Your gardening questions
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I'm new to gardening — where do I start?
You don't need to know all the gardening terminology before you begin.
What are the easiest plants for a beginner?
Start with the conditions rather than looking for a plant simply labelled “easy”. A plant suited to its position is generally easier to look after than one struggling with the wrong soil, too little light or too much exposure.
Do I need to know my soil type?
It helps, particularly if you are creating a new border or struggling with existing plants, but not knowing your soil type shouldn't stop you asking for advice. A photograph of the space and a description of how the ground behaves can be a useful starting point.
New gardener?
Don't worry about knowing plant names.
Tell us where you want to plant, whether it is sunny or shady and roughly how much room you have. We can help narrow down the choices from there.
Advice from James & the Roses teamRoses recommends
What would Roses recommend as a first gardening project?
Start with a small project that gives you something enjoyable to look after. A planted container or hanging basket can be a rewarding first step, with plenty of colour without needing to tackle a whole border.
Choose plants for the season: pansies are a useful option for autumn and winter colour, while petunias and bedding geraniums can create a summer display. Ivy can add trailing foliage.
For a border, James suggests an evergreen shrub such as Photinia or an ornamental laurel, provided its eventual size suits the space. A reliable shrub can help build confidence and become a lasting part of your garden.
I don't have much time — what should I plant?
A good garden can fit around the time you actually have.
Can I have a nice garden without spending every weekend gardening?
Yes. The key is choosing plants whose normal care matches the amount of time you realistically want to spend. Low maintenance does not mean no maintenance, but the right choices can make a big difference.
Think about watering, feeding, deadheading, pruning, staking and winter protection. If you don't enjoy constant watering, for example, a large collection of small containers may not be the best starting point.
Advice from James & the Roses teamRoses recommends
Which five plants does Roses recommend for a lower-maintenance garden?
James’s choices offer a mixture of flowers, foliage and structure. The best option still depends on your soil, sunlight and available space.
Hardy geraniums: varieties such as ‘Rozanne’ provide a long flowering season with relatively little attention.
Hebes: evergreen shrubs with attractive flowers and foliage. A light trim after flowering helps keep them tidy; choose a variety suited to your position.
Ornamental grasses: useful for movement, texture and a backdrop to flowering plants. Many deciduous types need just an annual cut back, while evergreen types usually need a tidy rather than a full cut.
Hostas: valued for their foliage and useful in shady positions. Keep them watered during dry spells and watch for slug and snail damage.
Echinacea: colourful, pollinator-friendly perennials for a sunny position with well-drained soil. James particularly values their sturdy stems, which often need little support.
I love gardening — what if I want to get stuck in?
Not everybody is looking for the least possible maintenance.
What can I grow if I enjoy looking after my garden?
If feeding, deadheading, pruning and changing seasonal displays are part of the enjoyment for you, say so. It opens up choices that may reward a little more regular attention.
Hanging baskets and seasonal containers can give fantastic displays but depend on regular watering and feeding. Bedding can be changed through the year. Roses may need pruning and feeding, while some perennials benefit from dividing, supporting or deadheading.
The question isn't always “What's easiest?”
Sometimes the better question is: “What will give me the most enjoyment for the amount of gardening I'm happy to do?”
Advice from James & the Roses teamRoses recommends
What does Roses recommend for somebody who enjoys spending time gardening?
If you enjoy feeding, pruning and tending your plants, James recommends roses, dahlias and hydrangeas for their rewarding displays.
Roses can produce spectacular flowers when given regular attention. Feeding, watering, deadheading and pruning all play a part, alongside checking for pests and diseases such as aphids and black spot.
Dahlias bring colour to the late summer garden and make excellent cut flowers. They need protection from frost, regular watering and feeding, and deadheading to encourage more blooms. Taller varieties and those with heavy flowers may also need staking.
Hydrangeas offer generous flowerheads for the garden and for cutting. Keeping the soil moist is particularly important during hot weather. Pruning depends on the type, so ask the team before cutting back if you are unsure which hydrangea you have.
What should I plant for the space I have?
Small patio, large border or awkward corner — start with the space.
What can I grow in a small garden?
Start with eventual size. A plant can look small at the garden centre but become considerably larger once established. Compact shrubs, perennials, climbers and containers can all work well, depending on the conditions.
What can I grow on a patio?
Pots, seasonal containers and hanging baskets can bring a great deal of colour to a patio. Remember that container plants depend on you for more of their water and nutrients than plants growing in the ground.
What can I plant in a large garden?
A larger garden gives you room to think in layers — trees, larger shrubs, climbers, perennials and lower-growing planting — and to choose plants that peak at different times of year.
What can I plant in an awkward corner?
Bring us a photograph. Tell us roughly how large the area is and when it gets direct sun. What seems like a difficult space may simply need a plant suited to those particular conditions.
What should I plant now?
There is something to think about in every part of the gardening year.
Is there something worth planting in every season?
Yes, although what is at its best and what is sensible to plant changes through the year. Think about what is performing well now and what you want the garden to do next.
