Unstoppable bloomers

WHERE space is tight, plants have to earn their place. So the best roses for a small garden are those that flower over a long period during summer and into autumn. Some even keep up the show into December.

There are two types of long-flowering roses: perpetual (or continuous) and repeat-flowering (also known as recurrent or remontant). The perpetuals flower non-stop, whereas the repeat-flowering roses have two main flushes of bloom or flower intermittently over the course of several months.

English shrub roses

While perpetual varieties aren’t so common, those that repeat-flower form the bulk of modern roses. One of the most famous groups are the English shrub roses, which were first created by the late rose breeder David Austin by crossing old varieties with modern ones. “These two traditions have been brought together with the