June would not be June in England without the rose. Every garden should have at least one rose in it, and preferably several! The cheapest way to buy roses is to get them in winter as ‘Bare Root’ plants, which are exactly that. They arrive from the nursery in a plastic bag and need soaking for a couple of hours before planting in a well-prepared hole with plenty of organic matter and some mycorrhizal fungi granules – which are a fairly new idea and help the roots establish quicker.

A great selection available
If you wish to put roses in the garden at this time of year there is no problem, as there is a really good selection available in pots from the nurseries or garden centres, and in a way it is easier to choose them when in bloom. Some roses only bloom once in the summer and some bloom continually, so that is something to check. Also some roses have no scent (who wants a rose with no scent?!).

Some roses have more resistance to disease than others, and if you don’t like spraying plants with a fungicide, that is something that you should check. Some roses will put up with a degree of shade (no rose would like being in heavy shade) such as Madame Alfred Carriere – a lovely old white rose with a pink blush dating back to early Victorian times, which is great for a partially shaded wall, and will flower from June through into Autumn. Good plants for growing under roses are things like perennial Geraniums, the silver foliage of Nepeta x faassenii, or Salvia nemorosa, and the more compact lavenders.

The ‘Chelsea Chop’
The ‘Chelsea Chop’ is a way of shortening perennials, which can become leggy. It promotes smaller, later flowers but in an increased quantity. It is done around the time of the Chelsea flower show (hence its name) – at the end of May or beginning of June. You can try it on lots of plants such as Sedums, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Helenium and Asters. You could also cut back half the stems and leave the other half, thus lengthening the time of the flowering display – have a try and see how you get on.

Derby day is the traditional time of year to give Box a first trim, although obviously it varies from area to area – but by 7th June frost is unlikely in Britain! Don’t cut it in hot sunshine as the leaves will get scorched. Feed with some bonemeal or slow release granules and water well when you have finished.