Transform your humble rose into living art with these easy steps from a pruning professional
EVERY so often someone bursts onto the horticultural scene, flying in the face of tradition and determined to go their own way.
Niff Barnes is just that hero - and happily she agreed to chat to Sun Gardening about exactly how she’s using roses to raise eyebrows across the UK.
So forget fan training a rambling rose across a wall, with it’s bare, leggy stems and summer gaps.
Niff, 37, can help you create breathtaking spirals, structures and sculptures - literally turning the humble rose into living art in your own outside space.
Now Head Gardener at the stunnting , Northamptonshire, Niff’s unusual route into horticulture saw her sign up for the army and do a forensic science degree, before discovering her true passion.
Originally mentored by Mark Edwards at Astall Manor - who was pioneering a new kind of rose pruning - she was soon able to find her own style and now has an army of fans from all over the world - eagerly awaiting each new creation on her Instagram.
GARDENING
She told The Sun: “At Cottesbrooke we prune from October to March - and begin by stripping off all the roses leaves
“Anything smaller or thinner than a knitting needle, diseased or damaged is pruned back.
“Then I use string to manipulate and tie back - although you can’t have a preconceived idea of what shape you want - most stems will tell you the way they want to go.”
It takes Niff, 37, who DOESN’T wear gloves - but just plasters on the ends of her fingers - a day to strip a 2m X 2m rose and a day to tie it in, although when you start out, it can take much longer.
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She added: “Ramblers are the best - with long flexible growth every year and loads of stems to choose from and manipulate.
“Climbers are great, but they’re so strong, they don’t bend really, so you use them differently on frames, do lattice work and create structures."
“This method gives you coverage at the bottom, and makes the roses bloom more - and all over instead of wasting space - but also enables you to create amazing structures.
“Basically it stops them getting leggy and adds an extra dimension in the Winter when roses often look really rubbish.
“Just remember, you’re unlikely to kill a rose with pruning, you’ll just cut flowers off. And don’t worry - there is no right and wrong”
NIFF'S TOP TIPS
- For a sculpture - buy Ramblers
- Plant according to instructions - this is very important!
- Strip the leaves so you can see what you’re working with
- Use 2ply string - its thinner and easier to get tight - and cut off the ends
- If the rose doesn’t like it - just untie it.
- Feed with a maxi-crop rose feed
- Spade-full of Blood, fish and bone every year at the base
- Manure in the autumn/winter
- Uncle Tom’s Rose Tonic for cell strengthening
- Use a maxi-crop rose feed.
- Roses are very forgiving - don’t worry.
FLOWER POWER
A NEW rose named after TV presenter Gregg Wallace’s autistic son Sid, will raise vital funds for autistic children and young people across the UK.
The Little Sid, created by Harkness Roses, will see £5 from every rose sold donated to Ambitious about Autism.
Ambassador Gregg told The Sun: “Raising an autistic child has many challenges but also great joys.
"Anna and I are very proud of our wonderful son Sid and this rose is a celebration of him and all autistic young people.
"I hope it will help to increase understanding and acceptance of autism.”.
The Little Sid Rose will be sold via , and and displayed at Chelsea Flower Show.
runs specialist schools and colleges supporting over 400 autistic children and young people across London and the southeast.
It also runs national employability and youth programmes helping autistic young people connect with others and realise their ambitions.
TOP TIP!
Rose of the Year 2023 was climber Rosa ‘Peach Melba’. Get your bare root version now - and soak the roots for half an hour before planting.
THIS WEEK'S JOB!
Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming year to reduce the risk of crop-specific pests and diseases building up in the soil.
SAVE!
Prune like Niff with her favourite Felco no 2 Secateurs, available from for £60.
Or cut to the chase with this sensible Spear and Jackson version from for just £13.99.
WIN!
TEN lucky readers can get their hands on this Classic Old English Shrub Rose Collection worth £25 thanks to.
To enter visit mcb777.site/WINSHRUBROSES
Or write to Sun Shrub Roses competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone.
UK residents 18+ only. Ends 23.59GMT 20/01/24.
LEARN!
Q. How do I look after my Trachelospermum Jasminoides the first winter after planting? Ms J Schaffer, Teddington, London.
A. AKA Star Jasmine - this lovely scented summer flowering evergreen likes a warm sheltered spot.
Because it's newly planted it’s only going to be Winter-hardy to a certain extent - although, as you’re in London, it’s got a much higher chance of surviving than in a more exposed, rural area.
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If its in a pot, move it to a sheltered, frost free spot and bubblewrap the pot.
If it's in the ground there’s still time to give it a layer of mulch, or some fleece - mainly to protect it from this awful weather.