I haven�t covered all of the roses we have in our garden yet.� I thought it might be nice to share some photos of the different varieties we have and make a few comments about each.� I only have...
I haven�t covered all of the roses we have in our garden yet.� I thought it might be nice to share some photos of the different varieties we have and make a few comments about each.� I only have standard roses in our garden.� My aunt, who incidentally lives across the road, has a row of standard roses next to their carport.� They look very elegant planted in a row.� I have always admired them, so that�s why I decided to plant those too. It�s a shame because having only standard roses limits you.� There are so many more varieties that are sold as bush roses, especially David Austin varieties which are very beautiful and sometimes quite hard to source in New Zealand.� I try and keep my posts on the short side so they are easy and quick to read, so I will cover all of the roses in our garden in a series of posts, starting with David Austin and then moving on to our New Zealand roses.
I just wanted to make one point.� While I adore David Austin roses, I don�t think they perform quite as well in our garden as they would in England, where they were bred. �Standard roses are sometimes referred to as �tree roses�.� �I never seem to be able to achieve a true �tree� shape that you would typically see in England.� It might be due to the way I prune them, so I�m not sure whether that is the reason or if the shape is different if they are grown in a different country.� In any event, they don�t flower as profusely as they would if grown in their home country. �The shape of Austin rose flowers is very distinctive and I can�t help but be attracted to them, which is why we have quite a few different varieties in our garden.
Another thing. Sometimes people ask me which ones are scented and which ones aren�t, and what their fragrance is like. I�m embarrassed to say that I honestly don�t know. I am so busy working in the garden every day that I don�t have time to smell the roses!
Finally, while I have planted one of each of the different varieties that have appealed to me over the years and were available in NZ, a row of the same colour can look quite stunning.� My dentist loves gardening too (you can read a bit more about this here) and he has a row of white Iceberg roses in a garden bed outside his practice.� Iceberg isn�t an Austin variety but you could achieve a similar effect with Winchester Cathedral, for example, which we have in our garden and is covered below.
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Sharifa Asma
I purchased this variety from a specialist mail order rose supplier called D & S Nurseries a number of years ago. �The couple have since retired and closed the business which is a shame because they had an excellent range of Austin roses which can be difficult to source in New Zealand as I have mentioned above.
I just wanted to make one point.� While I adore David Austin roses, I don�t think they perform quite as well in our garden as they would in England, where they were bred. �Standard roses are sometimes referred to as �tree roses�.� �I never seem to be able to achieve a true �tree� shape that you would typically see in England.� It might be due to the way I prune them, so I�m not sure whether that is the reason or if the shape is different if they are grown in a different country.� In any event, they don�t flower as profusely as they would if grown in their home country. �The shape of Austin rose flowers is very distinctive and I can�t help but be attracted to them, which is why we have quite a few different varieties in our garden.
Another thing. Sometimes people ask me which ones are scented and which ones aren�t, and what their fragrance is like. I�m embarrassed to say that I honestly don�t know. I am so busy working in the garden every day that I don�t have time to smell the roses!
Finally, while I have planted one of each of the different varieties that have appealed to me over the years and were available in NZ, a row of the same colour can look quite stunning.� My dentist loves gardening too (you can read a bit more about this here) and he has a row of white Iceberg roses in a garden bed outside his practice.� Iceberg isn�t an Austin variety but you could achieve a similar effect with Winchester Cathedral, for example, which we have in our garden and is covered below.
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Sharifa Asma
I purchased this variety from a specialist mail order rose supplier called D & S Nurseries a number of years ago. �The couple have since retired and closed the business which is a shame because they had an excellent range of Austin roses which can be difficult to source in New Zealand as I have mentioned above.
Sharifa Asma
?Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral also came from D & S Nurseries.� I purchased it at the same time as Sharifa Asma and planted them next to each other.
Winchester Cathedral also came from D & S Nurseries.� I purchased it at the same time as Sharifa Asma and planted them next to each other.
Winchester Cathedral
?The Ambridge Rose
This variety also came from D & S Nurseries.
This variety also came from D & S Nurseries.
The Ambridge Rose
?The Alnwick Rose
A friend that I went to law school with absolutely loves this rose.� She has only seen pictures of it so far but I hope to have her around when it is flowering so she can see it in person.� Her favourite Austin variety is called Sweet Juliet which looks really beautiful.� The problem is that it isn�t available as a standard rose in New Zealand.� I am so keen to expand my collection of Austin roses beyond the limited selection offered as standard varieties that I am actually considering planting a row of bush roses in our garden, including Sweet Juliet if I am able to source it.
A friend that I went to law school with absolutely loves this rose.� She has only seen pictures of it so far but I hope to have her around when it is flowering so she can see it in person.� Her favourite Austin variety is called Sweet Juliet which looks really beautiful.� The problem is that it isn�t available as a standard rose in New Zealand.� I am so keen to expand my collection of Austin roses beyond the limited selection offered as standard varieties that I am actually considering planting a row of bush roses in our garden, including Sweet Juliet if I am able to source it.
The Alnwick Rose
?Abraham Darby
This is a very reliable performer in our garden.� There are almost always flowers on Abraham Darby year round.
This is a very reliable performer in our garden.� There are almost always flowers on Abraham Darby year round.
Abraham Darby
?Grace
This would have to be one of my all-time favourite roses and the name captures it perfectly.
This would have to be one of my all-time favourite roses and the name captures it perfectly.
Grace
?Evelyn
I planted this rose two years ago to replace Margaret Merrill, which died.� It came from a specialist rose nursery called Tasman Bay Roses in Motueka.
I planted this rose two years ago to replace Margaret Merrill, which died.� It came from a specialist rose nursery called Tasman Bay Roses in Motueka.
Evelyn
Evelyn
?Princess Alexandra of Kent
This is the only really pink Austin rose in our garden.��
This is the only really pink Austin rose in our garden.��
Princess Alexandra of Kent
?The Lady Gardener
I added this rose to our garden in winter.� It comes from Wairere Nurseries. I have wanted it for ages as it is beautiful and the name sums me up perfectly. For many years it was unavailable but I didn�t give up hope. I kept requesting it on a back order and eventually Wairere contacted me and said that it had finally become available. �It hasn�t flowered yet so I have shared a picture of the rose after I planted it.
I added this rose to our garden in winter.� It comes from Wairere Nurseries. I have wanted it for ages as it is beautiful and the name sums me up perfectly. For many years it was unavailable but I didn�t give up hope. I kept requesting it on a back order and eventually Wairere contacted me and said that it had finally become available. �It hasn�t flowered yet so I have shared a picture of the rose after I planted it.
The Lady Gardener
?In my next blog post, I will cover all of the yellow and golden Austin roses in our garden.
