English Shrub Rose

English Shrub Rose
Rosa ‘Alnwick’
Synonyms: Alnwick Castle, AUSgrab

Another in the long list of beautiful roses brought to us by David Austin. This rose is really a nice shade of pink and has a fruity fragrance to go with the color. Here are some facts on Alnwick:

Breeder/Introduction: David Austin (UK) 2001. Introduced by David Austin Roses Limited
Petal Count: 41
Parentage: Seedling × AUSgold
Height: 48 inches (122 cm)

This rose is named after the 700 year old Alnwick Castle, Which some people may recognize as the setting for some of the Harry Potter (The Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets) and other movies. The gardens have been restored and look magnificent from the pictures.

For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers .

Today’s bonus flower is an Orchid bud.
Asian Corsage Orchid
Cymbidium
(sim-BID-ee-um)

Festival of Roses ~ Day Nine ~ Shrub Roses

'Quietness' a Modern Shrub rose developed by Dr. Griffith J. Buck

Festival of Roses ~ Day Nine ~ Shrub Roses

2007 Digital Flower Pictures.com Festival of Roses Continues

I have shied away from posting a lot of shrub roses because I really don’t deal with them that often. I like them but I guess the one-time bloom thing has probably turned me off a bit. Maybe I should think of them as Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Lilacs; they only bloom once a year, too. All that said I think that shrub roses are growing on me (pun intended). As I have posted before I am really starting to like the David Austin roses and the big shrub roses in my garden have actually been producing some flowers and look like they have a flush of blooms before the frost (it is going to be a race against the clock, however). So this isn’t the place to come for expert advice on caring for your shrub roses, yet. I have a lot to learn about tending them and a short time to do it.

Shrub roses is kind of an all encompassing term when you think about it. Pretty much all roses are shrubs, but the classification is for basically any rose that doesn’t go into any of the other classes. There is such a variety of forms and flowers that it would be difficult to come up with an exact definition. One nice thing about the shrub roses is they are generally hardier.

Here is so more information on Shrub Roses:
Illinois U.

and there is a definition on this page:
Amity Heritage Roses

The first couple of today’s roses were shot at the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. They have an unbelievable collection of shrub roses though a lot weren’t blooming when I was there.


‘Quietness’ facts:
Class: Modern Shrub/Buck Rose
Origin: Dr. Griffith J. Buck, US
U.S. Introduction: Roses Unlimited, 2003
Petal Count: 41
Fragrance: Moderate
Good disease resistance.

This next rose is really a soft pink. The buds on this rose were kind of small but nice and the flowers opened to an average size.. This is another Buck rose which were bred in Iowa. They can stand up to harsh winters and humid summers. There wasn’t much information on this rose but here is the Buck Rose Homepage

'Country Music'

'Country Music'
Class: Modern Shrub/Buck Rose
Origin: Dr. Griffith J. Buck, US
Fragrance: Mild

I couldn’t really talk about shrub roses without having at least a couple of David Austin roses although a lot of people put them in their own class. Here are two that I had photos of. I have featured several other Austin roses over the last couple of months.
David Austin's English Shrub Rose 'Winchester Cathedral'

'Winchester Cathedral' facts:
Class: Modern English Shrub/ David Austin
Origin: David Austin, UK, 1988
Petal Count: Fully Double Blooms
Fragrance: Mild
Parentage: Sport of Mary Rose
Synonyms: AUScat, White Mary Rose, Winchester

'The Shepherdess' another David Austin English rose.
This rose was a nice apricot color and the plant seemed to be a little smaller than most Austins. It is a new rose and there is also a Floribunda rose with this name. I don’t know how they work that out. According to Austin’s website, “The Shepherdess is named after a character in Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia, published in 1593”.

Class: Modern English Shrub/ David Austin
Origin: David Austin, UK, 2007
U.S. Introduction: David Austin Roses Limited (USA), 2207
Petal Count: 41
Synonyms: Austwist

Here are the two roses I bought on Saturday and I plan on planting them today.

‘Red Fairy’ a disease resistant Polyantha rose.

‘Bonica’
Class: Modern Shrub
Origin: Meilland International, France, 1982
Petal Count: 17-25
Fragrance: Mild
Parentage: Seed: Rosa sempervirens L. × Mademoiselle Marthe Carron Pollen: Picasso
Synonyms: Bonica '82, Bonica Meidiland, Demon


That is all I have time for today. Tune in tomorrow as the Festival of Roses continues!

Modern English Shrub Rose 'Heritage'

Modern English Shrub Rose 'Heritage'
Synonyms: Roberta, AUSblush

In celebration of having my blog reviewed in ‘Rose Ramblings’, the monthly newsletter of the San Diego Rose Society, I have decided to post this photo. The newsletter is available by subscription only so there is no link that I can post. I hope some of the members send me some email. I would love to be able to grow roses in Southern California. They have to grow better than here in Connecticut, with its broiling summer heat and suffocating humidity.

The other nice thing that happened to this website was it was awarded a ‘Photo Genius’ award from Mike at Photoxication. The award was created by Ali at A Bit of This and a Dash of the Other! Both Ali and Mike are nice people, people you wouldn’t mind going out with for a few pints at your local pub, although I think Mike drives his motorcycle a little too fast sometimes (just kidding). I am both honored and humbled that he thought my photography warranted this award.



