More roses – can I be this good to you? Part Two, this time from the Bowes Lyon Rose Garden at RHS Wisley

As promised - and be careful what you wish for in future - a grand gallery of roses captured yesterday in the riot of colour that is the Bowes Lyon Rose Garden at RHS Wisley in Surrey. The newer of two rose gardens, this features wide, broad and ascending (or descending) paths with generous steps,…

Roses all the way – a veritable photographic encyclopedia of these beauties … (Part One)

Between the rain showers yesterday, a tour around the two rose gardens at RHS Wisley - these are all from the first, the Jubilee Rose Garden, which features roses planted among roses and more roses (no herbaceous planting here, not allowed at all). The next gallery will feature the planting in the Bowes Lyon Rose…

Just a few roses…

and finally, Grace, once more. These are all in the original rose garden at Wisley, small-ish, enclosed, formal beds filled with many kinds of shrub roses and some climbers. Symmetrical and balanced with pretty much no other planting save for the roses. By contrast, the Bowes-Lyons rose garden, which is much more expansive, mixes roses…

Three from David Austin Roses – an English composer, Swedish Royalty and a Yorkshire Garden

Benjamin Britten (above) Here is a variety of unusual colouring for an English Rose - strong salmon-pink that changes with age to a particularly strong shade of pure pink. Deeply cupped flowers gradually develop into an open, slightly cupped rosette. Benjamin Britten is a useful rose to provide a highlight among the softer shades of…

Roses, of course, and other floral delights for Thursday

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…

Summer Song to Tess of the D’Urbervilles via A Shropshire Lad and James Galway – Roses for Sunday

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 -…

Putting on a Petersham show… roses by me, styling by Amanda

and from our Doyenne of the Displays, Lady of the Carts, Madame Maestro.... Filled, finessed, crafted and created, displays at Petersham Nurseries, styling by Amanda - the newest member of the Horticulture Green Team. Roses by me....!  

David Austin Roses – the who, what, why and when…

Now that the rose season is almost upon us, I'm refreshing my memory after long rose-less months, of what is to come! These notes are culled from a series of presentations the year before last, covering all things 'David Austin Roses'. If I find the pictures which accompanied the talks, I'll attempt to add them…

Introducing the circle…

More David Austin roses, this time in a novelty circular themed gallery. Not entirely sure about the presentation - hardly Fornasetti - then again it could be developed into a range of tableware? Get me David Austin HQ! Wollerton Old Hall, Morning Mist, Teasing Georgia (l-r, top) Teasing Georgia, Crown Princess Margareta, A Shropshire Lad…