Johannesburg - October is the month of the rose. Now is the time to revel in the roses to be seen at the annual Ludwig’s Roses’ Spring Festival or in any of the gardens opened to the public to raise funds for charity
by Gardens of the Golden City this month.
On October 12 and 13, visit Claire and Gary Clarke’s beautifully colour-coded garden comprising 800 roses at 35 Crescent Drive, Westcliff.
A Spring Rose Festival is on at Ludwig’s Rose Farm, and runs until October 13. Indulge in a glorious exhibition of wedding flowers, join a flower arranging workshop or just wander through a rose farm in full bloom.
If you are adding roses to your garden this summer, appreciate that there is a rose to suit every spot.
Fragrant shrub roses and dainty clusters of floribundas grow companionably in borders with stately delphiniums and simple daisies. Hybrid tea roses are elegant in formal beds. Climbing roses can clamber over arches and walls, groundcover roses spread carpets of colour in borders, while dainty miniatures brighten containers.
The secret to successful rose growing is selecting the right rose for the location. Whether you prefer old heritage roses or new varieties, all roses grow best in rich, composted soil that is well drained, where they receive at least six hours of sunlight a day, preferably morning sun.
Roses may be chosen for their fragrance, shape or growth habit, but mostly, they’re grown for their colour.
The freshness of white, yellow and gold roses complemented by similar-coloured day lilies may appeal to you; red roses are striking among dark blue agapanthus and dwarf maroon berberis; pink, peach and apricot roses blend well with mauve summer snapdragons (Angelonia), catmint and heliotrope.
You could follow fashion by growing vegetables and herbs among roses. Lettuces, chives and sage (Salvia officinalis) look surprisingly attractive among roses. A more flamboyant colour scheme could include Swiss chard “Ruby” among red roses.
There are many plants, provided they are well behaved and do not crowd or shade roses, that make attractive and suitable companions. They may be grown because they provide year-round interest in their own right, because they flower at the same time as the roses, or they fill in between rose flushes. Different forms, such as spikes of flowers (Angelonia, larkspur) or upright foliage (irises) provide contrast.
Cover the bare earth among your budding spring bushes with a carpet of scilla, anemone, daffodil, freesia and ixia bulbs.
Herbs like sage, scented geranium, santolina, catmint and lamb’s ear, grown for their foliage rather than their flowers, are long-time favourite rose companions.
Suitable summer companions are bearded irises, angelonia, delphinium, penstemon and day lilies. Plants with delicate see-through growth habits (cosmos, gypsophila, gaura) provide both depth and lightness among roses. - Saturday Star