Text: Loren Shirley-Carr and Lynne Yates. Photographs: Loren Shirley-Carr, Ludwig Taschner and Supplied. Article from the October 2012 issue of Garden and Home Magazine.
We asked 10 experts to choose the rose they find most rewarding and share a tip for growing them successfully.
Duncan Henderson
President of The Federation of Rose Societies of South Africa (ROSA) from 1988 – 1990 and previous owner of well-known Duncan’s Roses in Elgin. His present garden, Fairholme is often visited by garden enthusiasts.
“My favourite rose is ‘My Granny’. It’s a neat-growing, healthy groundcover with shiny, deep-green foliage and plentiful blooms that have an old-fashioned look about them – it makes a spectacle when mass planted.”
Tip: “When pruning roses, retain the young wood and remove the old, then cut back to a bit less than half the original spread.”
Elizabeth Thornton Dibb
Owner of La Bella Rosa in Kyalami, Gauteng, a farm with over 2 000 roses that specialises in cut flowers.
“My choice is ‘Mister Lincoln’ because beauty without fragrance is meaningless. This red rose has a pink undertone; it blends with any other garden rose and you need only one ‘Mister Lincoln’ to fill your home with fragrance. ”
Tip: “Soil preparation is the key to successful rose growing. Spend double the price of your rose on compost, organic matter like peanut shells and bonemeal to prepare your soil. This will give you a healthy plant for years.”
Marianne Alexander
SA Garden and Home’s Contributing Garden Editor, author and founding member of the Constantia Valley Garden Club.
“For me the easy to grow, disease-free ‘Mutabilis’ is a firm favourite. Its single flowers, which appear well into winter, open into a honey-yellow, turn coppery- pink, then watermelon.”
Tip: “This is a rose for lazy gardeners who will love it as you can just let it do its own thing – scramble into a tree or over a bank or use it as an informal hedge.”
Peter Knox-Shaw
Peter and Barbara Knox-Shaw are the owners of Fresh Woods, the only garden in South Africa to receive the World Federation of Rose Societies’ Award of Garden Excellence. Peter is an authority on old-fashioned garden roses.
“Wild roses from three continents went into the making of this unique hybrid, ‘Erinnerung an Brod’. It’s the masterpiece of Geschwind, the famous 19th-century rose breeder, and the scent is among the most intense and memorable of any red rose.”
Tip: “Lay a thick mulch of compost around the roots of your roses in late winter, soon enough to stop the rise of weeds in that awkwardly thorny territory, but not so soon that it rots away before the roses go into growth.”
Jennifer van der Linde
A natural gardener and expert companion planter who has established the most beautiful English rose garden at her home in Parktown North, Jo’burg.
“‘Addo Heritage’ is my favourite rose. It’s robust, fuss-free and has huge flowers that don’t look bedraggled when rained upon.”
Tip: “I underplant some of my roses with onions and I have never seen healthier plants.”
Gwen Fagan
South Africa’s most eminent rosarian, Gwen is well-known internationally for her magnificent, recently republished book Roses at the Cape of Good Hope (Breestraat Publikasies).
“Naturally I’m fond of the rose that shares my name, ‘Gwen Fagan’. It’s a healthy vigorous plant which produces scented flowers throughout the year.”
Tip: “When planting a rose, I like to prepare a hole 80cm deep and fill it with good topsoil mixed with one third compost. Add a handful of bonemeal and a handful of Bounce Back to the mix.”
Sheenagh Harris
Sheenagh was the President of ROSA from 2004 – 2006 and is currently President of the World Federation of Rose Societies and convenor of the 16th World Rose Convention that’s being held in South Africa this month.
“I adore many roses, but for sentimental reasons ‘Mary Wise’ is my favourite as it was named after my mother. In his catalogue, Ludwig Taschner describes it as ‘A grand rose named in honour of a grand rose-loving lady, a Past President of the Rose Society of South Africa. It’s a joy in the garden.'”
Tip: “After planting a new rose, don’t allow the buds to open (cut them off) for the remainder of that season, thus allowing the energy to go into the roots and the development of the bush.”
Stefanie Seydack
Chairlady of the Knysna Rose Society and current President of ROSA, Stefanie is also a keen exhibitor of roses.
“I just adore ‘People’s Princess’. It has healthy, glossy green foliage and proud fat buds that develop into perfectly shaped blooms with a high pointed centre.”
Tip: “Keep in mind that modern roses reward you proportionally to your input – no or little input equals few blooms; lots of TLC equals plenty of blooms.”
Sid Cywes
President of ROSA from 1976 – 1978, Sid is also one of the two Honorary Life Presidents of this Federation.
“My favourite floribunda rose is ‘Iceberg’. Its blooms remain pristine white without the brown discolouration that comes with moisture, it’s very floriferous and it flowers for most of the year.”
Tip: “This rose responds to proper planting in a sunny position in well-drained soil with good compost and some bonemeal.”
Mary Jane Harris
Editor SA Garden and Home.
“I love ‘Rina Hugo’ for the richness of the colour and the size of the blooms. Adding one or two of these roses always lifts a predominantly pink arrangement.”
Tip: “Planting low-growing, shallow-rooted thyme under my roses creates a pretty ‘living’ mulch and also discourages pests.”
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