There is a rose for just about any sunny place in the garden. Roses may be chosen for their fragrance,
their flower shape and scent or their growth habits, but in most gardens they are grown primarily for their
colour, offering unlimited possibilities in the landscape. Colourscaping with roses Life is a garden when you discover the beautiful colours of roses.
There is a rose for just about any sunny place in the garden. Roses may be chosen for their fragrance,
their flower shape and scent or their growth habits, but in most gardens they are grown primarily for their
colour, offering unlimited possibilities in the landscape. Colourscaping with roses Life is a garden when you discover the beautiful colours of roses.
Try these colour combinations: Classic creams White, ivory and cream roses with green clipped shrubs are a classic combination that always pleases.
Choose the timeless favourite white Iceberg, the new white Alabaster rose, Pope John Paul, a white rose with a heavenly scent, or Ivory Beauty, which, as the name suggests, has lovely ivory-coloured blooms.
Sunshine yellows For those who love yellow roses, choose the new yellow floribunda Leeudoorn’s First Choice with its strong flowering ability, Germiston Gold with pointed golden-yellow buds, or Forever Yellow which bears semi-double blooms.
Pretty pinks Choosing roses of one colour can be made more interesting using tints and tones of that colour with similarly coloured annuals and perennials.
For example, soft pink roses Pearl of Bedfordview and Sharifa Asma and brighter pink roses Bella Rosa, Pink Knock Out and Karoo Rose can be underplanted in spring with pink pansies, alyssum and larkspur, followed by summerflowering pink asters, day lilies, gaura and dianthus.
A beautiful statue surrounded by elegant pink hybrid tea roses such as Summer Lady or Bride’s Dream is also a combination that always works well.
Ravishing reds If your favourite colour rose is red, a bed of Ingrid Bergman or Ecstasy within a low hedge of clipped Duranta Sheena’s Gold will always attract attention.
Or you may prefer to train the red Cherry Garland rose over teal-blue arches, or line a path with beds of the floribunda rose Little Red Hedge and darker red Lava Glow complemented by dark blue agapanthus and purpleblue irises.
There are also perennials and annuals in shades of red, such as velvety red snapdragons, satiny red dahlias and sultry red day lilies to accentuate red roses.
For a rich and opulent look, combine red roses with the maroon and bronze foliage of Leptospermum Cherry Brandy, Berberis thunbergii Rose Glow, Phormium Chocolate Baby and bronze fennel. Deep plum roses are wonderful with peach, pink and violet companions.
Their rich dark colours could be accentuated with foliage plants in matching shades, and they would stand out among the buff plumes of ornamental grasses.
Sunset shades Instead of a single arch, why not a series of arches to form a paved rose walk? Imagine how pretty apricot climbing roses Crépuscule, Fairest Cape and Buff Beauty would be with beds of creamy-apricot French Panarosa, Amber Panarosa,orange-brown Rosycola Panarosa and bronze-apricot Liz McGrath bordering the walk.
When roses like Iced Ginger, Julia’s Rose, Honey Dijon and Teddy Bear are grown with cream and bronze day lilies and copper and chocolate irises, the result is one of sophistication and glamour.
Other effective ways of colourscaping with roses would be to stand pots of peachy-pink Georgie Girl, peach apricot Deloitte & Touche, coral salmon Gnome World or apricot Jealous Joey on a flight of steps.
You could create a vertical tapestry of colour with climbing roses on pillars and obelisks, or garland an old swing with climbing roses, such as pink Blossom Magic, yellow Golden Showers or Wedding Garland.
Repeat the chosen colour with base plantings of bush roses. The fiery oranges of Tempi Moderni and Vrystaat roses are guaranteed to liven up any garden, or you may prefer the more subtle copper-apricot tones of Just Joey with low-growing apricot cream Amarula Profusion.
Blue-flowered agapanthus and Salvia Blue Victoria will complement and cool down these vibrant colours. For the patriotic As well as Rainbow Nation, there is the disease-resistant golden yellow South Africa, tall growing yellow World Cup, the yellow floribunda Sasol, Vuvuzela, with its red-orange over yellow blooms, sparkling red Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Madiba, a deep maroonpink.
Remember that roses grown in mixed borders should have companions that are well behaved. Their root system should not be invasive, and they should not crowd or grow taller than the roses.
Brought to you by the ‘Life is a Garden’ Campaign on behalf of the SA Nursery Association in the interests of promoting gardening as a leisure time activity. For more information go to www.lifeisagarden.co.za
