Garden fashions come and go but one flower continues to stand the test of time – the classic rose

It’s the quintessential bloom for a typical English garden yet throughout the decades it’s the one flower that never loses its charm. As at home in a wildlife garden as it is in a formal space, you might find them the centrepiece of a colourful border or rambling over the front door of a cosy cottage. I am of course referring to the rose.

While some flowers pass in and out of vogue, take the peony or more recently the hydrangea for example, both of which fell from favour but are now seeing a huge resurgence in popularity, the classic rose just keeps going, year in, year out, decade after decade, the steady favourite of green-fingered folk.

Recently buying our first home, I have been lucky enough to inherit a number of roses, some line the front garden, and others climb the wall or scramble up a trellis, one particularly well established example stands taller than me at the corner of the largest border. While I am slowly introducing a few changes to our outdoor spaces (namely to make them more manageable with two young children) the one thing I won’t be touching are those roses.

But as a relative newbie to gardening, I can find the choice of roses slightly mind-boggling - I confess the difference between a climber and a hybrid tea was quite lost on me. So, for anyone struggling to decide whether your space needs a standard or a shrub, a rambler or wild, I’ve got advice from the rose experts.

Remaining at the forefront of supplying the nation’s gardeners with top quality plants is Peter Beales Roses, they believe roses are the perfect plant for any garden. A spokesperson for the company said: “While roses are adored for their abundance of old-fashioned blooms, their low-maintenance nature ensures that these super-tough shrubs are ideally suited to busy lifestyles.

“They’re resilient enough to survive summer drought, once established, and the worst winter freeze. Some roses can still be in bloom in October in milder regions of the UK, when everything else in the border has run out of steam.”

Here’s their guide to the different types of roses and which ones you can use in your space, whether that’s a small patio that’s looking for some added interest or a grand garden in need of fragrant blooms.

Classic climbers take displays to new heights

You don’t need a garden designer to tell you that bringing blooms up to eye level – or above – will ramp-up drama in gardens. Peter Beales’ range of climbing roses offer vigour and beauty in equal measure, ranging in height from two metres to a towering nine metres tall. Many repeat flower, filling the season with colour.

They’re just the job for clothing walls, trellis, obelisks and arches with vibrant hues – and for growing up properties for a classic cottage look. No garden? No problem! Climbing roses can thrive in large containers if you only have a patio or small deck outside the back door.

Superb shrub roses for a touch of romance

Peter Beales’ range of old and modern shrub roses tick all the boxes for gardeners, with many combining brilliant blooms, fabulous fragrance and healthy foliage. Held in high esteem for being easy to grow, these garden staples are easy to settle in, because they tolerate a wide variety of soil types and garden situations.

Shrub roses make a wonderful focal point feature if planted solo in borders but take flower power to the next level when grown en masse in small groups.

Roses to raise the standard

When to comes to Standard roses – think lollipop-shaped plants with a tall stem and sphere of foliage and flowers at the top. Their elegance ensures a timeless appeal, with standard roses proving as popular nowadays as they were with previous generations of rose-lovers.

Also known as tree roses, their dramatic shape is ideally suited to framing a doorway or defining straight or winding paths, although they’re just as valuable for adding height to sunny flower beds when underplanted with classic cottage garden plants such as lavender.

Maximum flower power for small spaces

Compact living is driving the trend for top-performing plants that thrive in small spaces, and Peter Beales Roses has something for everyone when it comes to compact bush or patio roses that won’t outgrow their welcome.

Heavenly Hybrid Teas

With showy, often single blooms adorning the end of each stem, Hybrid Teas conjure up the classic image of a rose. There’s a huge choice available, and when the first blooms emerge from pointed buds in early summer, it’s the start of a show that won’t run out of steam until the first frosts of autumn.

Ramblers for a riot of colour

Peter Beales’ range of ramblers represent the very definition of informality combined with classic charm. Ramblers are the go-to choice if you adore the breath-taking site of a rose clambering up into a tree.  These vigorous growers make light work of establishing on pergolas and walls because their flexible branches are easy to train or tie-in.

By choosing a rambler from Peter Beales Roses, your garden will play host to a spectacular display of flowers in early to mid-summer – and although many rambling roses only flower once – when they bloom they do it with such fanfare that their large clusters of small flowers are a sight to behold.

Wild and wonderful roses to boost biodiversity

If you’re a fan of wildlife gardening and enjoy a natural, informal plot, then wild roses (also known as species roses) are a dream come true. With a more natural appearance, blooms of wild roses enhance biodiversity, attracting bees and beneficial pollinators.

Although many put on their display in one flush, usually in early summer, the colourful hips (ornamental fruits) that follow if spent blooms aren’t removed are an excellent source of food for wild birds.

Gorgeous ground cover roses

Bare soil beneath shrubs and at the front of flower beds is the ultimate gardening missed opportunity. If your borders are a barren shade of brown, don’t worry, Peter Beales Roses has got you (or your soil) covered!

Also known as procumbent roses, gardeners are spoilt for choice in this category, especially when it comes to the brilliant Flower Carpet series. Featuring a choice of shades including scarlet, ruby, gold, pink, amber, cherry and white, and with a height and spread of around 60 x 90cm, these supremely healthy roses pack a floral punch that belies their compact size.

For more information on finding the perfect roses for your garden, as well as a host of other perennials, shrubs, clematis and other climbers, visit the Peter Beale Roses website.