What woman doesn't like receiving roses? But at $70 a dozen and lasting only a week, I didn't see the sense in continuing to let Mighty Moe buy them for me. If nothing else I'm reasonable and not high maintenance.
He compensated for Valentines by buying me David Austin bareroot English roses via their website. For Mother's Day he treats me to annual trips to the local nursery (Flower World in Maltby, WA) where I purchase my hybrid tea roses. 10 years later my garden is now stocked with over 90 rose bushes! I'm one lucky gal! I look forward each year to my rose stipend and often check the internet for the newest rose introductions to add to my collection. Although I have many roses, I tend to buy a few of the same ones to make a larger display or if there is a variety whose fragrance is too die for like Abraham Darby, I'll buy a few to spread the delicious aroma throughout the garden. In the past 4 years we here in the PNW have experienced more snow then normal and a few of my specimens died. But all in all they've remained in good shape.
For this post I'll concentrate on a few of my favorite English roses and dedicate another post for Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. Here are a few climbing & shrub roses I'm particularly fond of:
Climbing Roses
'Abraham Darby' English Rose by David AustinBy far my all time favorite for it's form, soft apricot, yellow & pink color. Reminds me of a beautiful sunrise. The fragrance is fruity and strong and it's a excellent repeat bloomer. The first and last rose to bloom in my garden each year. Also available as a shrub rose. Unfortunately I don't have a good photo of this yet but will post when I do.
'Eden' Romantica Rose
Meilland rose; Pierre De Ronsard more commonly known as 'Eden' rose. The coloring is similar to 'Abraham Darby' but this rose has a much lighter more subdued fragrance. I get a first flush of blooms during the last week of May and smaller repeated blooms through out Summer. I have it climbing up an arbor entertwined with a grape vine.
'James Galway' English Rose by David AustinThis is a terrific climber as well. It takes a bit of shade and rewards me with multi-scalloped petals. The rose gives the illusion of a much pinker inner flower fading to a gentle pink towards it's outer petals. Light Old Rose scent. Great repeat blooms and is also available as a shrub rose.
'Ambridge Rose' English Rose by David Austin
This apricot beauty has nice double blooms with a strong English myrrh scent. As you can see it's flowers hold up well even through rain. Which we get quite often in the PNW. Grows 3' x 4'
'Princess Anne' English Rose by David Austin
This pink almost glows in my garden its play with light is amazing. This rose is a excellent repeat bloomer and I'm very impressed with everything about this shrub rose. This has a medium lightly fruity scent and grows well even in partial sunny conditions. 3'x2'
'Charles Rennie Mackintosh' English Rose by David Austin
Lovely lavender pink double blooms with this rose. As you can see the form is deeply cupped and multi-petaled, a very sweet romantic looking rose. Perfect for the bedside. They do tend to ball up a bit during rain though. Has a strong Old Rose scent and grows to 4' 1/2 x 3'.
I adore English roses and have had very good luck with them. The only problem so far is some of the varieties have mutated back to it's parentage perhaps. Not sure but I have a few white shrub roses that will form perfectly pink roses! I try to cut the pink ones off as soon as I can to help maintain it's purchased form.
'Clare Austin' English Rose by David Austin
Nice white double blooms with a strong Myrrh and vanilla scent. Grows into a nice, bushy 4' 1/2 x 5' shrub. Is available as a climber. This rose in particular has a tendency to change its' color. In the above photo you can see the mutation of the pink rose tucked towards the back.
Roses get a bad rap for a good reason, they are indeed heavy feeders and susceptible to black spots, powdery mildew and aphid infestations. Fortunately if a gardener is diligent and applies systemic to the roses a few times a year the problems can be controlled. It's important to check over your roses every few weeks for signs of any problems and take care of them quickly. Black spot is by far the worst because of its rapid spread. As soon as I see black spots I remove the infected leaves from the plants and any from the ground that may have fallen. I then sprinkle some systemic granuals into the soil to prevent new spots. I fertilize once a month on a routing schedule of alpha meal, Oscosomite and Miracle Grow. Once in a while if I remember I'll also scratch some dried banana peels and coffee grounds in the soil around their feet. Roses are a labor of love for sure but for me well worth the effort!
This is all I have in me today regarding English roses, please check back later this month as I'll be blogging about more varieties I have. Enjoy your day!
