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Splendid Early Performers

© Graham Leatherbarrow

April is not a month normally associated with roses, but hang on a minute, there are one or two that might spring an early surprise on you. That once-flowering old fashioned rose 'Maigold', a creation of the German rose breeder Kordes, is already on the starting blocks here. Coppery-yellow in colour, this climber is as hard as old boots. It will grow quite happily on a north wall. With me it has been known to bloom a second time in a reasonable summer.

Other early risers can be found amongst the china roses. 'Old Blush China' or 'Parsons Pink' is a beautiful shell-pink rose with a continuous display right up until late autumn. The delicate flowers of rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis', dance like little butterflies in the wind and it too starts this month. Both these china roses are fairly compact growers with a long flowering season that are ideal for the smaller garden.

The season has only just started and all small garden owners have much to look forward to, unlike the owners of more stately piles. They can only see a long hot summer sat astride their turbo charged mower, poor them.

Gardening pot-pourri

• Rare Plants - A specialist nursery offering a huge selection of rare bulbs .
• Cotswold Garden Flowers - Easy and unusual perennials for the flower garden.
• Completely Clematis - Specialist Clematis Nursery (USA).
• BBGL - Bed and Breakfast for Garden Lovers (UK).

Graham Leatherbarrow.
April, 2002.

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