While I was away in December the vege garden rioted!
But weeds make good mulch...
But when the digging is done the rocks make a good edging for the beds, and roses can take their place. (This one is Eglantyne, bred by David Austin and named after Eglantyne Jebb, who founded the charity Save the Children.)
Roses have edible hips which come later in the season, and sometimes I make rosehip jelly from the hips of the wild briar rose. Most of the time, however, I concentrate on growing and enjoying the premier fruits that are part of the rose family, such as apricots and strawberries.
What's the best way of balancing rosehips with roses? I was taught by my mother that to get roses to flower more, you need to deadhead them, which would then get rid of the hip. I've got two young rosebushes (put in at the beginning of Spring this year), and am getting some fantastic flowers from them. I'd love to be able to make rosehip jelly from them at the end of the season, but am not sure when to stop deadheading to get the best amount of hips.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo,
ReplyDeleteWhether you will be able to make good jelly and therefore whether it is worth letting your roses set hips depends on the type of rose.
The best roses for rosehips to make jelly are the old species or 'wild' roses such as the dog rose (Rosa canina) or the sweetbriar rose, R. rubiginosa, which is the one which grows wild in the drier parts of New Zealand. Some species roses which are grown in the garden mainly for their hips are R. moyesii and R. macrophylla. All the rugosa roses (which include some of my favourite garden roses e.g. Blanc Double de Coubert, Rosarie de l'Hay) have great hips, and there are also some lovely sweetbriar hybrids e.g. Golden Wings, Stanwell Perpetual.
A good book to consult to see if you have the right kind of rose is 'Roses' by Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix, which has hundreds of photos and short notes on each rose. If you have modern hybrid roses it is probably better just to keep dead-heading and enjoy the flowers.
Hope this helps.
Thanks - I've looked up the roses that I bought, and they are both Rosa hybrids, so probably best to keep them for the flowers. The ones out the front may be a form of wild rose, so I'll see what happens with them :-)
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