This rose is another winner from David Austin. In some ways it is a bit plain when you consider the way roses are going these days. There is beauty in its simplicity and elegance in its plainness. One consideration I have when talking about roses is the ease of its cultivation. Since I grow this rose in three different rose gardens I can say that it is a very prolific and profuse bloomer. That moves it right up the rose scale in my book. I would recommend this one, although for the back or corner of the garden since it can get quite large. One site I was looking at said it occasionally re-blooms later in the season. In my case it has always re-bloomed, sometimes heavily.

Here are some details about ‘Heritage’:
Introduced: 1984 by David Austin Roses
Height: 4-6 feet (or more)
Fragrance: Strong (Citrus)
Hardiness: USDA Zone 5, at least, reports of Zone 3 and 4
Parentage: Seedling x (Seedling of Iceberg)
Petal Count: 40
Average Flower Diameter: 3.5 inches, double, cupped



I had a nice anniversary yesterday. I figured out it was my 16th, although we have been together for a lot longer than that. We went to a just opened place (we have been there a couple of other times) called Bluu. It is a Sushi/Pizza/High end Burger/Bar that is a little noisy but nice. I am not big on Sushi but did have a couple of California Rolls. The interior and exterior has a changing light show with the lights changing through several colors.



Today I am happy to been invited to an Estate in Greenwich to a big Garden Party. There will be food, drink and flowers which sounds like heaven to me.

Modern Shrub Rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ ABC Wednesday

Modern Shrub Rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’
ABC Wednesday

If you’re here for Wordless Wednesday that post is below this one. Consider joining us for ABC Wednesday. It is open to all.

I always feel a little (tiny, really) twinge of pride when I post a flower that I have grown and photographed. This is growing in the Rose Garden I am tending to on a large farm in South Salem, New York. This little beauty was tucked way in the back but still blooming nicely. There are several large shrub roses planted in the back and before I pruned them they were pretty much snuffing this rose.

I am glad that I uncovered this one, as it is a beautiful clear pink with a luscious very strong fragrance. Another one of David Austin’s English Roses it is a cross between Wife of Bath × Comte de Chambord. I must admit that previously I have turned my nose up on Austin Roses and shrub roses in general. I had been favoring Hybrid Teas but the Grandifloras and Floribundas had been creeping in among my favorites. The Austins have been winning my heart though. As a gardener I should know better than to dismiss classes and types of plants but experience and observation is a great teacher. I had several posts about David Austin’s Roses on this blog.

‘Graham Thomas’, ‘Abraham Darby’ and 'Crown Princess Margareta' are just a few of the beautiful David Austin roses I have been enjoying.

Gertrude Jekyll was a famous garden designer from Surrey, England if you haven’t heard of her. Here is a link to more information on her fascinating life:
Click here.

One thing I learned about Miss Jekyll that I didn't know before was that she was a very accomplished photographer. That must have been tough to do in her day. I have two small connections to Ms. Jekyll. When I lived in Weybridge, Surrey it turns out to be about 30 miles from her area of Surrey. I certainly could see how that would inspire one to be a gardener. The other connection is my parents lived about a half mile from the Glebe House in Woodbury, Connecticut. I am pretty sure that the garden there is the only surviving Gertrude designed garden in the United States. I will have to take a drive up there is weekend.



Okay, in honor of our ABC Mentor, Creator and Guru I am posting this picture. It is Luca, a very special dog. He lives at the farm and visits with us gardeners often. He comes out with a big bluster of barking and teeth but is soon trying to cuddle up to you. He always has an eye on what’s going on but has time to play with your gloves, fetch a stick or just hang out. He is training for herding, which I don’t remember any German Shepherd that I have known actually doing any herding or shepherding. I think him and Wilma would make some beautiful puppies. He is quite handsome and loves to pose for pictures. I took about a dozen of him and all but two came out so it was difficult to pick. I did have to show those ears, though. They are something.



So, 'G' is for Gertrude, German Shepherd, and as Mike pointed out Grand Central



Here is the list for ABC Wednesday:
(I'll post more when I find them.)

mrs nesbitts place
hin's photoblog
tech the man
a bit of this a dash of that
Little Rock Daily Photo
photoxication
Kissing the Dogwood
strolling through Georgia
Ruth's Garden Blog
dwq online
kate isis
bidadlah.com
photography by kml
AVCR8TEUR'S Blog
Salty Dogs
The Modern Goddess
Simply Sage
HeART of the Nest
Gemmas House
author blog
kai

Here is another photo I took in Grand Central on Saturday. Humor me while I work on my Black and White Photography.

Hybrid Tea Rose ‘Sunset Celebration’

Hybrid Tea ‘Sunset Celebration’
Synonyms: Chantoli, Exotic ®, FRYxotic, Jolie Môme ®. Warm Wishes

Here are couple of more from the ‘new’ rose garden I will be taking care of.

‘Sunset Celebration’
Hybrid Tea, Large Flowered (5 inches)
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Fragrance: Mild, fruity
Parentage: Pollen: Seedling × Cheshire Life. Seed: Pot o Gold
Petal Count: 35
Breeder: Gareth Fryer. 1994
Introduced in the US: Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc. Celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Sunset Magazine

I am looking forward to growing this one as it has won numerous international rose awards. It has a lot of delicate undertones. Here is another rose. It is the David Austin Rose ‘Graham Thomas’ which I featured in it’s own post here.



I am going out to get some pictures today.