planting roses

I have just planted some rose shrubs after heavy rain. The soil was very sodden- made it hard work but I needed to get them in the beds. Is it a bad idea planting after heavy rain? Will it restrict the root growth?

Also can anyone recommend good ground cover plants to gro around roses? The ones I have planted have quite a lrge height and spread eventually - so I need to leave space but at the moment the beds look very empty.

 

not a god idea to work soil when it is wet . it compacts the air spaces which are essential and destroys the structure ...... from a crumbly loam to a mud!, anyway the damage is done, i suggest you fork lightly around the bed as soon as the soil is dry!
i did you put down bonemeal or rose fertiliser at the time, or a soil condidioner?..... im not sure why it was so urgent to plant, if they were in containers they would have ticked over in their pots for another week.
re ground cover, i tend to go for thinks like violas which are non agressive, the main thing aganst dedicated rose beds imo is the fact that they tend to be rather boring except when in flower!

 

Oh dear. Am very new to gardening but I hada niggling sense that I may have made a blunder here. I was advised to get them out of their pots as soon as poss.
I used a peat and bone meal mix around the dug hole so that should have helped. Although I didn't mix in ordinary soil with the peat compost which was another mistake. Fingers crossed they might work out o.k.
I shall fork as you suggest.

 

I you do what Lady Gardener says about forking round them they will be fine. The best way to get around them being boring when not in flower is to plant varieties with different foliage shades. I will dig out some names but you can get one called Big Purple which is exactly that, and goes well with the lush green like Arthur Bell. Give them some chicken manure and they will not disappoint. chicken manure is brilliant.



The best ground cover around roses, evergreen, lush beautiful and maintenance free as well as fully weed supressing is Pachysandra.

Pictured on the left in my front garden forms a great carpet of green.



This is futher information.

http://www.peekskillnurseries.com/pachysandra.html

 

Garlic chives, marigolds, Parsley, lavender, catmint are all good companion plants for Roses. The first three are the best for aphid repellent, but lavender and cat mint also have strong smells and complement the roses well. Not if you have cats though!
Lovely photos BM, so you're not just exotics. I'm interested in the pachysandra, any ground elder combatant is worth a try!
Incidentally crouchend, my new roses came when it was very wet here and also cold. After waiting in vain for dryness or warmth, I planted them in very wet ground. I thought I would lose a couple but all are now sprouting beautifully, so take heart!

 

Liz I took this photo for the forum to compare grass sizes. Wait till September and my house disappears behind them! I grow garlic to repel aphids but it has had mixed success. I think maybe they plant has become too mature, need fresh ones, what do you think?

Additional pachysandra photos for you crouchend. I really love this plant one of my favourites! Flowers too in white in march and later in the summer.

 

That looks a great plant!
As I always plant anti aphid plants with the roses I don't know how bad the problem would be if I stopped! but ants and ladybirds help and I don't often have to use the spray [just water and a bit of soap] I use garlic chives because they smell quite strongly and brushing against them is easier than with actual garlic.
Greenfly are one of the few things I can kill with my bare fingers
:D

 

I hate greenfly. One of the drawbacks of having lush plants and a jungle garden is that they brush on to you. I have really short hair and you can feel the ones you miss crawling over your bonce.

 

Thanks very much for the suggestions. The Pachysandra looks a lovely vibrant lime green colour.. The rose flowers will be white when it flowers. Maybe some forget me nots or some plants with lots of little flowers in soft colours would look nice around it. Banana man your pics look great thanks for those. (Whats the pink flowers to the right?)
Liz thanks very much re the lavender suggestions and cat mint.

Another seperate question - if I dig up some daffodil bulbs and let them dry out will they flower again next year if I do so?

 

The very best ground cover to plant beneath roses are hardy geraniums. The flowers compliment the roses. The foliage laps around the ugly rose stems and hides them. No weeding required. Leaves come in all sorts of variety of size and shape and are beautiful even when there are no flowers.

Greenfly can be removed with a spray of water only. The jet will swoosh them off your rose buds in a soggy tangle of mashed bodies and tangled wings and legs. They fall to the ground where they will be eaten by the mini-beasts. Any survivors wil be incapable of ever climbing back up to your roses.

 

Thanks crouchend,

They are Pink wiegelia

 

sounds like a sad ending for the greenfly, although with hose pipe bans not sure where I'll get my water whooshes from. Will get some geraniums you can have scented ones too.

Infact at the moment is is only one bed that I have the rose in, but is quite a small bed and this rose is going to spread big according to the label. Maybe I should put some bigger things in next to it and just prune the rose if it gets too big.

 

Whoosh your greenfly with a hand held spray gun thingy. Tap water is fine. Some people add a little washing up liquid.

 

great I'll do that as soon as the critters appear.
Does anyone know if its o.k to dig up the daffodil bulbs?
I told a friend about this site and he had this question, he's not registered as yet.

 

Crouchend - planting roses when its wet is no problem - however, you will need to keep them watered if we get as forecast a dry summer.

Keep your eye out for blackspot, as well as aphids.

Re daffodiles, they are best left until the leaves brown and die back, so that the bulb is prepared for flowering next year. -