A New Rose Bed in Bloom

June 17, 2026

Here at my farm, all the roses are showing so beautifully!

Last month I created a new formal rose garden. The bed was previously planted with lilacs as well as roses, but it was in need of an overhaul. I planted more than 140 new rose bushes from Star Roses and Plants in Pennsylvania to add to the existing roses transplanted years ago from the gardens at Lily Pond, my former home in East Hampton, New York. I surrounded them all with a border of young boxwood. And just weeks later, many of the flowers are in bloom - so colorful and so fragrant.

Here is an update. Enjoy these photos.

: You may have seen photos of this new garden a few weeks ago. It was once my allée of lilac, Syringa vulgaris. The garden was filled with sweet-smelling lilacs in white, lavender, and purple – with some shrubs reaching 15 to 20 feet tall. After 20 years, the garden needed to be refreshed, so I replanted it with young roses and a border of boxwood.

: The roses were planted in two rows – each variety in groups of four from one end to the other.

: Every row is perfectly lined up. The boxwood that surrounds the garden will grow into a nice formal hedge.

: Among the varieties recently planted here – Parfuma® Earth Angel™ ‘KORgeowim,’ Bolero™ ‘Meidelweis,’ Raspberry Cupcake™ ‘KORcarmsis,’ Parfuma® Bliss ‘KORmarzau,’ Michelangelo™ ‘Meitelov,’ Sunbelt® Savannah,™ Romantica® Moonlight ‘Meikaquinz,’ Princesse Charlene de Monaco® ‘Meidysouk,’ Dee-Lish® ‘Meiclusif,’ and Top Cream™ ‘Meiroguste.’

: Now, many of the bushes are flowering.

: A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. There are more than a hundred species and thousands of named cultivars.

: The flowers of most rose species have at least five petals. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes.

: I always knew I wanted many different roses in all sorts of petal formations. Double blooms consist of 16 to 25 overlapping petals in three or more rows.

: Some blooms are very full – this one in bold orange.

: The flat bloom is just as it sounds, with petals generally flaring out.

: Roses vary widely in size, from tiny miniature blooms of one inch to giant exhibition flowers more than inches across.

: Roses come in many different colors, such as pink, peach, white, red, magenta, yellow, copper, vermilion, purple, and apricot.

: Rose leaves are borne alternately on the stem. In most species, they are about two to five inches long, pinnate, with at least three leaflets and basal stipules. The leaflets also usually have a serrated margin.

: And remember, rose stems are often armed with sharp prickles, not thorns. A prickle can be easily broken off the plant because it is really a feature of the outer layers rather than part of the wood, like a thorn.

: Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses to climbers that can reach several feet in height.

: Small, white and pink clusters grow on this Multiflora rose.

: Many roses are loved by bees, depending on the variety, bloom structure, and how much nectar and pollen they produce. Open, single or semi-double blooms that expose the pollen-rich stamens are some of their favorites.

: Roses need six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south or west-facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.

: Among the older roses that I’ve nurtured for many years include Rosa ‘Mme Zoetmans,’ ‘Variegata di Bologna,’ ‘Charles de Mills,’ ‘Ispahan,’ Rosa ‘Therese Bugnet,’ ‘Constance Spry,’ ‘Juno,’ and others.

: When watering, give roses the equivalent of one-inch of rainfall per week during the growing season. Water at the soil level to avoid getting the foliage wet. Wet leaves encourage diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew.

: To produce an impressive show of flowers, always use nutrient-rich compost, composted manure, and other organic and natural fertilizers, such as fish emulsion. Organic amendments also help to encourage beneficial soil microbes and a well-balanced soil pH. We amend the soil here at my farm every season.