Rose Garden

When I'm thinking about the garden or talking about the garden (which happens quite a lot) I'm always thinking or saying "that's one of my favourite roses". Garden magazines often have lists of their favourite roses, and I'm quick to agree or (usually) disagree with them.

I'm not overly impressed by the hybrid teas which inevitably do get on the list. And some roses are far too useful to be in vogue - I've never seen the bright pink Flower Carpet rose get a mention...

Roses are just the best (and can be the worst) plants in any garden. I love how universal roses are. There is equal joy in seeing two or three roses in a tiny town garden or seeing the huge rose panoramas in botanical gardens. A love of roses brings people from vastly different gardens together.

My roses do NOT get sprayed once a fortnight. I spray maybe once or twice in a whole year, particularly for bad infestations of aphids and/or rust. It's partly laziness, but I'm also not happy using nasty chemicals.

Please don't be disappointed if I don't sound like a rose dictionary, though occasionally I'll check in my big Botanica's Roses book to compare experiences. And my comments are very personal - particular varieties which fail in my garden will be brilliant somewhere else.

I hope you enjoy looking at my rose collection.

New Zealand Roses

New Zealand rose breeders are well known in the world. In this new section you'll meet Sam McGredy, and others like him.

Old-Fashioned Roses

I don't grow many old-fashioned roses in my garden - yet! I'm interested in trying out some more, though - and visits to old-fashioned rose gardens always inspire me to write huge lists. I love the history which accompanies old roses - many are named after real people from history, too...

David Austin Roses

David Austin Roses need no introduction. Like many other gardeners I have become totally captivated by the old-fashioned look of these beautiful roses. At one eager and early stage at Mooseys I thought I would try and have a complete collection - one of every David Austin rose ever introduced into New Zealand. I've since regained some moderation, but I'm always on the look out for new varieties...

Modern Shrub Roses

I've finally organised my collection of modern roses! They are a beautiful mixture of shrub roses, hybrid teas, rugosas, and hybrid musks - some are once-flowering, while others repeat. Some of the roses in this section are semi-climbing roses, too...

Climbing Roses

The first thing I promised myself when arriving at Mooseys was that I could grow climbing roses. I wanted to copy English gardens with house walls covered in rose blooms, archways dripping with roses, rose walkways, roses on pillars, on fences...

Garden Roses

Anonymous roses in the Moosey garden cannot be ignored. It isn't their fault that they are nameless. Often garden plants are rescued from bargain bins and sale tables at the local nurseries, and come to live in the Moosey garden. Others are offered a good home in the country from existing gardens - I've gained many of my treasures this way...