Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
Now I have to say first that Lady Emma Hamilton is my favourite rose, certainly my favourite from the David Austin stable and probably my favourite, full stop. Regular readers of these pages will know that Orange is a favourite colour, and Lady Emma has this in spades - a glorious bright orange richly…
Continue reading ➞ Lady Emma Hamilton Jam…
Creamy, gauzy, hazy combinations of pale foxgloves, astilbe and roses with hydrangea Annabelle - and Ammi majus with muted dahlias and corn marigolds - I'm channeling the spirit of the iconic TV adverts Flake today... go on, you can hum it....! The blue of nepeta below, a misty blue, with the same mellow feeling.
The rich red of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, against a tapestry of blackberry and plum tones from the Penstemons, dark leaves of one hydrangea and the cranberry flowers of Pink Annabelle. These might not all be bedfellows in your border, but the colour associations can still be made. Tess is one of David Austin's Fragrant…
Continue reading ➞ Roses, of course, and other floral delights for Thursday
and my summer containers, barely a month planted up - some large terracotta pots and about 8 smaller, though still sizeable, Chelsea planters in complimentary colours. and a shallow bowl of house leeks, Sempervivens, in flower...
The burnt orange of Summer Song against the warm golds of Crown Princess Margareta. 'Tis June and the roses are heading towards their absolute Peak. Of course, the English Roses from David Austin will flower again, several times indeed and very welcome they will be too. But just now, with the summer-flowering roses -…
Crepuscule Crepuscule was raised by M Dubreuil in France in 1904. He has previously (1884) raised that little charmer Perle d'Or which bids fair to outlast most roses, like Gloire de Dijon. Nobody is raising these exquisite Noisettes these days. Crepuscule is of lax, semi-climbing growth and has been recommended for hedging, but I think…
Continue reading ➞ Heading into the second Walled Rose garden at Mottisfont Abbey….
Hippolyte White foxgloves come into their own in statuesque quality in contrast to the dark purplish colour of rose Hippolyte. This is a Gallica hybrid for which we have no date. Strangely it is almost prickle-less and in this way as in the shape and colour of the flowers Gallica ancestry is indicated. Reaching 5…
Continue reading ➞ Through the centuries – roses at Mottisfont Abbey
The Teddington Gardener 