Roses

Hmm, what do I know about roses?? well, they love sunlight and LOTS of water. However, do not water the entire plant but only the base, as they are prone to black spot as a result of tap water. In the event you have a problem with black spot – cut off all the effected areas (with the black spot or yellowing leaves) and get them away from the plant. This is a fungus and will spread. Then try a mixture of water, washing up liquid and baking soda, Spray on everyday to cover the leaves, but not enough to water the plant again, and eventually the plants will clear.

As for fertilizer, I use lard. Yup, lard. I make my own, from the beef fat I ask the local supermarket to save for me. I did have to persuade them I was not going to make patties or any type of food first. Then boil, chill and skim. Repeat until you have reaped all of the lard. Throw away the remaining muck in the pot!! But the lard is to be placed as close to the underside of the plant as possible. In the event you have to dig some up to get the lard under, don’t worry, it will bounce back with much vigor and generous blooms!

Cut what’s left after the flowers die at the next junction where the leaves are (look for new growth) Two will come up from there. With climbing roses, if you position the branches as horizontally as possible, it will bloom upwards with numerous shoots off the main horizontal branch. Thanks to Chris for a lot of this information

I am partial to red, but remeber that there are other colours and variants.