they all come out at slightly different times and they all have different perfumes too.  My newest rose (bought this year) is Jubilee Celebration which has a very fruity almost grapefruit like fragrance so it is on the patio in a large pot so I can enjoy the scent whilst having a cuppa.  Next to flower was Munstead Wood with it’s fabulous deep crimson flowers and gorgeous Old rose scent.  Then came the climbing rose Zephirine Drouhin.  It isn’t doing as well as it could because it really needs to be in full sun and I have planted it towards the back of the garden, which is plunged into shade in the afternoon courtesy of the golf course trees. I have made quite a few mistakes in the garden and that is just one of them.  But it still flowers and I just need to give it more TLC than some of the others. It smells divine.  William Lobb the moss rose is a lovely dark crimson when it first opens then it fades to a pale greyish violet.  It also smells fab. They used to be tied up along wires between 3 tall posts but when we did away with the green house we also took out the posts.  They can be a bit sprawly in habit but I am trying to keep them pruned into a more bush like form.  That way it keeps the flowers where I can both see and smell them.  I have a mini pink rambler in a large pot (along with the Parahebe) which scrambles up an old clothes post.  It does quite well and I would like to train it along the fence too.  I am not sure if I should have planted the Rosa Rugosa as it is just so unruly.  It seams to just flower sporadically and they are all on the very top of the bush.  Should I have gone for a dog rose instead?  It is in the stumpery/woodland area which can get very shady too but I thought they could cope with almost any condition. I will feed it with rose or tomato feed as just see if that helps this year. At the back of the garden I have newly planted The Generous Gardener.  It should be able to cope with some shade so I just hope it can make do with the few hours of sunshine it does get.  The flowers are a very feminine, delicate pink and have a beautiful Old rose scent.  I do hope I can nurture them enough to cover the arch.  The last one to flower is  Erotica ( or Eroica – I think that is what it is called – it never had a tag and I bought it over 20 years ago). It has deep red, highly scented flowers and is quite a tall upright bush.  The foliage is quite purple/red during spring turning green later.  It is always the last one to flower but then that might be due to the way I prune it. I will add a photograph when it finally decides to flower.

Jubilee Celebration

Munstead Wood

Zephirine Drouhin

William Lobb

Mini pink rambler

Rosa Rugosa

The Generous Gardener

And it finally flowers on the 10th July!  Well worth waiting for as it is a colour, has a gorgeous scent and has nice long, upright stems so makes a great cut flower.

Erotica