On 25/11/2017 02:32, brian mitchell wrote:
Jeff Layman wrote:

So we went to a specialist rose nursery (Pocock's, next to the Sir
Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey in Hampshire). That was the best
decision we ever made. We could see and smell all the roses they had. We
bought 6, and have been very pleased with them. I could list them, but
your preferences might be different, so you really must see and smell
them yourself. It would be best to do it fairly locally, but west Wales
isn't exactly known for rose suppliers! If you don't want to go too far,
there is a Wyevale at Carmarthen. They should have quite a few in flower
in June/July.

Thank you. This tells me that I've really left it too late if I want
to plant something next Spring. Carmarthen is eminently doable from
here so I'll check Wyevale out later on. I would like to make a start
though, partly out of a sense that I don't have all the time in the
world any more, so any lists of people's favourites, and why, would be
appreciated. I could at least look at pictures and start compiling a
list of possibilities of my own.

I'd suggest getting a book on roses for Christmas first and spending
next summer trailing round a few specialist rose nurseries looking at
the plants in their show beds to see what you really like. Beauty is
definitely in the eye/nose of the beholder where roses are concerned.

I quite like vigorous old scented roses with double flowers partly
because they will tolerate my solid clay soil where more tetchy ones are
inclined to expire. Fryers roses of Knutsford is another place to look.
They have been taken over since I last bought anything from them.

http://www.grosvenorgardencentre.co.uk/fryer/

I'd suggest you spend some time looking and smelling roses to decide
what you really want and then buy them bare rooted for autumn planting.
Or more expensively in pots to plant at any time but them water well
until they get established.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown