Rosa It’s A Wonderful Life (‘Dictwix’) (PBR)

After undergoing two years of trials and assessments by a team of specialists, this wonderful new rose has been awarded the coveted accolade ‘Rose of the Year 2022’. Bred by Colin Dickson, it produces a succession of long-lasting, lightly scented flowers on robust and disease-resistant plants, which have lustrous green foliage and a relatively upright habit. Each fully-petalled bloom can grow up to 10cm across, and as they are a blend of pink, orange and peach, (the intensity of which can change according to temperature), they will fit effortlessly into many different colour schemes. It offers months of colour to borders or larger pots, and the flowers will also last well when cut for the vase.

All our roses are grown in an open field and then dug up when the weather conditions are right in October or November. As they are dormant throughout the winter, they will not produce any new roots until spring, however they should be planted out or potted up as soon as possible upon receipt. They will already have been cut back so no further pruning will be required, apart from snipping off any tips that have died back. Routine pruning can begin in late winter the year after planting.

Remove the plants from their pots and gently spread out the roots before placing them in the centre of the hole. Try to ensure that the ‘bud union’ (the point where the cultivated rose has been grafted onto the rootstock, and from where the shoots emerge) is at soil level. You can judge this quite easily by laying something flat, like a spade handle or bamboo cane, across the top of the hole. When they are at the right height, back-fill the hole, firming the soil down gently before watering the plant well.

Water generously until well established, and apply a specialist rose fertiliser (following the manufacturer’s instructions) each spring. They will also benefit from a generous mulch of composted farmyard manure in spring, but make sure this is kept away from the stems.

While wearing tough gloves, prune in late winter or early spring, removing any dead, damaged or weak-looking stems completely. The younger stems tend to produce the best flowers, so if the plant is becoming congested, cut one or two of the older stems right back to their base, which will also help open up the centre of the plant. Then cut back the most vigorous stems to within 25-30cm from the base, and the thinner stems back a little harder.