BY ELLEN PRESLEY

Special to the Record

It鈥檚 always amazing around the nursery when the roses are blooming with their breathtaking shapes and colours and their outstanding fragrances.

We went a little crazy when we ordered this year, growing more than 600 roses! But now that they are blooming and Adrienne has placed them throughout the nursery, they look amazing. It feels like a little glimpse of heaven.

One of the exceptional climbers is Cecile Brunner (18 feet) which has large clusters of fully double pale pink flowers. An old favourite since 1894, it has been dubbed the Sweetheart Rose and it is the most popular rose in California. It鈥檚 an exquisite long blooming almost thornless rose and is ideal for fences, arches or trellises.

For an incredible hybrid tea, try Lasting Love (3-4 feet), which has stunning five-inch blooms of deep reddish-pink, showy glossy petals and an outstanding pure rose fragrance. This disease-resistant rose displays the perfect form and qualities of any rose.

For an amazing floribunda, try Sunbelt South Africa (4-5鈥�) part of the Sunbelt collection by Kordes. This award-winning rose has gorgeous rich, amber-coloured double blossoms that are non-fading. A vigorous grower that is disease-resistant.

For an incredible David Austin rose, try Emily Bronte (4鈥�), which is a fragrant repeat blooming shrub rose. Each 3.5鈥� bloom is a lovely soft pink with a touch of apricot fading to cream. It has a strong tea fragrance with hints of lemon and grapefruit. Named after the much-beloved author who wrote Wuthering Heights, this is an exceptionally beautiful rose with distinctive neat, flat blooms and an ideal cut rose.

If you are looking for patio roses, try the Sunblaze collection, which are easy to grow miniature roses. At only 15-18鈥� tall, their compact habit make them great for containers or in the garden. They are long-blooming from spring to fall and come in a variety of colours: lemon, salmon, white, red and dragon fruit. These brightly coloured roses will definitely add cheer to your deck or garden this summer.

A customer favourite is the hybrid tea rose Pope John Paul II, a pure white rose which shines against dark green foliage and has a wonderful strong citrus fragrance.

Each five-inch blossom has more than a 45-petal count and the large luminous flowers make it perfect for romantic walks when placed in the moonlight garden.

For a more formal look, try standard roses. This is a bush rose that has been grafted at a height of three feet tall. Great when planted in large containers on the veranda or adding height to a garden design. We have three varieties available this year: Pope John Paul II (white), Over the Moon (deep apricot buds which open to caramel sugar tones) with a light fruity fragrance and Radiant Perfume (stunning deep yellow) with citrus perfume. Standards create a striking silhouette in your garden.

So many to choose from, it鈥檚 time to smell the roses. It鈥檚 like creating heaven on earth. Happy gardening!

Ellen Presley owns Anderton Nursery in Comox.