Roses have been centerpieces of gardens worldwide for centuries. With their beauty and diversity in color. form and fragrance it is no wonder they are still so popular today. With a little imagination and forethought there are many ways to incorporate roses into about any sunny garden . Here are few suggestions to get you going.
- Fantastical Fence- Use a climber such as Blaze, Garden Sun or Eden to soften fence and height and interest to often unused corners.
Red roses spill over a white picket fence
2.Potted Perfection- Short on space? Lots of roses do fantastically in a pot, choose container that makes a statement and pair with with a tree form rose like Marmalade Skies for some height, or compact growing Darcy Bussell for a petite plant packed with color.
3,Bouquet Blooms-Choose a fragrant, long stemmed variety such as Princess Charlene De Monaco or Memorial Day to be the centerpiece of your cutting garden, pair with perennials like Veronica and Rudbeckia and annuals like Zinnia and Bachelor Buttons to grow your own beautiful bouquets.
4.Pollinator Petals- Choose a rose that benefits the bugs that benefit your garden! We LOVE our powerful pollinator friends and while any rose will help attract pollinators, not every rose is easy for them to actually access. Choose an open petaled variety like The Lady of the Lake, Blaze, Iceberg or Plum Lemonade and pair with 3-5 pollinator powerhouse perennials like Agastache, Blazing Star, Coreopsis, Echinacea, Asters or Milkweed to really bring the bees!
5. A Grand entrance- Gardens are often built from a series of outdoor “rooms” use an arbor to create an entrance like no other. Pair a climber like the low maintenance, thornless Zephrin Druin or fragrant Collette with a bright Clematis for a classic combination that beacons visitors into the garden.
6.Collectors Corner- Find yourself drawn to a particular type of rose like the packed with petals Floribundas, the elegant long stemmed Hybrid-Teas, or are you a David Austin fanatic?
Dedicate an area of the garden for your collectors corner, a small stone pathway, a tinkling fountain and pretty copper signage takes your rose garden to another level.
7. Elegant Erosion Control- Have an unsightly slope? Drift roses are easy to maintain, low growing and come in a wide variety of colors from bright Red Drift to the multicolored Popcorn Drift. Use several of the same color to create a blanket of roses on your hillside and help keep the soil where it belongs
~Elin Rose
