Princess Anne

Rosemore

Princess Anne

Golden Celebration

Cornelia

Port Sunlight

Lady of Shalott

Lady of Shalott

Penelope

Gertrude Jekyll

Cornelia

Jubilee Celebration

Jubilee Celebration

Lichfield Angel

Wild Edric

Noble Anthony

Princess Alexandra of Kent

Winchester Cathedral

Rosa x hibernica hips

Rosa x hibernica hips

Rosa x hibernica

Corvedale

Corvedale

Rosa californica

Charles Darwin

Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens

Lady Emma Hamilton

Lady Emma Hamilton

Lady Emma Hamilton

Lady Emma Hamilton

Skylark

Lady Emma Hamilton

Kew Gardens

Bonica ’82

Bonica ’82

Bonica ’82

Bonica ’82

Skylark

Bonica ’82

Skylark

Young Lycidas

Ballerina

Lichfield Angel

Lichfield Angel

Bonica ’82

Lady Salisbury

Lady Salisbury

The Lady Gardener

The Lady Gardener

The Lady Gardener

The Lady Gardener

The Lady Gardener

The Lady Gardener

Thomas a Becket

Graham Thomas

Thomas a Becket

Harlow Carr

Mortimer Sackler

Young Lycidas

Barbara Austin

Bonica ’82

Lady of Megginch

Bonica ’82

Geoff Hamilton

Geoff Hamilton

Compassion

Compassion

Sally Holmes

Sally Holmes

Sally Holmes

Sally Holmes

Sally Holmes

Lady of Shalott

Lady of Shalott

Claire Austin

Claire Austin

Schneeflocke

Stanwell Perpetual

Stanwell Perpetual

Stanwell Perpetual

The Herbalist

Mary Rose

James Galway

James Galway

The Poet’s Wife

Louise Odier

Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten

Blythe Spirit

Golden Celebration

Blythe Spirit

Blythe Spirit

Port Sunlight

Strawberry Hill

Strawberry Hill

Rose de Rescht

Bonica ’82

Bonica ’82

Lady of Shalott

Lady of Shalott

Lady of Shalott

Lady of Shalott

Princess Anne

Scarborough Fair

Tea Clipper

The Wedgwood Rose

Tea Clipper

England’s Rose

Lichfield Angel

Strawberry Hill

Maid Marion

The Lady’s Blush

Susan Williams Ellis

Susan Williams Ellis

Desdemona

Munstead Wood (at home)

Remember Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, treason and…. Roses? This floriferous rose garden certainly has other ideas about a quiet slide into senescence, leaf-drop and rose-hips – these are flower-packed shrubs with more to come.

Colour, fragrance aplenty and fresh, clean leaves in abundance. A remarkable display given it really is November and hardly any of the plants in this rose garden are showing signs of giving up. They are performing beautifully. The repeat-flowering David Austin varieties are here in force, modern shrubs such as Bonica ’82 are phenomenal and all backed up by the Pemberton Hybrid Musks in terms of sheer flower-power. The summer-flowering and species roses are giving us healthy foliage and green-appeal, with the start of the hip-hip-hooray season with flashes of scarlet and ruby (Rosa x hibernica in particular).

All in all a real treat and a surprise to see to many healthy flower-filled specimens this late in the year, to breathe in their appealing scent and to thank our lucky stars for rosarians like David Austin and his amazing team. Kew, I might add, have got it right with an amazing, well-tended, healthy and well-cared for display. Thank you.