Roses for a raised bed

Brilliant suggestions, @Mrs Hillard.

Re annuals, in that situation, I would go for osteospermums. They grow quite large, flower non-stop ... and down here in the balmy south, will survive most winters.

 

Thanks for your suggestions Mrs Hillard and compliment on the hedge . (I'll start another thread on that as I have a spot of bother with a couple of those tress on the other side)

I would like to plant the bed up as it looks to bare and deserves something in it to show for the work in building it. I like your point about symmetry though and that is something I'm really keen on.

Do you think it would work if you had lavenders filling in between the Kew Gardens Rose as you describe?

 

Great suggestion! I actually have some of those in another bed and they look lovely.

 

Yes no problems growing Lavenders with this type of rose, as it doesn't need manuring or rich soil. I have grown lavenders very close to roses without issue, in dry sunny sites. This includes near you in North Kent [Orpington].. Avoid roses with large many petalled blooms, they will not do in that location.

I recommend dwarf Lavender either 'Hidcote' or 'Munstead' which is a touch lighter. I have both here.
This is 'Kew Gardens' grown hedge like.. although one plant, which is why I recommend several feet spacing.


..this is a single plant of Lavender 'Hidcote'.. you could infill with these. Keep to the same for symmetrical purposes. This way you have your dark green conifer hedge, a row of the same rose, and your Lavender infill.
Something like that. Choice is yours of course..

 

Thanks @Mrs Hillard I think we are close to a winner here

Would the Kew Gardens rose need support to grow against?

Also, do you recommend the lavender to grow in between the roses or in front of them?

 

I would grow them in between as the bed is quite narrow. I think @Mrs Hillard has made a suggestion that would work and look lovely.

 

@robmif
No, it doesn't need any support at all, it's a shrub. In fact, I have long claimed that it's one of the best shrub introductions of any sort introduced here in the last 20 years, because of its thornless nature, it's therefore more than a rose. I just happened to be growing it against trellis in that photo.

The expense is all yours of course, and you might want to defer that for now. It's cheaper to buy bare root roses in October. Perhaps for this year you might want the annual option, and getting your Lavender infills established this summer. I would mark out where you want the roses to be positioned, and get your Lavenders growing in the meantime.

Here's another pic of the same 'Kew Gardens' cut to almost ground level in winter - about 2 to 3 inches. It quickly rebounds to form a small shrub.



There are other roses of this type that would also be suitable, this isn't the only one. There is a real charmer called 'Marie Pavie', which actually starts flowering from mid April.
Have a think about it over summer, and get back to me for other rose options if you wish but always choose what YOU want..

 

That certainly sounds like a really good suggestion from @Mrs Hillard for you @robmif , and you can always add some annuals while the roses etc grow.
I'd agree that there needs to be enough room for accessing your hedge, so you have to bear that in mind, even if it only needs trimming once a year. If you can make the bed a little deeper though [front to back] that will help avoid trampling any plants, and you can even have a few little stepping stones or similar, to make it easier too.
Good luck with it though

 

@Mrs Hillard, could I just ask whether Kew Gardens would be happy long-term in a pot? The DA site says it would, but I wondered if you had tried it. The only other spot I have where it could go is in an 18" deep raised bed, but there was an Iceberg there for 20 yrs (removed last summer) and I know this could be a problem for a new one.

 

You could plant it in the ground in a cardboard box, the time it takes to breakdown it usually mitigates rose replant disease. @ViewAhead

 

@ViewAhead
Yes I am sure it would even though I've not grown it in a pot, but I would have no reservations about that. Prune low each Spring to about 1 foot, to keep compact. It takes very hard pruning.
45cm x 45cm [18 x 18 ins].. mix JI no. 3, 50/50 with a good multi purpose and away you go.

Plant a non-rose in the Iceberg area for time being I would suggest.

 

Thanks @Mrs Hillard I'm going to buy just one of them to get me started now and do the Lavender as well. Many thanks for your help!

I've started a climbing rose 2 years ago and would like some advice on maintaining that as well but I'll start a new thread for that.

Thanks for your kind help everyone!

 

Thank you, @amancalledgeorge and @Mrs Hillard.

 

@ViewAhead
Here is my potted Kew Gardens.
This is now 2 years (3rd season) old and looks happy so far. Healthy foliage and with lots of buds soon to break.

It is in approx 30lt pot and was planted in a mix of garden soil/garden compost/farmyard manure (Mar 22).
My regime. Pruned to around 0.45m (18") in Feb and defoliated.
Stems heavily mottled and look ugly when bare (BS?), but this doesn't seem to affect the rose as can be seen above so not a problem as far as I can see.

Fed with granular rose feed (Vitax Azalea) and mulch with garden compost / manure in March. Liquid feed every couple of weeks during season + 2 nd granular feed in July after 1st flush.
In flower last June.

 

Thank you, @OwdPotter. Most helpful. Yours looks a lovely specimen

I have been to a couple of GCs that have DA stock, but neither had Kew Gardens. I have to say the ones they did have were not looking great. Loads of black spot. A young lad trying to smarten them up a bit said it had been a really difficult yr because of all the rain. He added that the peat-free compost wasn't helping either.