It’s no secret that English roses are amongst one of the most famous and popular groups of roses. Owning an English rose garden does not have to be difficult, but it does take some degree of patience, consideration, and knowledge to make your own garden.
Let us do the hard work for you with this helpful guide on how to have an English rose garden.
Practical Considerations For An English Rose Garden
The two most forefront considerations when planning an English rose garden are:
- Planting in groups.
It is recommended to plant a few of the same variety of roses together in one group in order to create a stronger, more fortified plant.
Eventually, these individual rose shrubs will meld to become one singular bush with a few points of entry into the soil.
- Competition from neighboring plants.
When you are gardening, you are essentially creating a mini ecosystem between all the plants in the garden.
Your rose shrubs will be competing with other plants in the soil for nutrients.
A careful selection of companion plants is a major consideration to take when planning a garden.
It is recommended to allow neighboring plants ample space for their own care, but not too much individual space that it diminishes the flow of the mixed border.
Planning Ahead
When you are planning your English rose garden, it is important to try to visualize what you want your garden to look like.
Not only should you visualize in your head, but it is practical to sketch out your idea on paper.
When your roses first arrive, they will be small, juvenile plants. It is necessary to visualize how they will look as they mature.
Considerations such as height, width, and color will all help you come to a consensus on how to plot your garden.
How To Have A Mixed Border In An English Rose Garden
Having a comprehensive knowledge of starting your own English rose garden is a powerful tool to help you create a gorgeous garden that will be the envy of all your neighbors.
We have selected for you some of the most beautiful English roses that you can plant in your mixed border.
English Roses For The Back Of The Border
This selection of rose cultivars is suitable for the back of the mixed border due to their tall, upright roses and their lack of leafy growth.
Financial Times Centenary Rose
Financial Times Centenary rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1988.
It was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Financial Times.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Old Rose Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Financial Times Centenary rose is one of the most beautiful dark pink roses, with an old rose fragrance.
When transplanting your juvenile rose plants for a mixed border, it is important to space out your rose bushes from one another.
Spacing your plants not only helps promote air circulation but also allows the plants’ root system to uninhibitedly reach their full growth potential.
The border will look sparse at first, but in due time, the roses with spread out and you’ll have the lush mixed border you’ve been dreaming of.
The ideal spacing requirement for the Financial Times Centenary rose is around 2 to 3 feet apart in between each individual plant.
Prune early to promote new growth!
Swan Rose
Swan rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1987.
| COLOR: White Blend | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Mild, Fruity, Myrrh Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft – 6ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Shade Tolerant, Full Sun |
Swan rose has extra large flat flowers. It is very strong and has an upright growth.
The Swan is a conveniently shade tolerant English rose and does not require a full day’s worth of sun.
While ample sunlight is helpful in increasing the growth rate of this plant, your Swan rose bush won’t mind some partial shade during the day.
We recommend this variety of areas of the garden that don’t receive a lot of sunlight, such as on the side of a house or underneath a tree.
English Roses For The Centrum Of The Border
The following four rose varieties are best suited for the centrum of the mixed border. These roses have a more rounded growth, reaching a height of roughly 4 feet.
Redouté Rose
Redouté rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, before 1992.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE Moderate, Sweet Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft – 6ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Redouté rose is not fussy about soil and will tolerate most soil types as well as soil pH levels.
However, if you are striving for the best rose bushes, the ideal soil type, in this case, would be a slightly acidic soil that is rich and well-draining, yet moisture retentive.
Mary Rose
Mary Rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1983.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Strong Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft – 5ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Mary Rose is another David Austin English rose with a compact, shrubby growth.
It has excellent disease resistance.
The Mary Rose is capable of being grown in cold climates (as low as zone 5b), but it will require spring freeze protection.
Random frosts in the spring can kill any new growth that the rose was developing, which hinders the overall growth of the plant.
The easiest way to protect your Mary Rose from spring frost is to postpone pruning until you are certain that any threat of frost has passed.
Perdita Rose
Perdita rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, before 1982.
| COLOR: Cream To Apricot | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Spicy Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Partial Shade, Full Sun |
Perdita rose is a medium-sized bush with dark foliage.
While mixed border roses are most grown to remain in the garden, the Perdita rose is also suitable as a cut flower.
