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Shatter: I failed to complete breath test for gardaí because of asthmaJustice Minister Alan Shatter was embroiled in fresh controversy after it emerged he failed to complete a roadside breath test.
Martin backs proposed bill on abortion Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said he personally supports proposed legislation allowing abortion in limited circumstances, which he said is "consistent with the pro-life position".
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Woolwich killing: Further arrests as spotlight turns on security servicesBritish police arrested two more people yesterday in a hunt for accomplices of two British men of Nigerian descent accused of hacking a soldier to death on a London street in revenge for wars in Muslim countries.
The ‘perfect’ celebrity would look like thisThis is how the ideal female celebrity would look, according to a survey carried out in Britain.
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Noonan examining ways to capitalise banks It is believed the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan told the IMF that he will look to Contingent Convertible Capital (CoCo) Notes if the banks need additional capital buffers following the stress tests.
O’Driscoll back for unfinished businessRABODIRECT PRO12 FINAL: Leinster v UlsterThe perception prior to Brian O'Driscoll's recent decision to add an extra year onto his stellar career was that a place on a victorious Lions tour was the only box left to tick after 14 long years, but it was never that simple.
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Autocenter for the peopleA new exhibition in Cork showcases artists from Berlin, says Tina Darb O'Sullivan
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Hello my petal
Rose Ballerina, one of the few roses at Villa Marie, is a standard of Ballerina which is repeat flowering from late spring through to autumn. As a standard, it has few equals and it can be successfully placed amid the herbaceous border or even used as an ornamental hedge.
By Charlie Wilkins
There is a feeling about that the rose of almost national pride, of mythology and unsurpassable beauty is just too bothersome to grow.! It is easy to understand how this can arise. In a poor season (summer this year is no exception) the blooms can be, quite frankly, disappointing and with the added scourge of mildew, black spot, balling, and insect attack, the season can be short and very discouraging. However, roses were never my strong point, even though I am easily seduced by their spice and lemon scents which waft around the garden on the kind of summer evenings we associate with our childhood. Certainly, I have fallen in and out of love with roses a number of times, but I have now reached an understanding with them and they with me. Most of the old-fashioned kinds I have avoided for a very good reason. I find them a demanding bunch, performing flirtatiously in a brief but gorgeous flurry, before reverting to their hungry and potentially sickly alter egos for the remainder of the year. From this you will gather I speak mainly, but not totally, of those roses which bloom in one great showing for anything up to eight weeks, then rest for yet another year.
I have learned the tough way, through experience, as to which varieties do best and now I am a more relaxed grower as a result. My full list of exceptional roses however can still be counted on the fingers of one hand. Let me explain how I whittled the breeders list down to a precious few and why I expect them to be with me for a long time to come.
In order to make the grade in my books, roses have to work hard. Apart from a trio of mid-summer bloomers, (Madame Gregoire Stachylin, Canary Bird, and the red form of Dorothy Perkins known as Excelsa), I want a rose to look elegant all year round. Its growth must have grace and harmony, and its foliage must always look good and healthy. Any tendency to black spot, rust or mildew gives it a zero tolerance, so the cleaner they can remain, the greater their chances of staying at Villa Marie.
For a few moments, allow me to extol the virtues of a single rose; Ballerina. Get it if you dare, now, or come the autumn, (for it is the essence of better gardening) and it will be one that will delight you all your gardening years. As in the illustration, Ballerina has large clusters of small single flowers of clear pink with white eyes. From a short distance it looks remarkably like a hydrangea, with paler pink in the centre and a delicate musk-like perfume which is detectable on approach. A showy rose this, one which I find very useful for brightening up uninteresting corners or as a specimen centrepiece to a mixed ornamental bed. As a standard, it has few equals and it can be successfully placed amid the herbaceous border or even used as an ornamental hedge. Repeat flowering, this 1937 shrub rose has a bushy habit and a health record the envy of most others. If ordered now at your local garden centre it will be available for planting in the autumn.
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