and window boxes making them great
candidates for apartment dwellers. Don't
forget to fill the container to its maximum for the best display, five plants
to a shallow 20cm bowl will provide a full and rounded display.
Patio roses are very much in at present, especially many of the recently
released varieties for their extreme performance.
Available as small and medium sized bushes, standards and small climbers,
they are very floriferous, easy care plants. Winner
of the 1999 Auckland Rose of the Year is Heartache bred by Kordes,
Germany. Heartache looked
outstanding on the day, with huge trusses of wide open, shell pink blooms offset
magnificently by the glossy dark green disease free foliage perfect to
complement your Christmas setting. Also
of note Blackberry Nip raised by Rob Somerfield of Glenavon Roses in
Tauranga which one the Most Fragrant Rose Award. It has a fantastic scent and
its name aptly describes the colour of this patio rose. To bring a reminder of the Northern Hemisphere's traditional white Christmas, you may prefer to opt for one of the white roses such as "Snow White”, or creamy white “Taffeta”. A winner of the certificate of Merit at the Palmerston North Trials was Sugar Plum a patio climber from Chris Warner of England. Miniature
Patio standards are a well-established and very popular choice for
containers. Most are in their prime and widely available
now. For
larger containers, 50cm and over, it would be well worth considering taller
standards or shrub roses to keep the plant in scale with the pot.
Inevitably we come back to Iceberg, which never fails to please
with its wealth of pure white blooms and ease of flower.
It is a 20th Century classic alongside box hedging and still the ultimate
performing floribunda whether in a container or the garden. Following close in
"Iceberg's" footsteps is Seafoam. This hardy and versatile rose has a vigorous semi-prostrate
habit making it an ideal 1.5 - 2 metre high standard where it can form a
beautiful umbrella of creamy white double flowers all summer long.
It is equally as impressive as a shrub trailing over the edges of a large
container. For a classic Christmas red, Frensham with deep crimson blooms and
Trumpeter with bright red blooms are a good choice of standard. If you prefer lower growing plants, try the shrub roses which will easily fill a large, container to overflowing with an absolute mass of blooms for several months. Roses really are the perfect accompaniment to festive
entertaining with bonus that you will never be short of flowers for the vase,
let alone a centrepiece for your Christmas table. |
