He left school aged 15 with one O Level, in art, and embarked on a career as an apprentice gardener at Ilkley Council. He later went on to work at the Kew Gardens before editing books about horticulture. The 77-year-old later launched a career in broadcasting, contributing to BBC Radio 4. In 1996 he took over as the presenter of the much-loved Gardeners’ World, and launched Ground Force a year later.
Today, Alan regularly shares his wisdom on his Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh YouTube channel. He recently shared his five key tips gardeners should do in May.
Among them were planting their tomatoes, companion planting, selecting the right climbers, and starting planting your containers. Alan says now is also the time to put one flower that he believes is a must-have into a container ready for it to blossom.
Alan said: “I think no garden is complete without a rose. For colour, for fragrance, and just for the sheer joy of watching them open.”
Alan has previously revealed that he favours pink or mauve roses. He says he is a particular fan of the Jacques Cartier rose – often known as the Old Rose.
He however describes the flower as an “oddity” because it “flowers right the way through the year”. He added: “It’s quite a tall rose, it will grow to seven or eight feet if you let it.”
Alan says that any gardener wanting to avoid the “common problems” facing roses should look towards the rugosa roses. The RHS however warns that Rosa rugosa, a type of rugosa rose, is considered a non-native invasive species.
It said: “Rosa rugosa is listed on Schedule 9 of the UK Wildlife & Countryside Act as an invasive non-native species, meaning it is an offence to plant or cause these to grow in the wild in England and Wales.”
Alan however recommends Rosa ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup and Rosa ‘Roseraie de l’Hay. He explains: “The rugosa roses have foliage that is like crepe paper and it never seems to get anything in the way of mildew and blackspot.”
The Fru Dagmar Hastrup is a busy type of rose that will grow in chalk, clay, loam or sand, explains the RHS. It can grow in either full sun or partial shade.
The Roseraie de l’Hay meanwhile is a hardy rose that requires a moist but well-drained environment. It too can grow in a wide variety of soils.
Ultimately Alan says he will “try any rose” as long as it has a great smell. He added: “We all love scent in roses, that’s the most important thing.”
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