During the blooming season, harvest a few roses to keep in a vase in your house.
You may love its aroma, which is said to be spicy!
Ambridge Rose
Ambridge rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1990.
| COLOR: Apricot Blend | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Strong Myrrh Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 3ft – 4ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Ambridge rose is a repeat bloomer and will produce large quantities of flowers throughout the season.
If you want your rose bush to produce the most amount of flowers that it can, then we highly suggest deadheading your roses.
As the name suggests, deadheading is the process in which you cut off the dying blooms on the rose bush.
This will not only increase the yield of roses but also help maintain your plant’s aesthetic throughout the season.
If you look at the roses’ stem, you’ll notice a small branch with 5 leaves underneath the rose; make the cut just above this branch.
English Roses For The Front Of The Border
These seven varieties of English rose are fitted for the front of the mixed border due to their short, twiggy, bushy growth habit.
L.D. Braithwaite Rose
L.D. Braithwaite rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1988.
| COLOR: Crimson | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Strong Old Rose Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 3ft – 6ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Interestingly enough, the L.D. Braithwaite rose variety only begins to have an aroma as it ages.
If you breed roses for their fragrance, then you will have to wait a while in order for this rose variety to give off a scent.
But be patient- this rose has a delightful old rose fragrance that we’re sure you’ll love.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh Rose
Charles Rennie Mackintosh rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1988.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Mild Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 3ft – 5ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Shade Tolerant, Full Sun |
While the Charles Rennie Mackintosh rose is resistant to mildew and rust, it does have a slight susceptibility to blackspot.
However, blackspots can be swiftly prevented by avoiding overhead watering and maximizing the air circulation in between plants.
You can increase airflow by pruning your rose bushes every year, in addition, to properly spacing out your plants when you first build your English rose garden.
Glamis Castle Rose
Glamis Castle rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, before 1992.
| COLOR: White, Cream Shading | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Moderate, Myrrh, Sweet Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 3ft – 4ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Glamis Castel rose has white flowers and bushy growth. It is an ideal rose for small gardens and for the front of borders.
The Glamis Castle rose bush is known to be thorny and armed with prickles.
If you have unsuspecting children or pets, then it would be a good idea to plant these in a location where you can closely monitor them.
In addition, handling these rose bushes will require personal protective equipment such as heavy gloves and eye goggles.
Pruning your roses doesn’t have to be painful!
The Cottage Rose
The Cottage rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, before 1991.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Moderate Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 3ft – 5ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Cottage Rose has a slight susceptibility to mildew and black spot.
Nevertheless, there are small adjustments you can make in your care routine that will prevent you from ever having to deal with bouts of disease.
Make sure to reduce any unnecessary moisture and prevent your plant’s leaves from getting wet when they can be avoided.
Water your roses as close to the base as possible.
In addition, annual pruning will help increase the airflow between your plants, which greatly reduces the chance of disease.
Country Living Rose
Country Living rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1991.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Mild Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 2ft – 4ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Country Living rose is known for having a very mild fragrance.
We love to recommend mildly scented roses to our gardeners who have a sensitivity to strong aromas.
You can still enjoy your roses without being overpowered by the rose scent.
St. Cecilia Rose
St. Cecilia rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1987.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Strong Myrrh Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 3ft – 6ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The St. Cecilia rose is tolerable of a wide range of climates, ranging from zones as low as 4b to as high as 10b.
If you fear that your climate is too hot or too cold to sustain roses, then we definitely suggest the St. Cecilia rosa.
Peach Blossom Rose
Peach Blossom rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1990.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE Mild Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft – 5ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The flowers on the Peach Blossom plant only have occasional re-blooms in the season, so it is important to make the most out of your blooming season.
Giving your plant a good dosage of fertilizer can help increase the yield and quality of your roses.
Select a fertilizer with a slightly higher phosphorous content; phosphorous is responsible for flower development.
Follow the package instructions carefully and treat your plant with this fertilizer during the springtime.
Conclusion
One of the greatest tools to a successful English rose garden is not in your garage, but rather it’s in your head.
Knowing what a rose garden entails and the specific requirements of each variety is a necessity in creating a thriving environment, and we certainly hope we’ve helped you achieve that with this article.
