Giving a Rose as a Gift

Many of us like to give a rose as a gift, especially for special occasions like a special birthday or a wedding anniversary.  Unfortunately, because we lack access to good advice, we often end up giving roses that are not too special and end up be dead or discarded after a few years.

The following is a list of five roses that will delight the recipient for many many years.  They are five roses that were awarded a BEST BUY accolade by an independent gardening test laboratory.

The first one is "Celebration Time" and is good for small gardens.  You can see from the image on the right just how abundant the flowers are.  Bees also love them and it flowers from July to September. It was also black-spot free for almost the entire summer.  height 75cm x spread 80cm.  Available from Eastcroft Roses.

Next up is "Let's Celebrate" which is long flowering.  This is a personal favourite: it has a gentle perfume, is covered in blooms which start deep-pink and fade gentle to a light girly pink  It is also largely blackspot free.  It flowers from July to September and grows to 100cm height x 110 cm spread.  It is available from Fryer's Roses

"Many Happy Returns" is next on the list.  Its pink flowers go well with its grey/green foliage.  It is an ideal patio pot rose.  It is exceptionally long flowering: June to September, but only grow to 65cm height x 90cm spread.  This one does suffer from some small amount of blackspot late summer.  On the plus side it had a gentle perfume and attracted bees.  It is available from Peter Beales Roses.

Next up is "Mum in a Million".  This one has a lovely scent and flowers from June to August.  Again this one does have a little blackspot towards the end of the season.  It grows to 85cm height x 85cm spread.  A real bonus is that it has a delicious perfume.  It is also available from Peter Beales Roses

Finally "Champagne Moment".  This one has a shorter flowering period but looks fantastic while it last.  No blackspot but did have a spot of mildew.  100cm height x 80cm spread.  It is available from David Austin Roses.

Runner Beans

When the weather is hot and dry, runner beans can struggle to set their flowers.  Water well twice a week and mulching will also help.  Don't use pesticides during the day, as the last thing you want to do is kill the pollinating insects.

Next year, try a French bean/runner bean cross.  An independent gardening laboratory suggest that "Moonlight" has less problems when it comes to setting.

Trim Evergreen Hedges.

Yew, privet, Lonicero nitida and box all benefit from a trim in early summer to keep them in shape.

Use shears on smaller hedges and hedge trimmers on larger hedges.

If you don't own an electric edge trimmer but are contemplating buying on, I can tell you that an independent test laboratory recommend the following five machines:

Black & Decker 1850L
Black & Decker GTC3655L
Bosch AHS  52 ACCU
Bosch AHS 54-20Li
Bosch AHS 52 Li

Another Stunning Plant Combination

The Alstomeria 'Friendship' was selected as a BEST BUY Alstomeria by Which?.  These are a brilliant source of sparkling colour (grows to 100 x 50cm - it is available from Viv Marsh Postal Plants).

Pair it with the deep salmon pink evergreen perennial, Diascia personata (grows to 60-90 x 45cm - it is available from Hopleys).

Another great companion is Ferula communis.  This is a tall fennell with long-lasting cascades of acid yellow flowers and mounds of lacy light-green leaves (size: 250-400 c 50-100cm - available from Beth Chatto Gardens).

Try also Digitalis purpurea f.albiflora.  Some maintain that there is nothing more beautiful than these wild foxgloves.  These are usually biennial (size 250 x 50cm - available from Crocus).

Finally: Clematis x durandii.  This is an unusual clematis; it doesn't clime but wanders aimlessly through adjacent plants.  It doesn't get clematis wilt and flowers for months.  It is described as a non-climbing sub-shrub (grows to 150 x 150mm - available from Burncoose Nurseries).

All these plant like sun or partial shade and need well drained soil.  Although the Digitalis doesn't like the soil too dry.

One rose I would like as a present is "Absolutely Fabulous"

People often give roses as presents.  Unfortunately, lacking the necessary knowledge, what they give are frequently second class citizens of the rose world.

One rose I would like as a present is "Absolutely Fabulous".  Voted Rose of the Year in 2010 it bears gorgeous scented flower non-stop from June to September.  It has strong stems and is also extremely healthy.  Indeed, everything about this plant is attractive.