Roses will grow in almost any soil, as long as it is well-drained. Incorporating some well-rotted garden compost or manure into the planting area will get your roses off to a flying start.
There are so many different roses, there is possibly one for any spot in the garden, from a container on a sunny patio, to a climber for a north-facing wall.
Roses are deep rooted plants that, once established, can survive on the moisture present naturally in the soil. But, in the first few years after planting, and where the soil is especially dry, thorough watering is recommended. Wet the top 25cm (10in) of the soil every 10 days in prolonged dry spells to give the best results.
Roses have roots that come up near the soil surface, so hoeing is best avoided or at least kept very shallow.
Hand weeding and mulching will control annual weeds, but perennial ones may need to be removed individually with a fork. Mulching and planting groundcover plants will help to keep roses weed-free.
Weedkillers based on glyphosate and other systemic chemicals might be taken up by rose suckers and can cause severe damage to roses. Contact weedkillers are less risky.
Songs of Praise, a Floribunda rose with a light scent.
Pat Austin, a shrub rose that reaches 1.2m tall.
Buff Beauty, a hybrid musk that is often grown as a climber.
Baby Love is a patio or miniature rose, reaching about 30cm tall.
'Pax' is a climber reaching to about 1.8m tall. It has a tea frgrance.
A Whiter Shade of Pale is a hybrid tea with flowers that open to a relaxed and full shape.
Queen of Sweden is a healthy shrub rose with an upright habit.
Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis' is a China rose. Its flowers open peachy-orange, but fade pink to deep rose. This rose flowers as long as the weather is mild.
'Verity' made a useful short climber. It has little fragrance, but there is a profusion of blooms in early summer.
Gertrude Jekyll has a strong, old rose fragrance. As the flowers open on this shrub rose, they reveal a fully-double centres.
'Wild Edric' is a shrubby Rugosa type; however it repeat flowers and tolerates a wide range of conditions. It can also be grown as a hedge.
William Shakespeare 2000 is a modern Shrub rose with a good disease resistance and scent.