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varieties which have been bred to resist disease, but some of us inherit old varieties, or just grow roses we fall in love with for their colour or fragrance, without considering their health status.If that sounds like you then you have a choice: leave

The rose is our most popular flower, and rightly so. A single rose bud captures perfection, slowly opening to celebrate nature at its very best.And as well as being a thing of beauty, roses are the perfect plant to grow as a celebration of life

grow it in a border close to the house, where I can admire it in full bloom from my kitchen window. It has rich yellow cup-shaped blooms that fade to pale yellow, a colour rarely found in old roses. The upright habit of 'Graham Thomas' means it stands

and open. Prune to an inward pointing bud and the shoot will grow inwards, crossing other stems to create a congested bush.I remember, about 15 years ago, the Royal National Rose Society in St Albans conducted a trial comparing roses pruned conventionally

Rose Shades (from Mr Fothergill's seeds), producing a simple, single rosette in shades of rose pink. They only grow to about 45cm, so I've planted them closely to form a carpet between some standard Bonica roses in a complimentary shade. The marvellous

taste for single colours.Pictured above is a brand new zinnia that you may have discovered this year, but will be widely available in the 2011 seed catalogues. It's called 'Purple Prince' and I've been trialling it this summer. I love it! Growing up

close second only to roses, according to a recent survey of florists. And as with any 'easy-to-grow' plant, it divides gardeners in the same way that gladioli, dahlias and many others do.Horticultural snobs may give them a wide berth as they search out

, coriander, mint, thyme and rosemary.Then there are nasturtiums - vibrant, colourful blooms produced in profusion by these easy-to-grow hardy annuals. They have a warming, peppery flavour, not unlike watercress. Which is hardly surprising when you realise

in colourful mixtures, but I love growing varieties in a single colour. 'Candy Stripe' has white flowers with a pink, picotee edge, while bicoloured 'Daydream' has a deeper rose-pink centre, fading to white at the edges. For reds try 'Pied Piper Red' or the new

. For the same price as your vase of red roses that within a week are only fit for the compost heap, you could instead grow orchids on your windowsill, which carry a succession of flowers for three months.If that wasn't enough, it will even flower again about six