planting a new rose garden in a changing climate?

Paul449

Hello all, hoping for some advice please...
I am looking to plan and plant another section of my evolving garden this winter / spring, removing more lawn in the process so I'm not replacing any existing planting. Current favoured notion is an informal / irregular 'parterre style' with low clipped hedges (not box, probably lonicera or ilex crenata) with a relatively traditional rose garden and some spring bulbs in each shape.  This should be fairly low maintenance I'm thinking, bar pruning and mulching (I have a job that is full time and then some and plenty of other parts of the garden that do take plenty of work) and allow a view across in the winter to my 'winter bed' of betula jacquemontii / red dogwood / snowdrops.
My worry is that as climate changes this may need too much water and / or the roses will struggle generally.  I'm in N Lincolnshire, similar latitude to Sheffield and c. 650 / 700mm pa rainfall, soil is generally good with lots of convenient horses nearby for manure!
I would be really pleased to hear any thoughts / experiences of doing the same e.g. any roses that might be better than others?
Thanks...

Lizzie27

@Paul449,

Bumping this up for you Paul.

I'm doing much the same thing, planting more roses but I'm taking out my dwarf box hedging as it's diseased. The hedging around my existing roses made it difficult to pick up the dead leaves and add manure at the appropriate times. It also took a lot of the available moisture out of the ground to the detriment of the roses and other plants.

 The only comment I could make is that you probably get more rainfall than we do so your roses for the next few years at least should be okay but you have probably much colder weather in N.Lincs so I hesitate to recommend the roses that do well for me. Having said that, David Austins are in Shropshire which can be pretty cold as well?

Hope other rose enthusiasts can advise further. Good luck with your new project.

rachelQrtJHBjb

Hi Paul,

I'd like to make a few suggestions, if I may.

Firstly, I find Ilex crenata is not a go-doer. My friend has had huge success using Euonymus 'Jean Hughes' as a box alternative as it has a dense growth habit and is a good, dark-ish green. I think you'll be trimming lonicera several times a year to keep the outline crisp.

If you are worried about the roses not getting sufficient water how about a combination of spring bulbs (you can achieve a display from late Feb/early March through to late May if you choose a range of species) combined with hardy, shrubby salvias as they flower almost continuously throughout summer with minimal care or pruning.

Just a thought, based on my experience with a hot, dry summer garden. 

JessicaS

Im not too far from you (Grantham way) and roses do very well for me (50+!)  The soil is very good. Theres actually several rose growers based in lincoln too e.g style roses.

Ive mostly got modern roses, hybrid teas. Ive hot a few english roses / Austins and they seem very happy so far. Id definaley go for a few and see how they do for you, but id say likely well!

Nollie

In your location, with good soil and plenty of manure available most roses should do well for you. As someone growing and trialling a lot of roses in a warm climate, however, my perspective might be of interest in terms of future-proofing..

There are always exceptions, in every case, but what I have learnt so far is that, in general:

Yes some roses cope with hotter, drier conditions than most whilst others need far more water and some just crisp and are miserable in my hot summers.

Similarly, some can take a battering from the heavy dumps of rain I get from the Pyrenees, emerging intact, whilst others with more delicate petals are not rain resistant and their blooms ball and spoil.

Hot, humid conditions after rain creates high disease pressures - so whether heat is dry or wet makes a difference, each beings it’s own challenges.

Some roses are more disease-resistant than others, the more resistant they are the easier to care for.

Single and semi-double blooms are generally less demanding of water than the fuller-petalled types.

Darker roses seem to need more cosseting - more food and water, than the pale ones.
Roses are generally paler in colour in a hot climate and bloom less than the do in the UK.

I’m discovering that many old garden rose varieties cope better with variable climate conditions - polyanthas, tea roses, noisettes, some damasks, bourbons etc. - than more modern roses such as Hybrid Teas or some English roses. On the other hand, rugosas won’t grow at all here and hybrid perpetuals are a disease-ridden mess.

Also how you water is just as important, if not more so, than the quantity of water given. Roses need deep watering at the roots, a constant drip or sprinkling is no good. Better to give a whole large watering can per rose in a single shot x times a week (how many times is very much climate-dependent, I give each rose approximately 10-12 litres of water 3 x weekly, the more demanding ones getting a bit more, the less demanding one a bit less). Mulch deeply around the roses to prevent evaporation.

Highly fragrant roses are generally more susceptible to disease, you won’t get everything in one rose - a fragrant, healthy, repeat flowering, heat and rain resistant rose is a rare thing - there is always a compromise somewhere. This goes for wherever you are and whatever climate you grow roses in. 

I could do you a list of what roses do well for me, but it won’t necessarily translate to your climate - my experience of the same rose is often different to fellow rose-growers in the UK.

Fire

That's a fab synopsis @Nollie

"I give each rose approximately 10-12 litres of water 3 x weekly."

Do you do this for roses in the ground as well as in pots; established ones as well as new ones?

Nollie

That’s for in-ground roses @Fire. New ones I plant bare-root in late autumn/Winter and they get watered in deeply and then get less at first. Maximum watering is from April to September for roses new and established. Building up to and falling off either side of that period. 

I should have also mentioned shade and orientation. Roses do best with morning sun and afternoon shade here. Full-on south-facing/afternoon sun can be tough for many roses.

Paul449

Thank you all, some really helpful and encouraging comments here.  I'm now much more confident that I can make this work with some good rose choices, mulching and judicious watering (having a well helps, even if I do have to hand pump the water!).