The historic rose garden helped, not hindered, by the wet spring

Many of us have been bemoaning the wet and cold spring this year culminating in the proliferation of garden slugs and snails - but the head gardener at Bolton Castle, near Leyburn, thinks its blooms are some of the best he has ever seen, thanks, in part, to the weather.

Jason Hanslip, who leads on all the gardens surrounding Bolton Castle, has committed additional time and effort to the castle’s roses this year. Building on previous good work, he added to the beds with heritage roses that grow well in the exposed garden and fit with the castle’s history.

He also thinks the success of the roses has been helped by the wet spring weather.

(Image: Bolton Castle)

“We didn’t experience the very warm dry spell we had in April last year, but we had a lot of rain instead in 2024," he said. "I am convinced that because of this our roses weren't subjected to any stress early in their growing and have been able to flourish.

"With our Green Tourism endeavours in mind, we have not used any chemicals or pesticides on the roses in the last two years so with all the elements combined, our roses are looking their very best.

(Image: Bolton Castle)

"The ground and existing roses had been well managed, but with this type of exposure to the elements a few had lost their way and were looking a bit tired. These roses experience strong icy winds coming down the valley, so I wanted to strengthen the beds with new varieties such as 'English Garden' and 'Mary' which have a strong stems to provide additional support to weaker varieties but also keeping that traditional look, and 'Quatre Saisons' which is believed to be one of the first repeat flowering roses which produces a cloud of pink blossoms to fill any gaps.

(Image: Bolton Castle)

"We also have many traditional roses like 'Rosa Mundi' which dates all the way back to the 1600s and is also referenced in the 1200s. Other roses that work well here and seem to be able to survive the rabbits include one of my personal favourites 'La Ville de Bruxelles' and 'Ispahan'.”

In addition to the work on the Rose Arbour Garden, Jason and has team have added a willow tunnel to join to the medieval herb gardens, which were enhanced last year. He and the team are also planning to start work to transform the quadrant lawns into a medieval knot garden.

(Image: Bolton Castle)

Jason’s tips for roses include regular maintenance pruning in February which includes removing all dead, damaged and crossing branches, then remove a quarter of the plant's growth, keeping its shape all the way through, which will help the plant promote fresh healthy new growth. Then he mulches around the base of the plant with a good organic matter. When the growth is starting to emerge he then gives the roses a feed with an organic rose tonic and repeats when necessary. He also has the benefit of employing wildlife cameras to see where rabbits are entering the rose gardens, if at all.