A Bowl of Beauty – Roses and Clematis, perfect companions at Petersham Nurseries (and anywhere else for that matter ….)

The most fragrant Old Rose - though a modern incarnation, Gertrude Jekyll, with Munstead Wood, deep dark and redolent of blackcurrant and plum, and Reine de Violettes, with Eden Rose (Pierre de Ronsard) plu some amazing Clematis - Multi Blue, Cezanne, Giselle, Abilene ... more. A delightful way to showcase beautiful blooms ...Enjoy. A regularly…

Souvenir du Docteur Jamain – a rose with perfect form, a rich deep colour and superb, intense fragrance… #roseheaven @PetershamN

There are Old Roses and there are Classic Old Roses and this beauty has to be in the top echelons of rose society. Rich deep colour, velvety blooms and a complex Old Rose fragrance combine to make this absolutely one of my favourites. Treated as a tall, rather lanky shrub, or a short climber, Souvenir…

“I love snorting Roses” – Michael Marriott, Roses & David Austin

More research for a talk later this week and the room here at TG Central is strewn with rose books - thirty of them? Forty? What to include, what to leave out - heading off into all manner of topics and side-alleys and bookmarking pieces to read when I have more leisure.. (when,  exactly?) And then…

Jack Frost comes calling….

A frosty morning with the few roses cocky enough to be flowering all rimed with ice. A little rose garden with climbing rose The Generous Gardener on tall black obelisks, accompanied by a trio of English shrub roses also from David Austin, Gertrude Jekyll, Geoff Hamilton and Winchester Cathedral. The whole scheme is bordered by…

A million tiny diamonds…

Geoff Hamilton looking rather marvellous annointed with morning dew - and in not too long, this will very likely be frost. A few photos including Gertrude Jekyll (the pink) and Winchester Cathedral (the white) - all roses from David Austin - and like Geoff, glistening with dew. Gertie we have come across before, a headily…

Jude & Gertie

Jude the Obscure, with hints of Gertrude Jekyll and Graham Thomas Gertrude Jekyll - a beautifully scented shrub rose and Fragrant English Climber Two glorious David Austin roses, in bloom now and probably (given the long summer, after a late start) in flower for many weeks to come. Few other plants can give so many…

Generous Gertie…

Rose, Gertrude Jekyll There are few better ways to decorate a home than with flowers -  a single stem of your favourite flower in a jam jar, can be just the thing. Then again, how about an armful of the most scented roses? A wide, deep vase full of leaf, bud and flower with an…

Hey Jude!

Jude the Obscure One of David Austin's finest I think, Jude the Obscure has a beautiful form, subtle colouring and a zesty scent of citrus and exotic fruits (in the style of Lady Emma Hamilton - have I mentioned that she's my favourite? Referencing Bruce Forsyth!) The flash of pink is from Gertrude Jekyll, no…

Boiling Lady Emma…

I'm making a start on my first ever batch of Rose Petal Jam and have beheaded Lady Emma Hamilton - many of her in fact - for the purpose.... The petals have been carefully picked over to remove any unwanted joyriders but no more. They had not been sprayed with chemicals, obviously this is important…