Rose addicts need not wait until summer for their beloved favourite flower to burst into voluptuous bloom. Not widely grown, but more than worthy of a place in the garden, spring-flowering roses offer the soulfulness and romance of their genus early in the year, as well as delivering a unique magic. As a group, they are dominated by soft yellows and whites, slotting beautifully into the sunny palette of daffodils and primroses. The majority are good for wildlife, providing pollinators with much-needed spring food, and the single flowers of many suit the modern naturalistic look.
Which climbing roses bloom in spring?
The easiest way to squeeze early-flowering roses into a small to medium garden is to send the climbing and rambling forms up walls and over structures. The best are 'Maigold', the Banksian roses, and the Borsaults:
MAY GOLD - In late spring, the red buds of the climber 'Maigold' open into large copper flowers that fade to coral and custard yellow and exude a strong musk fragrance. Robust and tolerant of a wide range of conditions, it is incredibly easy to grow and one of the best roses for tricky sites. In truth, it's a shrub, but the growth is too barmy for it to be grown as a standalone bush, so it's sold as a climber and best sent scrambling over supports, over a dull conifer, or over an arch, where it will achieve 3 metres or more.
LADY BANKS' ROSES - The darlings of the spring roses are forms of Rosa banksiae, a rambling rose from the mountains of China. They are named after the wife of Joseph Banks, Director of Kew Gardens, where one of these characterful roses arrived in 1807. Sprays of small, pretty flowers and arching growth make them adorable, and some have wonderful scent. The most widely grown is R. banksiae 'Lutea', which is a dreamy mass of double butter-yellow blooms from April to June: a large established plant can produce 50,000 flowers. It is the most floriferous and the hardiest Banksian rose and, at Sissinghurst in Kent, coats the south-eastern side of Vita's writing tower, well-suited to the red brick.
The other Banks roses are not widely available, but worth hunting down, since they have a lot more scent than 'Lutea'. The beautiful double white, R. banksiae var. banksiae (syn. 'Alba Plena'), offers robust growth and a delicious scent, reminiscent of violets. The single-flowered forms, R. banksiae 'Lutescens' (Canary yellow) and R. banksiae var. normalis (white) don't bloom for as long as the doubles, but boast beautiful perfume and look incredible in a naturalistic planting scheme.
All four boast semi-evergreen leaves and almost-thornless stems. Having a scrambling habit, they are arguably best flowing through the branches of a mature tree or tumbling over a garage, but being tender in the UK, a warm, sheltered south or west-facing wall is usually the best bet. If you live in an urban or coastal microclimate or a mild region, you can grow the enchanting Banksian roses with confidence. In sun-baked conditions, they can be vigorous, achieving 6 metres or more. It's vital not to prune until they are 6 years old and, even then, only lightly.
THE BORSAULT ROSES - This small gang of old thornless rambling and climbing roses are gems for extending the rose season. In May, 'Amadis' (magenta purple) and 'Morletii' (fuchsia pink) deliver a welcome blast of early colour, with an abundant show of silken rosettes on long, arching wine-red canes, which look perfect hung over a wall or fence. They are scentless, but sometimes repeat flower later in the year and the foliage takes on fiery autumn colour in sun. However, the late rosarian Graham Stuart Thomas declared 'Madame Sancy de Parabère' the best of the Borsaults, having an abundance of lovely clear-pink flowers that can reach 12 centimetres wide in late spring.
What are the early-flowering shrub roses in the UK?
For most gardeners, there is simply not enough space to justify planting a shrub rose that only flowers in spring, but for those lucky enough to have a larger garden, the magical early shrubs are a joy.
'Frühlingsgold' (spring gold) is a wonderful 2-metre wildlife shrub that will grow just about anywhere and stops you in your tracks when it blooms in May. The arching branches carry large, fragrant soft-yellow flowers that fade to cream and fill the air with reviving perfume. Another excellent yellow is the incense rose (Rosa primula), so-called because its leaves release an intoxicating balsam odour across the garden on damp days; it reaches 1.5 metres and bears primrose-yellow flowers in April and May.
The double white form of Rosa spinosissima (syn. R. pimpinellifolia) is slightly shorter, forming a delightful 1-metre thicket of ferny leaves that colour well in autumn. In May, it is clad with charming white cup flowers that release a lovely scent. All three of these roses are fabulous for pollinators, including bees.
Which early roses can you use in a mixed hedge?
Of course, another great way to squeeze spring-blooming roses into a small to medium garden is to include them in a mixed hedge. The native Scotch rose (Rosa spinosissima) is highly desirable, producing scented single white flowers that feed bees in May and maroon-black hips in autumn; it has prickly stems that aid security and attractive ferny glaucous leaves, and it tolerates drought, to boot.
'Cantabrigiensis' is a graceful wildlife shrub rose that can also be used in hedging, offering gorgeous banana-yellow flowers in late spring, ferny leaves, and orange-red hips.
When should you plant spring-flowering roses?
Because they are not widely known, the early-blooming roses can be hard to find. They are best bought and planted bare root in winter from specialist rose suppliers, such as Trevor White. But, if not available, potted plants can go in the ground at any time of year (preferably autumn for spring-flowering roses); alternatively, bare-root roses can be pre-ordered for delivery and planting in November.
