The Hampton Court Palace Flower Show held between July 9 and 14 (rhs.org.uk/ 0844 338 7506) is the best place to look at new roses, because there is a dedicated rose marquee full of growers and breeders. The star of the show is always The Rose of the Year 2. This year a Harkness floribunda rose called ‘Lady Marmalade’ will be named for 2014. As you would expect it has clusters of five to seven soft-orange flowers in a cabbage rose shape, each containing roughly 50 petals. It’s very sweetly scented and healthy and will fit into herbaceous borders extremely well especially when flattered by blue flowers such as Viola cornuta ‘Belmont Blue’ and Geranium pratense ‘Mrs Kendall Clarke’.

The Rose of the Year is chosen by experienced rosarians who observe the rose in a variety of locations across the country. I am particularly pleased that the honour goes to Harkness Roses (www.roses.co.uk) because co-owner Robert Harkness died last November aged just 61 years, after a valiant fight against cancer. Robert served as President of the British Association of Rose Breeders from 1999 to 2002 and he is sadly missed, especially by his brother Philip who is the fourth generation of a rose dynasty that has spanned 130 years. In recent years, the company have concentrated on producing healthy roses that perform for the gardener. Harkness Roses always appear at the Chelsea Flower Show producing an exhibit containing vases of cut roses arranged among flowering rose bushes. This tends to annoy the judges, who prefer the garden-like stands that David Austin and Peter Beales produce. Harkness normally get marked down to a Silver-gilt. However their stand is rightly adored by rose lovers. David Austin has a new pale-pink rose called the ‘Albrighton Rambler’. This had to be forced for its Chelsea debut so it looked rather pale. I am looking forward to seeing it again in early July looking sturdier. This rambler repeat flowers and tends to droop its intricate flowers, not always a bad thing in a rambler. It will reach a height of around 3m or perhaps more and it’s exceptionally healthy.

The flowers, which have a light musk fragrance typical of the Sempervirens hybrids, shrug off rain. This rose is named for the village of Albrighton, where the David Austin Rose nursery (01902 376330 davidaustinroses.co.uk) is located. It is an interesting place to visit and, if you do go, try to get to nearby Wollerton Old Hall Garden on the same day. Lesley Jenkins is a superb gardener and there is a David Austin pink rose named ‘Wollerton Old Hall’. ( 01630 685760/wollertonoldhallgarden.com) Peter Beales Roses (classicroses. co.uk/01953 454707) will be showing ‘Pippin’ to commemorate Peter Beales who died in January this year. As a child Peter was so rosy-cheeked he was nicknamed Pippin after a Cox’s apple. It’s a pink climber with rather informal flowers and one I will have to grow, having travelled to Japan with Peter on several occasions. Another hampton Court introduction will be ‘Kaffe Fassett’, a Floribunda with burgundy-mauve colour flowers carried in small clusters on stout stems. This rose produces plenty of basal shoots and repeat flowers rapidly so it’s suitable for a container. Bred by Rosen Tantau, but introduced by Pococks Roses (01794 367500/ www.garden-roses.co.uk). Their website has colour sections with roses displayed in a grid rather than on individual pages, making choice easier. In my own garden, which is run organically, I have to have healthy roses that won’t succumb to blackspot. I cannot and will not spray.

My main rose and peony borders rely on ‘Champagne Moment’, the Rose of the Year of 2006. This Kordes-bred short Floribunda is completely healthy, producing flushes of apricot-to-cream flowers. Last year was so unpleasant the September flush arrived too late and failed, but normally this rose is stunning in autumn.