Our Brilliant Roses Course at Peter Beales today

What we learnt:

• Don't be afraid of pruning - you can even use hedge cutters!
• Cut obliquely to just above a bud at the height you wish shoots and flowers to come from
• Plant roses well down so union is under the soil on top of good compost and add Rootgrow mychorhiza directly to the roots to encourage nitrogen fixing bacteria to grow in roots.
• Heeling in is just laying into a trench when roses cannot be planted in their permanent position
• To take cuttings cut a section of stem and plant in potting compost with plenty of sand
• Make sure no branches cross over or rub against one another and create a goblet shape airy and open in the centre or with sufficient gaps around climbers to allow air to freely circulate around the rose
• Train roses sideways to encourage growth from all buds not just those nearest the light
• Tie up with soft thin rubber tubing as string rots and wire cuts
• Feed well and regularly following instructions for dilution to get correct strengthsuch as Uncle Tom's see tonic
• Douse roots regularly with water
• Plant into degradable sunk cardboard boxes like wine boxes resting on top of good compost if there is any chance of disease or poor soil so rose is well established before it grows out of the box.
• Mulch with Strulch! decomposed straw!