Gardening with Pat Duke: Time of year when roses steal show

The rain in August has surprised only those with short memories given that it happens every August, for which I blame the schools. They really ought to have their holidays in November to spare the rest of us.

There is, however, a bright side to the rain in that modern rose varieties will be stealing the show from now until October at least. By modern varieties I mean floribundas and hybrid teas. Traditionally a modern rose is one grown after 1867, so not actually that modern at all.

Unlike Old Garden Roses they bloom for longer throughout the season and are generally larger flowers, Having said this, they have a reputation for lacking hardiness and disease resistance. It would be a mistake not to have a few modern roses in any garden, possibly mixed in with the shrubs and other flowers. This way they’ll look more attractive when in flower and when they die down their stark and gothic framework won’t be such a reminder of the change in seasons as they will be hidden among the greenery.

‘Chicago Peace’ is a pastel yellow colour that eventually blends into a blushing pink. It is descended from a rose called simply ‘Peace’ that was bred in war time borne out of optimism. Its scent is a direct link to the past and reminds us how lucky we are to live in peacetime.

‘Ophelia’ is a climbing hybrid tea rose which is white with a subtle lemon colouring . It’s more famous for its elegant shape and matching scent.

‘Rosa Queen Elizabeth’ is a big favourite among rose aficionados as it’s as tall and elegant as a giraffe that makes friends among the delphiniums and marshmallows of the back border. It’s a dusty pink rose and is great as a starter as it doesn’t need a lot of fuss and provides seemingly endless flowers for the house for many years.

Take your time choosing and consider every angle including care, colour and scent, before putting it in the border to give you a lift in late summer.

On the Plot

It’s strawberry time on the plot right now and they can be grown in a variety of ways and methods. Choose the type of strawberry you fancy and when you need it to be in season. Some strawberries fruit in April so they are available when the shops don’t even have the watery varieties on sale. Whole catalogues are heralded to strawberries and there are train spotting like devotees who understandably drool over such publications.

There is still time to plan how you are going to grow them, whether it’s in a bed, tub or one of those purpose built pots with what look like tiny Greek balconies in them. I've seen them be festooned with strawberries, but never mastered it myself, preferring a specially prepared bed instead.

Alpine strawberries ‘Baron Solemecher’ can be grown among the flowers or even in a rockery and can be dropped in drinks. Be careful though as they can create ground cover in no time.

‘Tamella’ will be ready to eat by April or alternatively, later varieties that will fruit by September are ‘Aiko’, ‘Bogota’ or ‘Red Gauntlet’

Plants will only fruit for up to three years where they will incrementally reduce the crop in that time. This isn't a problem as you can very easily pot up the runners they send out and plant them in pots as you see fit. You’ll never have to buy plants again and can happily call yourself a sustainable gardener.

There are subtle signs of a change in the seasons now such as the odd cold breeze or a few more leaves swirling around the back gate. In the same way we embrace the onset of spring and summer, it's well worth having the same positive approach to autumn.