Our Ten Favourite Roses

The selection of a rose can be an emotional choice; a love of a specific variety is often associated with people close to us, a parent or relation who grew the rose, or as homage to a garden we loved in another time or place. Similarly, a rose given or received as a present takes on a special meaning, like a recipe passed down, the pleasure of the flowers becomes associated with the giver, the gift that truly keeps on giving.

The choice of our favourite ten roses is not necessarily a ‘best of’ but rather more a vox populi of the rose lovers at Burford Garden Co. It was, however, often difficult for each gardener to narrow down their personal favourite when asked, from what is a large collection here.

This Regency rose, bred in 1817, is a helpfully restrained climber perfect for an obelisk, small wall or trellis. Cascades of attractive, small pink flowers open to reveal bright stamens and fill the garden with a scent of cloves.

Sometimes used for hedging, this shrub rose produces a mass of flowers throughout the summer, whose single, open form attracts native pollinators. The flowers have a light, musky scent and if you choose not to dead head, they produce appealing rosehips in autumn.

Named after the remarkable garden designer, this is an extraordinarily popular choice. Often the first to start flowering, this rose will continue to do so throughout the summer. Richly coloured and equally highly scented, she is healthy and versatile, and available as a shrub or climber.

Our Plant Manager’s favourite, this shrub rose repeatedly produces the most beautifully shaped, medium sized blooms packed with pink-tinted ivory petals with a strong old rose fragrance. Its dramatic beauty makes it perfect for specimen planting in a container.

Each large, upward facing bloom of Rosa Boscobel comprises a mass of closely packed petals in a glorious mixture of deep pink and coral. Superb in a border, the strength of colour also works particularly well in a large terracotta container.

The outer petals of this opulently coloured shrub rose mature a slightly lighter shade, echoing the burgundy cast of the stems. Vigorous with glossy foliage, the large blooms contribute a deep tone to a border throughout the summer.

This unusual rose not only covers the ground but it will also climb, making it invaluable. Its compact form means that the healthy foliage with its repeat flowering blooms provides a dense cover. The open, single flowers with dramatic golden stamens are gently scented and highly attractive to native pollinators.

Image courtesy of David Austin Roses

With delicately pink blooms maturing to a softer shade with a golden centre, this charming rose is misleadingly robust. Beautiful in a border or container, the upright shrub can also be planted as an excellent hedge, especially valuable since it also tolerates shade and exposed, windy positions.

An eternally cheerful addition to a garden, this large, bushy shrub rose has lavish blooms that open in a warm, sunny yellow and mature to soft apricot, accompanied by a glorious scent. Superb in a container, it is ironically tolerant of partial shade!

It is unusual to find a repeat flowering rambler, but this final choice does just that as well as tolerating partial shade. Perfect for a large rose arch, pergola, or obelisk, or to grow through a tree, its small blooms hang in clusters, the soft pink petals beautifully arranged around a button eye.