Roses and Wildlife Gardening 2

 

7 July 2025

Roses and Wildlife Gardening 2

‘We’ll shove two sticks in each hole, dear... they won’t all grow’ Quote: my mother pushing rose cuttings into unpromising, shallow, stony, limestone earth... But they all grew! A testament to the nodes along a stem to develop new roots and shoots, and Free roses! 

Many years on, it is a continuing fight for space between Bobby, Dorothy and spoilt Little Pet - ‘Bobby James’


‘Dorothy Perkins’ (last week’s post (3 & 5)), ‘Little Pet’

 ‘Albertine’ (last week’s post (2)) ‘American Pillar’

 and the ‘Alexandra Rose’

 All these are very easy to propagate... if you would like cuttings of these, come to the Autumn Nature Chain events, make your request to one of the team and I will oblige!

Colourful advertisement overload is often inevitable as roses have, after all, been bred over the centuries for human delight, for example Mrs Sam McGredy


 introduced1929) and the packed creamy gold frills of the beautiful ‘Buff Beauty’

1939).

Wild Gardening Tips: But even in these cluttered situations, insects still use them to a limited extent – I see young green Bush Crickets


 creep into the shelter of petal profusion and Bumble Bees delving in

.

Roses openly displaying their wares offer the real wildlife bonus of lots of available pollen food – cultivated (1, 3, 4, and 


 or wild 

 A great wild rose for the garden, recommended by Kew, is Sweet Briar or Eglantine (Rosa rubiginosa) –



 pink flowers, vigorous apple-scented leaves on strong stems – beautiful, graceful and untamed growth needing little maintenance. In Spring just remove congested growth to increase airiness and give well-rotted mulch. In Summer heat, water infrequently and deeply – overwatering can weaken them.

This and other old bush/shrub roses such as the Rugosa Rose have thin dense thorns


which deter unofficial pruning by deer! Easier than rustic barricades, prettier than wire netting! Vitally useful insects like ladybirds are immune to sharp thorns and hairs

Enjoy wild rose adaptations and their freedom... and yours.

Photos: 1 -10, 15 Nicolette’s Wildlife Garden; 11,12,13 Caisson Gardens, Combe Hay.


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