Rosa 'Geoffrey Smith'

Grown in Yorkshire.

We grow a crop of 50,000 roses each year in our fields here in the Vale of Pickering. Rootstocks are planted in March, roses are budded in July and then the plants are grown on for another year, carefully weeded and pruned, until they are finally ready for sale as bare root plants the following November. From this crop of field grown roses, we pot up several thousand for sale as containerised plants during the summer. They are generally available between early June and September. We wait until the roses have rooted through in their pots before sending, which depending on the weather can mean we start towards the end of May. Once dispatch has started, we aim to send new orders out within 5 days of the order being placed.

Bare root roses are supplied between November and March.

Containerised roses are supplied between early June and September. Once we have sold out of a variety as a containerised plant, the next opportunity to buy will be as a bare root plant in November.

Please see the ‘Delivery’ tab for more information.

A Grade roses would generally have between 3 and 5 shoots. They are the best choice for general garden use.

B Grade roses would normally have 1 or 2 shoots. They are just a slightly lighter plant, have fewer flowers in the first year, but will catch up with a little extra feeding and pruning.

Rootstocks:

Rosa laxa - the most commonly used rose rootstock where the plant is ultimately intended for use in domestic gardens. It is very long lived (approx. 40 years) and produces a plant with a bushier habit which has very little tendency to suckering.
Rosa multiflora - a rootstock used predominantly in the cut flower rose trade. It encourages fewer but stronger stems, making it perfectly suited to exhibition bloom growers. Its lifespan is approximately 15 years.

Containerised roses:

Recyclable plastic.

We use 4-litre deep Aeroplas taupe containers (hence the size code C4d). These pots are made from recycled polypropylene and are carbon black pigment free, so are kerbside recyclable. A 4-litre pot is big enough to ensure a good root system and the rose will happily live in this pot for the rest of the summer if so desired. Roses are pruned back hard on potting up, but the extensive root system the plant has developed over the previous two years means that they will put on lots of healthy new growth and should come into flower in early July.

Peat-free compost.

Our compost is a top-quality professional peat-free blend supplied by Melcourt – consistently voted the best peat-free compost in trials by Which? Magazine. It includes a slow-release fertiliser which will last until mid-summer.

For planting advice, see Planting Containerised Roses - RV Roger Ltd
For pruning advice, see A Guide to Pruning Roses - RV Roger Ltd
Or else email our highly skilled team with any questions and we will be only too happy to try and help sales@rvroger.co.uk