Glorious rose gardens to be inspired by from the pages of House & Garden
The queen of flowers, the rose is romantic and beautiful and floods the air with hearty scent, so no wonder that entire gardens are dedicated to it. The first record of roses growing in a garden is in ancient Greece in the 5th century BC; the Romans were rose-obsessed and grew them abundantly in their city gardens; and, in both Christian monasteries and Islamic gardens, roses were tended within a garden layout that was intended to represent paradise.
Our love affair with roses has never faded and two of Britain's most treasured gardens are dominated by them: Sissinghurst in Kent (planted in the 1930s) and Mottisfont in Hampshire (created in the 1970s). In these two iconic walled rosaries, an abundance of deliciously scented old roses thrives amongst a colourful tapestry of perennials and biennials. As well as reducing rose sickness, growing alongside other plants looks pretty and aids wildlife.
In modern rose-garden design, catering for pollinators, birds, and other garden fauna is the new focus. Roses bred for health are planted to prevent the need for chemicals, which harm insects and, in turn, reduce the birds' food supply. And flower shape is crucial. Whether it's old ramblers or new varieties (such as The King's Rose), the roses employed have single or semi-double blooms that allow bees and hoverflies to access nectar, and many also bear hips that feed birds.
This wildlife care can be seen in established rose gardens, such as Hever Castle in Kent, where – amongst the 5,000 roses in the Rose Garden – umpteen nectar-accessible 'Rambling Rector' roses are trained against the walls and hum with bees, as well as in newer rosariums, such as the Wildlife Garden at the Peter Beales Rose Gardens in Norfolk. There, bee-friendly species roses and cultivars (such as 'Wickwar') grow in hedges and scramble up trees. And, at Easton in Lincolnshire, the Rose Meadows are an exciting mix of roses growing on blacksmith-made frames amid long billowing grasses and meadow flowers, which supports a wealth of insects and creates a contemporary, refreshing style of rose garden.







