How-To and Design

Beginner's Guide to Bare Root RosesThose unfamiliar with bare root roses can be taken aback when their first mail-order delivery arrives. Take heart — that clump of sticks with roots attached is just dormant. Here's a step-by-step planting guide to give novice gardeners a boost.

English Rose Bloom PartnersEnglish Roses are jewels of the summer garden. As with their mineral cousins, their beauty is enhanced when placed in the right setting. Here's a look at plant partnerships that can be counted on to play well together.

Tips for Mixed Border DesignChoice is a big part of what makes designing with English Roses such fun, says Michael Marriott, who was senior rosarian for David Austin Roses in Albrighton, England, for 35 years. Here are his practical tips and design notes, culled from decades of hands-on experience with English Roses and mixed border design.

English Rose Companions - Long ListHere, Rosarian Michael Marriott shares his “long list” of favorite perennials, biennials and annuals for planting with English Roses. You’ll find detailed plant partnerships here, all considered fairly easy to grow and likely to bloom when English Roses do, either exactly or with close overlap. Some bloom with English Roses earlier in the season, some later. Others have exceedingly long bloom seasons or may rebloom themselves as the roses rebloom.