well it depends on how much light/shade you have.
can you show a photo of the area or tell us if there are any trees overhead and which way it faces, south /north etc.
welcome to GoY

Oooh! Someone else from Somerset! Welcome to GOY, Whiteknight.

It is a North facing bed. There are quite high tree to the rear of the bed with widely spreading branches. These are not mine, so I am unable to do much about them. Whiteknight.

I to am retired, moved to West Somerset in 1988 after 30 years with the London Fire and Rescue Service. My Garden is not huge but, it keeps me
occupied. flowers are my passion, however, I can not class myself as being
proficient in any particular aspect. I do believe that I will be seeking quite a lot
information from my newly found gurus.

Thank you for the welcome.

Whiteknigh.

this may prove difficult as it sounds rather too shady. but I do have a small rose that is supposedly happy in some shade. so i suspect you may have to select your varieties very carefully.
i am sure others will help you too.

most roses need 4 to 5 hours of light to flower well, however ther are some that tolerate shade as long as its not too dark. could try wild edric which is a rugosa type, grows to about 4-5 ft. dense very good disease resistance, semi double magenta flowers which are produced right through summer and a wonderful scent.

You must be somewhere near me, then, Whiteknight! Lovely area to live, isn't it.

Whet's lovely about this site is that there's always good advice from other members. Everyone tries their best to help! Ask away - we all need to know things at times. :-)))

Many Thanks for all the information. However, I have yet another question on the same subject. Roses have previously been planted on this site. Could you please advise on the necessary preparation before replanting.

Whiteknight.

Oh. Not so good! It's recognised practice not to plant new roses where old ones have been: however, you could get away with it if you replace as much soil as you can, dig in lots of well-rotted manure and/or compost, and ask for the product in the Garden Centre that halps new roses to settle in and thrive - I'm sorry I can't remember its name - someone else may do, or the GC staff should know.

depends on how long ago really. if more than 10 yrs then i think they should be ok.

Thanks to all of you.
Whiteknight