I have bought two more roses for the side garden. They were an impulse buy at two for three pounds from Lidl. They are both Hybrid Tea. One of them is Rosa Pascali which I have bought before and am very pleased with. It is white with a lovely fragrance. The other one is new to me. Rosa Dame de Coeur has deep green leaves and large, rich, red flowers and as it was sold as a fragrant rose I am hoping for a strong perfume too.

The Rose Susan Daniel is named after an opera singer.  The most striking quality of this rose is its peachy transluscent colour. The ivory outer petals of the buds have lemon at the base opening to coral and finally changing through pale bronze to gold in late Summer. Disease resistant this rose has an amazing perfume. I bought this rose amongst a group of bare root plants from Harkness Roses.

They are Bush Roses called Frosty Morning, which has lightly scented white flowers, Orange Delight, also lightly scented and as its name suggests is of a bright orange colour and Sunshine which has a bright yellow flower.

Rosa Fluorette, a bright red.  Rosa Oklahoma, a deep red. Rosa Virgo, a white.

Rosa Queen of England, pink.

I am a relative new comer to the ups and downs of growing roses. Although we already had a rambling rose, Wedding Day, a climber, Dublin Bay, and a Hybrid Tea, Margaret Merrill in the garden they had more or less been left to their own devices. This year however I have taken a more keen interest in roses and have recently bought another climber, Compassion, a hybrid tea, Helen Robinson, and a few floribunda so I need to read up a bit about care. The first lesson I learned involved Spring pruning. The first four new plants are already in and the last three should be in before the end of this weekend. I have already hard pruned the existing three and found out that one negative aspect is that roses can rip you to pieces if you don’t treat them with care. I hope that future skillful pruning will reduce the risks. The following is an excerpt from Gardeners World Magazine.

 “Any old stems showing signs of dieback can be pruned away, and badly positioned and congested shoots can be cut out to shape the bush. Last year’s stems need shortening to prevent new growth developing higher up the bush which may result in flowers with leggy stems. You should prune just above a bud, but remember that the developing shoot will grow out in the direction that that bud points. In most cases you want this to be outwards, keeping the centre of the bush light and open. Prune to an inward pointing bud and the shoot will grow inwards, crossing other stems to create a congested bush.” 

A good link http://www.gardenseeker.com/roses/pruning_rose_bushes.htm

Abutilon Bella Mixed F1 Hybrid. A half hardy perennial that grows to about 16″. Bella Mix gives a selection of pastel colours blooming continuously. Sow February to April in pots of moist seed compost and cover with a fine sprinkling of compost or vermiculite. Place in a propagator or warm place and keep at a constant temperature of between 20-25. Do not exclude light as this helps germination. Keep the surface of the compost moist. Germination will usually takes 21-30 days. When large enough to handle transplant seedlings into 3″ pots. Harden off before planting out after all risk of frost.

There was a beautiful greenfinch hanging in the top branches of the Silver Birch tree this afternoon. With the sun shining behind him he looked almost lime green with a darkish tail. He was singing away, the most lovely song, even though the wind was waving the uppermost branch about so much. We have been told to expect snow in the next few days so I hope he has a warm nest to go home to.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greenfinch/index.asp

The bare root roses that I ordered from Harkness have been delivered today. We have ordered some new fence for the garden which should arrive in the next five days or so. I hope that the roses will keep ok until the fence is put up.

http://www.buyfencingdirect.co.uk/search-single-paloma-panel-1.8m-high-glg-622

The Roses are Rosa Bergundy Ice, a scented Floribunda. Rosa Caring for You, a pale pink Hybrid Tea.

Rosa City of London, a deep pink scented Floribunda.

Rosa Compassion, a climbing rose with a strong heady scent. Rosa Belmonte, a perfumed pearly blush bedding rose sold on behalf of the Prince’s Trust.

Rosa Helen Robinson, a deep pink Hybrid Tea. Rosa Susan Daniel, a transluscent apricot blush Floribunda.

http://www.roses.co.uk/acatalog/section_hybridteas.html

Pascali was bred in Belgium and introduced in 1963. Like its parent, Queen Elizabeth, it presents one fragrant, creamy-white bloom per stem. It is a modern bush rose that grows into a sturdy, upright plant and has pointed blossoms well suited for cutting,  blooming continuously or in flushes all season.

Rosa Margaret Merrill has delicate, double, exceptionally fragrant, pale pink to white flowers from July to September and crisp, dark green leaves. This vigorous, cluster-flowered bush rose is perfect for an open, sunny site with fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Offering good resistance to disease, the beautiful high-centred to cup-shaped blooms make excellent cut-flowers.

I also divided fifty Crocus Ruby Giant between two pots.

Crocus tommasinianus Ruby Giant was introduced in 1956 and is rich reddish purple with yellow-orange anthers.  It will naturalise readily. Bred in Holland, even when closed, the sturdy stems hold the flower heads up above their leaves.  It will flower early in Spring, and is attractive to insects. While needing a well-drained position and loving the sun, it is more happy in shade than most crocuses. Its capacity for spreading means it will establish itself wherever it is put.