Gardener and Photographer with a love of Roses and a magpie-eye for all things Horticultural
The luminous Pat Austin I'm reading through David Austin's The English Rose for passages relating to this rose, introduced in 1995 and named for his late wife, Pat Austin. Writing on the choice of colour and introducing new colours in particular: 'Here we are looking not simply for a variety of colour, but for good…
Continue reading ➞ Shades of Copper and Flame…
My first flower from the 2013/14 David Austin Rose, Thomas à Becket. I am glad that DAR admit that it is a difficult rose to photograph - it was! To capture the richness of the red, with bright pink/carmine tones, all but this one of my picture rang an off-note. David Austin, in their website, write…
Continue reading ➞ Thomas a Becket – new to David Austin 2013/14
Having been told this week by a customer that 'they never knew they liked orange so much', (there were lots of Ballerina tulips this spring, and much Geum in flower in her garden now), I think it is time to consider my 'relationship' with Orange. Maybe not give it up - the gorgeous David Austin…
Continue reading ➞ Pink is the new Orange
Mme Isaac Pereire (top left), Lady Emma Hamilton (top right) & Evelyn A fruity menage-à-trois featuring three headily fragrant flowers. Happy Days.
To quote Bruce Forsyth, "You're my favourite". My favourite David Austin rose, Lady Emma Hamilton. If Mr Austin wanted to extend the colour range of the Old Roses (out of pink, more pink, white, purple) into new territory, he must be proud of this rose - a molten tangerine-orange exterior with a pure gold interior,…
Continue reading ➞ May I present Lady Emma Hamilton…
One plant, two roses. David Austin rose, Winchester Cathedral Winchester Cathedral, the white, is a 'sport' of an old David Austin favourite, Mary Rose. A sport (in a nutshell) is a spontaneous mutation, identical in all outward respects save, in this instance, flower colour, (though it may also, for example, be a climbing sport of…
Continue reading ➞ Split personalities
Lichfield Angel, a David Austin English musk hybrid rose, introduced in 2006. I included five in the Roehampton garden project last year, which ought to make a decent stand in the semi-circular border. If the large planter at Syon today is any comparison, it should develop into a large crown, studded with creamy white blooms.…
Continue reading ➞ Lichfield Angel
A few more days of this warm sunshine and the dam will break, the floodgates will open, the genie will be out of the bottle, the cork will pop, the..... you get the idea. Roses, roses and more roses and very welcome they will be. In flower now are Wisley 2008 (above) and The Alnwick…
Continue reading ➞ Any day now, roses
Princess Alexandra of Kent, a David Austin introduction from 2007, large flowers in glowing pink with scalloped outer petals and a rich fragrance. The first decent bloom at Syon.Darcey Bussell tried hard, but a poor first attempt, and the solitary flower from Kew Gardens, well!Good things come to those who wait.
The Teddington Gardener 