Spring brings a huge increase in choice. Summer is full of bedding, baskets, perennials, roses and flowering shrubs. Autumn brings winter bedding, berries and foliage into focus, while winter still offers evergreen structure, flowers, scent and seasonal interest.
What can I plant in sun or shade?
Watch the space through the day before deciding what it needs.
How do I know if my garden is sunny?
Don't judge it from one moment of the day. As a practical guide, around six hours or more of direct sunlight can be considered sunny, around three to six hours is partial sun or partial shade, and very little direct sunlight indicates a shady position.
Can I still have flowers in a shady garden?
Yes. Shade does not mean you cannot have an attractive garden — it means choosing plants suited to it. Remember that shade beneath a large tree may also be very dry, which is different from a damp, sheltered shady border.
Advice from James & the Roses teamRoses recommends
What does Roses recommend for sun, partial shade and shade?
For a sunny position, James recommends roses, lavender and salvias. Roses offer a generous floral display, while lavender brings scent and flowers that attract pollinators. Salvias are another colourful choice for sunny spots. Check the soil and drainage requirements of each plant before choosing.
For partial shade, he suggests heucheras and hardy geraniums. Heucheras are especially useful for their colourful foliage, while suitable hardy geraniums add flowers with relatively little maintenance.
For a shady position, James recommends Sarcococca for evergreen foliage and scented winter flowers. Astilbes are another option, with feathery flowers in shades including pink, red and white. They particularly suit moisture-retentive soil, making them worth considering for suitable clay-soil gardens around Newent.
What if I want colour for as long as possible?
Look beyond the plant that happens to be flowering most on the day you visit.
Which plants flower for the longest?
Ask how long a plant normally flowers, whether feeding or deadheading will extend its display and what other plants can take over before or afterwards.
Grown at Roses
First-hand nursery experience
Roses grows selected perennials including Echinacea, Coreopsis and Penstemon on its own nursery in Newent. That gives the team first-hand experience of how these plants develop through the season.
Advice from James & the Roses teamRoses recommends
Which plants give the longest or most reliable display?
For a long flowering season, James particularly recommends winter-flowering pansies. Planted in September, they can provide colour into late spring and sometimes early summer, although flowering may slow during cold spells. Remove faded flowers regularly to encourage more blooms.
For summer perennial colour, Echinacea is one of his dependable choices. Its flowers attract pollinators, and its sturdy stems often need little support. Give it a sunny position and well-drained soil.
For lasting foliage interest, James recommends Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’. Its deep burgundy-purple leaves contrast beautifully with green planting through spring and summer, before developing richer autumn colours. It is deciduous, so loses its leaves in winter, and needs room to reach its eventual size.
Can I have a garden that looks good all year?
Flowers are only one part of year-round interest.
How do I stop the garden looking empty in winter?
Include evergreen structure, foliage, bark, grasses, berries, seed heads and plants with strong shape rather than building the whole garden around flowers.
A good garden often contains plants that take turns rather than everything reaching its peak at once. Pyracantha, Callicarpa, Skimmia, hellebores and ornamental grasses are among the plants already featured in Roses' seasonal advice.
How can I make my garden better for wildlife?
You don't have to let the whole garden grow wild.
Does a wildlife-friendly garden have to look messy?
No. Flowers for pollinators, berrying shrubs, varied planting heights, shelter and a safe source of water can all contribute while the garden remains structured and well cared for.
Why buy plants grown locally?
Some of the plants at Roses have been raised right here in Newent.
What does “Grown at Roses” mean?
Roses grows many bedding plants, basket plants and selected perennials on its own nursery in Newent. Many are raised from young plants here rather than arriving as finished plants from distant growers.
That gives the Roses team first-hand knowledge of how those plants develop through the season. Plants raised here have also already experienced local conditions before going into gardens around Newent, Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean.
Look for the pink label
Grown at Roses
Throughout our gardening guides, the pink Grown at Roses treatment identifies plants raised on our own nursery.
I don't know what's wrong with my plant — can Roses help?
A few useful details can help the team understand what is happening.
Advice from James & the Roses teamRoses recommends
Can Roses help if something is wrong with my plant?
Yes — bring clear photographs and tell us what you have noticed.
Take a photograph of the whole plant and its growing position, followed by close-ups of affected leaves, stems, flowers or any visible pests. It also helps to know when the problem started, how you care for the plant and anything you have already tried.
Please do not bring infected plants, affected leaves, other diseased plant material or insects into the garden centre. Bring clear photographs only. This helps us advise you without bringing potential pests or diseases into the garden centre.
Can I ask Roses what plant I should buy?
Absolutely — you don't need to arrive knowing the plant name.
What should I tell you?
Tell us about the space and what you would like to achieve. That is enough to start a conversation.
We're happy to help.
Whether you know the exact variety you're looking for or your question is simply “What can I put here?”, ask us. If we know a little about your garden, we can help narrow down the options.
Before you visit Roses
Five things that can help us help you.
And if you don't know all five, don't worry.
