Roses are not always the easiest of plants to grown. Here are a few tips for growing them.

If you have suddenly inherited an antique rose bush, or you are considering buying a house, but are put off by the old roses growing up the side, Mr. Scanniello had this advice for their care and management: "leave them alone".

He said: "A lot of people are being cautious with roses because they think that all roses need to be coddled. They think the roses need a chemical regime or something.

"But these roses (Bermuda roses) don't. They have been here for centuries without assistance. They can tolerate your heat, your winter, your wind and most of all they can tolerate neglect and still give you great flowers.

"Chances are it might need some whacking now and then so you can get to the front door." He said that in Bermuda, roses should be grown from slips or cuttings. The alternative is to buy a rosebud that has been grafted onto rootstock that is not necessarily of the same variety as the rosebud.

"You can probably order budded roses from the United States," said Mr. Scanniello. "This means that the slip is actually growing off of the root of another rose bush.

"That rose may last a couple of seasons here and eventually will fade away and die because it is not the right way to grow a rose here. If it is on its own root system from a slip, it will establish itself and be tolerant of all its adverse conditions. That really is the best way to grow a rose, everywhere."

Mr. Scanniello's best piece of advice was: join the Bermuda Rose Society or read their book 'Rose in Bermuda'.

"What better place to go for advice than that," said Mr. Scanniello.