Roses

Most of my roses are David Austin - I've bought the recently bred ones. So latest was bred in 1990.

They have the fragrance and beautiful blooms of the ones dating early 1900 and before.

When I moved here there was one rose - it smelt gorgeous but never performed very well. I added a couple and they did ok.

I've added a few more over the years and the Autumn just gone had my birthday present delivery of Roses.

Now it may be luck? My soil is clay, I try to loosen it, I add lots of homemade composts. I think roses like clay?
I plant with the M Fungus stuff/( sorry can't be bothered to check spelling) I make sure they are pruned and all leaves removed. This is not a major job in Jan when there's nothing else to do. I feed and mulch - which is a sprinkle of rose feed and Chuck on some manure or compost. They honestly have been fabulous. Last year they really came into their own - my garden had never looked or smelt so good.

Now I have got several P Beals roses and they haven't performed well compared tothe David Austin. I certainly haven't pruned that well in the past and I found that David As stems could be very thin and often wouldn't hold a flower and quite harsh on pruning now and it has helped.