DOGS

The most loved plants in the world come in myriad varieties

are more relaxed in electric vehicles than diesel cars, research by the University of Lincoln reveals.

In the study for website Car Gurus, involving 20 pets, each was taken on two ten-minute drives on the same route in an EV then a diesel.

Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at Lincoln, said the dogs lay down for about a third of each journey, regardless of the powertrain, yet in diesel cars dogs got up an average 50 per cent more than when in an electric vehicle — probably due to the differences in noise and vibration in the two types of cars.

He also found dogs showing signs of car sickness had notably reduced symptoms in an EV, demonstrated by changes in behaviour and the fact their ‘heart rates fell by up to 30 per cent when travelling in an EV’.

When Gertrude Stein famously wrote ‘a rose is a rose is a rose,’ it was bosh. Did the American poet and author not realise that roses can be tiny pot plants, vast shrubs or rampant tree-conquering ramblers?

Their blooms come in a head-spinning variety of colours, shapes, sizes and fragrances. The only hue missing is blue — though some purplish varieties come close.

Many are viciously thorny. Others have awkward growth habits. But most are reliable, versatile and easy to grow.

Last week, we covered climbers and ramblers. now, let’s focus on bush and shrub varieties — the world’s most-loved plants.

hybrid tea roses are the most popular, with large, often-fragrant blooms. Floribunda or ‘cluster’ varieties carry smaller flowers in larger numbers. Both grow as shrubs, many flowering from June to late autumn.

Regular pruning is essential for both and is best done between October and March. During summer, regular dead-heading and light pruning helps keep new flowers coming.

Both varieties thrive in almost any soil, provided they’re in full light. Though hardy, fungal diseases, especially black spot and mildew, can be trouble-some. So try to select varieties that have a known resistance.

SHRUBBERY STARS

hyBRiD tea and floribunda roses are the most popular. They’re ideal for rose beds or planting in a formal garden. They must be accessible for pruning, pest and disease control and dead-heading.

Most shrub roses are larger and more robust, blending well with other woody plants.

Some flower once a year, many giving a secondary show of colourful autumn hips. Tall, sturdy varieties include spring-blooming Canary Bird and dark red, single-flowered R.moyesii.

German-bred Frühlingsmorgen (spring morning) is a chest-high beauty, crowded with large, pink budded, cream-white flowers each May. White nevada and pink Marguerite hilling also produce big, single blooms.

Many historic varieties grow as shrub roses. Most flower once a year, so pruning techniques are different. Some need special care, but most thrive with minimal attention and bear exquisite blooms.

easily grown oldies include magenta-crimson Charles de Mills, strong-scented, pink, ispahan and bicolour, mauve-white honorine de Brabant.

Superb modern shrub roses with old-style flowers abound, too. Breeders David Austin have developed scores.

Old moss roses are the most romantic. The best, William Lobb, has mossed buds opening to crimson-purple blooms with knock-out fragrance.

BARE ROOT ROSES

FOR winter planting, choose

bare-root plants. Unpack on arrival and plant immediately, to ensure speedy recovery.

if you’re not going to plant right away, dig a shallow trench, place the roots into it and cover with damp soil. Keep the roots in the ground until ready.

When you have dug each rose’s planting hole, spread the roots gently before back-filling with soil. Firm the plants into the ground. The soil should be moist enough not to need watering.

Avoid planting new roses where old ones grew. Doing so can cause rose sickness. if you have no choice, reduce that risk by sprin-kling a mycorrhizal feed such as Rootgrow into the hole first.

LET’S face it, nothing looks spectacular in a garden at this time of year. Flowers are few and sought after, but one stalwart is Salvia Amistad. Raised in New Zealand, this is a gorgeous perennial with tall, many branched stems. These carry dark sepals from which long, elegant flowers emerge. The petals hang gracefully and are a rich, deep purplish blue. Our bees are hibernating now, but the last few on the wing feasted on this salvia’s generous supply of nectar. Propagate from divisions taken in spring or from cuttings taken between spring and early autumn. Cover any outdoor salvia with a thick mulch.