The First to Flower: Our Earliest Roses at Usk Valley Roses

Every year, as April turns to May, we find ourselves doing the same thing — walking the nursery rows and watching for the first signs of colour and then that first glorious 'sniff'. Some roses keep you waiting. Others seem almost impatient to get going.

These four are the ones we look forward to most. If you're planting this spring and want colour sooner rather than later, they're a great place to start.

Penelope

One of our earliest and most reliable performers. 'Penelope' produces creamy white blooms with a soft pink blush and a genuinely beautiful sweet scent — and she never keeps us waiting long. A hybrid musk of real character, she flowers prolifically and repeats well through to the first frosts. If you want a rose that earns its place from the very start of the season, Penelope is hard to beat.

Cornelia

Peachy-apricot clusters that seem to appear almost overnight. 'Cornelia' is another hybrid musk with real warmth — the blooms deepen to coral in cooler weather, and the fragrance builds through the day in a way that stops you in your tracks. She's generous, reliable, and one of the first to remind you why you grow roses.

Buff Beauty

Those warm apricot-yellow blooms are always a highlight of early summer at the nursery. 'Buff Beauty' is a rose that rewards patience through winter and then delivers in abundance — generous clusters of softly fragrant flowers that fade to a gentle buff tone as they mature. Utterly reliable, year after year.

Jacques Cartier

A Victorian heritage rose of exceptional beauty. 'Jacques Cartier' produces perfectly formed rosettes with a distinctive button eye at the centre and a rich, classic old rose fragrance. As a Portland rose, it tends to get going slightly ahead of many modern varieties — and those first blooms are always worth the wait.

Which roses are you most looking forward to seeing flower this year? Let us know in the comments below.