In The Garden...With Joanne Kennedy

Nothing signifies the British summer more than the Rose. Its buds form in May and in June it bursts into flower. It has been around in our gardens for centuries, with hundreds of species and thousands of cultivars, and it’s also the UK’s favourite plant.

Things to do in the garden this month:

• Keep weeds under control by regularly hoeing borders

• Plant out summer bedding plants and fill containers/baskets once the fear of frost has passed; remember to water daily

• Keep greenhouses ventilated by opening windows and doors - an automatic opener spares you from coming home to a greenhouse full of wilting plants

• Mow lawns weekly

• Take off the heads of daffodils but wait for the foliage to die back before cutting

• Prune early flowering shrubs such as Forsythia and Ribes as these will have finished flowering

• Prune early flowering clematis such as Clematis Montana if finished flowering

• Keep tying in climbing roses’ shoots to its framework

• Put in plant supports for tall perennials

Not only do roses give you colourful blooms, they also have a wonderful scent which wafts through the air as you walk by. They are versatile too, being grown as climbers to cover a fence or pergola; as shrubs in borders; as ground cover or grown together in a rose border.

Here are a few suggestions for your gardens this summer:

For ground cover and roses that flower all summer try Bonica, which grows about 1m x 1m and has bright pink blooms; Ballerina, with small but masses of pale pink flowers or one of the Flower carpet varieties such as Gold or Velvet for yellow or red flowers.

For the middle of the border there are lots to choose from but these are some of my favourites:

For a rich burgundy red rose try the beautiful Munstead Wood, it has large heads with a multitude of petals. Looking for hot colours? Then David Austin’s Molineux with its abundance of yellow blooms is lovely and last year mine was still flowering in November! Another good yellow rose is the strong scented Korresia.

If you want an “in your face” rose look for Super Trouper with its hot orange blooms – not one for the faint hearted! For a pure white rose Iceburg is a long-standing favourite and will flower throughout summer. This can also be grown as a climber.

For the rear of the border there’s the tall Queen Elizabeth which grows up to 6ft (1.8m) tall or Constance Spry which can grow up to 10ft (3m) tall.

Favourite climbers and ramblers are Albertine, however it only flowers once (in June) but has the most beautiful mass of peachy pink flowers; New Dawn has delicate, pale pink flowers and has the added bonus of not minding a shadier wall, so is a useful climber; and yellow flowered Graham Thomas or Rosa Banksaie Lutea, with the latter being an unusual rambler that flowers early (late April through to June).

For advice on any of the above feel free to contact me on 07739 153516 or 01530 832670 or via my website www. gardenblueprints.net; my Facebook page Garden Blueprints or via Twitter @ GardenBluPrints