The Patio Garden
Our patio garden features English specimen roses in a variety of large, decorative terracotta planters. English Roses, with their gracefully rounded, shrubby growth, are ideal for growing in this way. They bring character and interest to the gravelled area around the Plant Centre and their beautiful, deliciously fragrant flowers can be easily enjoyed at close quarters.
A final roundup from my brief visit to David Austin Roses in Albrighton – believe me I could have spent several more hours there and with a macro lens, several hours more on top. But you will be relieved that this is it for David Austin Roses, at least for today. I’m planning a return visit soon to capture the best of the rest, the later bloomers and including the Species Garden which I neglected this time around.
What features most in this gallery are the superb specimen roses grown in containers and really, how splendid did they look. They are plumbed into an irrigation system and are fed well, that goes without saying. A rich compost, plenty of water and a liquid drench of a suitable fertiliser (rose food, seaweed, tomato food even, at a pinch) and they can look as good as this. I’m thinking some of the containers look a little tight for the plants in their charge – a minimum of 50cm x 50cm would be my preference for a shrub roses and larger for a climber. These are permanent homes for these roses, a habitat for 5-10 years, so give them the best accommodation and remember that they are hungry, greedy and thirsty creatures. But look how they can repay your generosity!
I finish off with a gander at the plant centre and focus on some of their new introductions. I’m glad I bought Vanessa Bell and am looking for a suitable spot for it now. Quite delicious.
The Teddington Gardener 