ramblers

Roses have many uses and can be used in a variety of different ways to add interest and excitement to your garden. Within this section we look at a few creative ideas which may hopefully inspire you to take rose growing to a new level. MAKE YOUR OWN ROSE HIP TEA Did you know that you can actually make your own rose hip tea?The process is actually very easy and fun to try, plus it’s a great source of vitamin C!During the Second World War, at a time when oranges and other foods high in vitamin C were hard to acquire, schoolchildren were actually given rose hip syrup to keep them healthy. This was something that Peter Beales used to remember vividly telling stories about how he used to collect rose hips from the hedgerows as a boy. To make tea for two you will need 7 large ripe rose hips with the stems removed. Hips from the Rugosa family are the best for this. Just make sure you get your rose hips from a

Training climbing and rambling roses Roses do not cling to the wall themselves like some plants do. Therefore they will require tying in. On a wall it is a good idea to put up trellis or wires for this purpose. As the rose grows it should be encouraged to grow horizontally outward and upward. The lower stems straight out where possible and the taller ones, up and then outward. In this way new growth will be encouraged, as will more flowers. On a pillar it is best, where possible to train the branches around it for the same reason as above. Ramblers for trees will need to be tied to the trunk to begin with until the branches meet those of the tree, thereafter, the tree will act as a natural support.

Pruning your Roses Pruning worries many gardeners but if you keep the rules simple it is quite a logical procedure. In all pruning, dead and diseased wood should always be removed. If taking away an entire branch, try to leave as little of it behind as possible to avoid dead stumpy areas on the plant. All other cuts should be made above an outward-facing bud and on an angle away from it, thus preventing rain-water from sitting there. Remove wood, which has rubbed against other branches, and become damaged. Try to keep the centre of the plant open. Always use good quality, sharp secateurs to ensure that cuts are clean. Both the Expert Bypass Pruner and the Professional Pruner by

Whether you are completely new to roses or have been growing them for years, pruning them can seem like a bit of a daunting task, but it needn’t be. The first thing I would really like to stress is that no matter how bad a job you make of pruning your roses, you are not going to kill them! As the old gardener’s saying ‘Get your worst enemy to prune your roses’ suggests, roses are tough and can take a lot more abuse than people give them credit for. Just think about how badly butchered hedgerows look along the roadside after the farmer has hacked them back. It’s easy to look at them, resembling nothing more than bare broken and splintered sticks and wonder how these poor roses and hawthorns will ever survive, but they do. A trial was conducted several years ago at the Gardens of the Rose, St Albans, where some of their ros