This rose was fabulous for a number of years and grew up and over my swing seat. However, in the early days of this garden and my learning period, I didn't know about making them curve and wind round things to keep shoots and flowers low down, so everything happened on the top of the swing seat where she eventually got suffocated by the enormous Clematis montana. She was taken out (RIP) and has been replaced by R. 'High Hopes' which I am now winding ferociously around the swing seat.
Incidentally, if you use 'magic dust', more properly known as micorrhizal fungi (from Rootgrow etc), you can now plant roses safely where old roses used to be - no more cardboard boxes or different plants required.
I now never plant a major plant (shrub, tree, perennial) without it. It makes the roots grow really quickly, the plants settles in and flourishes faster and, importantly, the fox can't smell it unlike bonemeal or blood,fish&bone so they no longer dig up my plants the moment they have been planted. Hence my nomica 'Magic dust' for it. You must make sure the dust is in direct contact with the roots when you plant the plant, so only put it in once you have dug your hole, added fertiliser, mixed it, checked the height for the final planting etc. or you'll waste it - and it's not cheap.
My favourite rose I think. It flowers freely and like a floribunda, grows incredibly strongly and tall. It is supposed to be about 1m tall but grows easily to 2m each season. New growth is deep red which goes green and becomes luscious dark green foliage. It flowers all season and is pretty much the first to start and last to finish - and it smells sensational!
This is one of my favourite roses. She forms quite a large, wide bush and is covered in flowers all season. They start tight and truly as beautiful as any hybrid tea, then move through a more generous bloom with yellow stamens and then blow into a whitey pink smash which stays on the plant for a good long time. A cluster in each of the different stages is a glorious sight to behold - and she smells fantastic - much better than billed (but I have a keen nose). She could only be better if her foliage was a little darker green and a little glossier but her mid green leaves seems to suit her mid pink petals very well.
This is a lovely rose and well scented but was too close to both R. 'Scentsation' and R. 'Pretty Lady'. It was the weakest of the three, not as floriferous and more prone to black spot so was taken out. RIP.
I have two of these and they have put on a strong performance from the second year. Lovely, very strong fragrance. The flowers last well and are deep pink. I've pulled/curved her onto swing seat from back of bed to generate more upright stems and flowers. She is pretty big! 2013 has seen them flowering profusely - over 60 flowers in bloom plus lots more buds to open in the first flush.
I've recently put one up the swing seat from the Pink bed. Beautifully shaped flowers. Scented. Quite tall, ie 4m so I'll have to make sure I bend it round properly to keep it flowering low down as well as at the top.
I've always wanted one so I bought the Loire arch in order to grow one up it. It is beautiful and fabulously scented. It repeats and has beautiful, red edge tinted young foliage too. The flowers are quite short-lived though. However, I am happy with it so far.
This is a short, repeating rambler (1.8 m) with small double flowers. I've put this up the Loire arch with the Generous Gardener which is scented - we'll see how it performs. Fairy is a nice, small, double rose and it will be interesting to see how it works as a rambler.
A small ground cover rose 30cm x 90 cms. Sweet. It's new so we'll see how it spreads out over the next few years. Looking good in 2013.
Eglantyne is a very pretty, beautifully scented, light pink rose. She has rosette blooms and is a repeater. She doesn't carry many blooms at a time but they are worth waiting for. The whole effect is quite delicate until you smell her and then you are whacked by her sweet, secret weapon.