Over 50 Years Growing Roses, Here are our Top 10 Roses for Your Garden

Catherine Sawday
4 days ago
6 min read

Are you looking to fill your garden with colour and fragrance, but you're overwhelmed by the number of varieties out there? Don't worry, we've researched for you!

After 50 years in the rose-growing business, the Sawday family has seen hundreds of varieties come in and out of stock. Many rose varieties fail to stand the test of time due to poor performance. However, this list comprises 10 roses that we couldn't live without.

If we were stranded on a desert Island. This is what we'd bring! If we were flying off to Mars, we'd take these 10! But most of all, if we had a small garden, a small budget, or were just getting started with roses, we'd go for these.

Chandos Beauty

Why? When you think of a rose, this is the rose that you're picturing. Huge, beautiful Apricot blooms that fill your garden with a spicy fragrance all summer long. In 50 long years, we have NEVER come across a rose as fragrant as this one. The McCartney Rose comes close, but Chandos takes the gold. Its fragrance is enough to win it a space on our rocket to Mars, and if you only have space for one rose, then it should be this one. It can be grown in a container, bed, or border. We promise you, it's a true beauty.

Compassion

Another Harkness Rose makes its way onto the list. You are probably familiar with this rose, even if you don't know its name. The blooms are a mix of salmon-pink, apricot, and orange and cover the rose all throughout the flowering months. The blooms are gorgeously ruffled, giving them a unique look. This modern climber performs better than any other rose on the nursery, and it's been around since 1972! Of course, it packs a punch in the fragrance department too. You can't deny that Compassion is one of the best roses on the market, and if you only have room for one climber in your garden, then this is your best bet for repeat flowering, fragrance, and beauty.

Scent From Heaven

Scent From Heaven - Bred By Chris Warner

Number 3 is a fairly new rose to the nursery, but it came in with a bang. Scent from Heaven was released in 2016 and won several awards for its fantastic colour, health, and fragrance. The perfect rose for a courtyard garden, its compact growth makes it easy to contain in a smaller space. Although it caught everybody's eye for the bright orange and pink blooms and strong fragrance, something that makes it a winner at the nursery is its disease resistance and overall health. It's the rose that stays looking good after bouts of heat, lack of rain, too much rain, wind, blackspot attack, mildew, the list goes on! This is the perfect rose to fill that small space in your garden and keep performing year in year out.

Absolutely Fabulous

Absolutely Fabulous - Bred By Tom Carruth

We have got a lot of love for this little yellow rose. There is something so special about it that is hard to put your finger on. From the moment it starts producing its gorgeous glossy leaves in Spring, to when it fills with beautiful round buds and then bursts into buttercup yellow blooms that fill the compact bush and never fail to make us smile. It's won a place in our hearts over the years; there is nothing not to love about it. It's a rose that will perform year after year, filling up a container or the front of a bed or border with colour and fragrance. It is the most aptly named rose on the nursery, 100% Absolutely Fabulous.

Open Arms

Whenever a customer leaves the nursery with one of these in tow, we just know that they are going to LOVE this rose in their garden. It has to be one of the most reliable roses of all time. We have a few planted around the nursery, and it just never looks anything but fantastic. The glossy leaves are adorned with dark pink buds that pop open into light pink, orange, white blooms with a bright yellow stamen revealed in the middle to attract the bees. It gives that perfect cottage garden feel to any corner, and fills the garden with fragrance while keeping the pollinators happy too. We love the name too!

Blue For You

Oh, what a rose! We knew it was a show-stopper as soon as we saw it growing in our field for the first time. It just has that unique quality that is hard to beat. The pale purple blooms with a white centre pop against the light green foliage. It does make you stop and admire it. The rose is wonderfully prolific, from early summer until autumn, this little plant will not stop producing beautiful blooms. It's earned a spot on the list and deserves a sunny spot in your garden too!

Nostalgia

There is nothing quite like this rose in the plant world; the reddish pink outer petals contrast starkly with the crisp white inner bloom. This makes for an absolute show stopper, the fantastic blooms just can't help but catch your attention when set against its dark green glossy foliage. On top of all this, the blooms carry a beautiful, sweet scent, perfect for cutting and bringing inside to add a rosy fragrance to your home. All the family loves this rose; it has rightfully earned its place in the top 10.

Mutablis

Mutablis - Discovered by Henri Correvon growing in the wild

The rose that is never in stock! This is a wonderful addition to any garden. Discovered in the wild in 1894, this rose has been present in our gardens for over 100 years. There is a reason that it's stuck around so long, the beautiful tissue paper blooms burst out in a mix of dark pinks, light pinks, oranges and peaches that cover the rose all summer. As it's a shrub, it requires little care and tinkering, you can pop it in a funny space in the back of the garden and it will grow happily, bringing colour and texture an otherwise blank space. We have plenty growing around the nursery and it simply doesn't fail.

Rachel

Named after the wonderful Rachel de Thame, this beautiful rose is the perfect fit in any garden. It's uniquely ruffled petals start in dark pink and turn a peachy orange as they move inwards. The rose is forever in bloom, healthy and robust in all weather. The blooms are perfect for cutting and arranging. You'll often find our flower arrangements at the cafe full of Rachel blooms! They last well and fill your home with perfume. This one is Elizabeth's favourite, and she sure knows a thing or two about roses!

Super Trouper

Last but certainly not least is this firecracker, Super Trouper! One of the few ABBA roses we grow, but certainly the best! This rose is unmatched in health and colour. If you're looking for that POP of colour in your garden, then this one is for you. The blooms don't fade quickly, meaning you get a beautiful display of orange blooms all over the plant through summer. The dark and healthy foliage rarely yellows or succumbs to blackspot; we have yet to see one looking poorly on the nursery. It's a knock-out!

So that's it, after years and years of growing roses, it took us all but 10 minutes to come up with this list! Not because we didn't care, but because we already had the answer! These roses are our most reliable performers; they never let us down year after year, and they've made their way into our hearts after rigorous testing. We've seen many varieties come in and out of our collection, but these roses have stood the test of time and won't be going anywhere soon! They are all currently available to pre-order bare root, and you can find more information about each variety on our website. Comment below if you agree, or if you think we've missed an important one off our list!