Experienced grower's notes on Julia Child

I've been growing plants seriously for over fifteen years and Julia Child remains a reliable favourite. For anyone starting out: the most critical thing is applying rose-specific granular fertiliser in early spring. Everything else follows from that.

powdery mildew in humid summers is the challenge that trips up most beginners and some experienced growers too. I've been growing mine in a cottage garden mixed planting with lavender for three seasons now and the results are consistently good. repeat-flowering over a long season is what makes it worth coming back to year after year. first flush of blooms in late spring is when I show it off — it earns its place fully then.