ROSES are at their peak right now and there are few things more glorious. Their colour and fragrance drench the senses, while their delightful resilience reminds us how integral they are to the summer garden. As individual plants, perhaps, rose bushes are not especially elegant, but their profusion of flowers and fragrance demands inclusion in even the smallest space.
Modern roses often flower right through the summer, but that’s not the case for the old once-flowering shrub roses – after their heady peak has passed we’re left with a plant that is, frankly, unremarkable. It’s the same story before the buds open, when our rose plantings generally look rather dull.