P.S. I've always had great luck ordering directly from David Austins website. I also refer back to it seasonally for their newest introductions and specifications. When you have time, check them out: David Austin
He compensated for Valentines by buying me David Austin bareroot English roses via their website. For Mother's Day he treats me to annual trips to the local nursery (Flower World in Maltby, WA) where I purchase my hybrid tea roses. 10 years later my garden is now stocked with over 90 rose bushes! I'm one lucky gal! I look forward each year to my rose stipend and often check the internet for the newest rose introductions to add to my collection. Although I have many roses, I tend to buy a few of the same ones to make a larger display or if there is a variety whose fragrance is too die for like Abraham Darby, I'll buy a few to spread the delicious aroma throughout the garden. In the past 4 years we here in the PNW have experienced more snow then normal and a few of my specimens died. But all in all they've remained in good shape.
For this post I'll concentrate on a few of my favorite English roses and dedicate another post for Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. Here are a few climbing & shrub roses I'm particularly fond of:
Climbing Roses
'Abraham Darby' English Rose by David AustinBy far my all time favorite for it's form, soft apricot, yellow & pink color. Reminds me of a beautiful sunrise. The fragrance is fruity and strong and it's a excellent repeat bloomer. The first and last rose to bloom in my garden each year. Also available as a shrub rose. Unfortunately I don't have a good photo of this yet but will post when I do.
'Eden' Romantica Rose
Meilland rose; Pierre De Ronsard more commonly known as 'Eden' rose. The coloring is similar to 'Abraham Darby' but this rose has a much lighter more subdued fragrance. I get a first flush of blooms during the last week of May and smaller repeated blooms through out Summer. I have it climbing up an arbor entertwined with a grape vine.
'James Galway' English Rose by David AustinThis is a terrific climber as well. It takes a bit of shade and rewards me with multi-scalloped petals. The rose gives the illusion of a much pinker inner flower fading to a gentle pink towards it's outer petals. Light Old Rose scent. Great repeat blooms and is also available as a shrub rose.
English Roses (Shrub)
'William Shakespeare 2000' English Rose by David Austin
If you're looking for a deep purple red rose. This is a winner. Great repeat flowering, strong Old Rose fragrance and the color is gorgeous. Grows about 4' x 5' and holds it's color very well.
'Ambridge Rose' English Rose by David Austin
This apricot beauty has nice double blooms with a strong English myrrh scent. As you can see it's flowers hold up well even through rain. Which we get quite often in the PNW. Grows 3' x 4'
'Graham Thomas' English Rose by David Austin
This rose has a clear yellow color and strong tea rose scent. This is variety is also available as a climber. Grows 5' x 4' and is a good repeat bloomer.
This pink almost glows in my garden its play with light is amazing. This rose is a excellent repeat bloomer and I'm very impressed with everything about this shrub rose. This has a medium lightly fruity scent and grows well even in partial sunny conditions. 3'x2'
'Charles Rennie Mackintosh' English Rose by David Austin
Lovely lavender pink double blooms with this rose. As you can see the form is deeply cupped and multi-petaled, a very sweet romantic looking rose. Perfect for the bedside. They do tend to ball up a bit during rain though. Has a strong Old Rose scent and grows to 4' 1/2 x 3'.
'Clare Austin' English Rose by David Austin
Nice white double blooms with a strong Myrrh and vanilla scent. Grows into a nice, bushy 4' 1/2 x 5' shrub. Is available as a climber. This rose in particular has a tendency to change its' color. In the above photo you can see the mutation of the pink rose tucked towards the back.
Roses get a bad rap for a good reason, they are indeed heavy feeders and susceptible to black spots, powdery mildew and aphid infestations. Fortunately if a gardener is diligent and applies systemic to the roses a few times a year the problems can be controlled. It's important to check over your roses every few weeks for signs of any problems and take care of them quickly. Black spot is by far the worst because of its rapid spread. As soon as I see black spots I remove the infected leaves from the plants and any from the ground that may have fallen. I then sprinkle some systemic granuals into the soil to prevent new spots. I fertilize once a month on a routing schedule of alpha meal, Oscosomite and Miracle Grow. Once in a while if I remember I'll also scratch some dried banana peels and coffee grounds in the soil around their feet. Roses are a labor of love for sure but for me well worth the effort!
This is all I have in me today regarding English roses, please check back later this month as I'll be blogging about more varieties I have. Enjoy your day!
P.S. I've always had great luck ordering directly from David Austins website. I also refer back to it seasonally for their newest introductions and specifications. When you have time, check them out: David Austin
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