Their many shapes and colours make roses the most elegant plants of all. They range from groundcovers to tall ramblers and produce flowers as tiny as the tip of your little finger to as big as your fist. Whether you have a traditional, wild or contemporary garden, you can always find just the right kind of rose to set it off beautifully.

Rose classifications

Every year, breeders introduce new roses, each of them valuable varieties displaying various shapes, colours and fragrances. They are often classified according to their habit: shrubs producing large-flowered or cluster-flowered varieties, but also species (wild), climbing, shrub and standard roses. Their flowers range from small to large and can be single-flowering, semi-double or fully double. Choosing them depends on your personal taste.

Rose hedges

Species (wild) roses produce many rosehips and will be a good choice for an edible garden or a somewhat wilder garden. These have not been created by breeders but have simply evolved in their natural habitats. A familiar example is the Beach rose (Rosa rugosa). By planting climbing varieties in your garden, you add colour overhead. They will need support, however, such as an arch, a trellis or an old tree Shrub rose is perfect for creating a beautiful rose hedge.

A natural look

Rose shrubs can be planted in clusters as well as in groups with other plants. Flower bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, for example, will provide colour before the flowers start to bloom. And an edging of lavender (Lavandula) around your rose bush provides a neat, orderly look. For a more natural effect, combine roses with Crane bill (Geranium) and Purpletop vervain (Verbena bonariensis).

Rose facts

Did you know that roses aren’t difficult plants at all? Give them the right position, care, fertiliser – and a bit of love – and you’ll be enjoying them for years to come! This way, a rose will keep on being the jewel in your garden. And some rose varieties require nothing more than planting.