ROSE OF THE WEEK

OCTAVIA HILL

(Harzeal)
Floribunda.  1995.  3ft
The clear medium pink flowers of this variety contain an astonishing 75 petals.They have a Damask fragrance and come in small sprays of neatly spaced blooms.

The blooms are about 3ins (8cm) in diameter and have a double quartered form with an attractive old fashioned look.

The foliage is a semi glossy dark green on a medium sized compact bush.

A good healthy rose which is fairly disease resistant.

It is a fairly vigorous plant, but requires the removal of spent blooms to initiate  the next bloom cycle and promote new growth.

Makes a good cottage garden rose.

The flowers are ideal for cutting for their perfume, and they also last some time in water.

Highly recommended.

 

Named after the late Octavia Hill an English social reformer, housing reformer, philanthropist and co-founder of the National Trust.

In her time Octavia Hill was an influential and well-known figure, now she is regarded as an important pioneer of female activism in the public sphere. Although her name is not so familiar today, her legacy is with us in our public parks, Victorian/Edwardian housing estates, and in professions such as social work. She combined extraordinary vision with exceptional organisational skills and these equipped her to invent the concept of the ‘green belt’ and become the driving force behind the founding of the National Trust.

AWARDS

Courtral Silver Medal 1995

The Hague Certificate Of Merit 1998

 

 

 

Octavia Hill

1838-1912

Further details on Octavia Hill can be found on Wikipedia.

Full details on all our roses can be found on our web site.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

 

 

 

 

NEW ROSE GARDEN

New Rose Garden at RHS Garden Wisley

Peace

WELL WORTH A VISIT

New Rose Garden at RHS Garden Wisley

Planting is underway at RHS Garden Wisley for the new Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden, sponsored by Witan Investment Trust. Featuring over 4000 roses and 5000 herbaceous plants, the garden will be open to the public this summer.Designed by RHS Chelsea gold medal winning designer Robert Myers, the garden is composed of a series of gentle terraces that step down from the Bowes Lyon Pavilion. A river of roses runs round circular lawns. The planting plan was created by RHS Wisley staff with help from Michael Marriott of David Austin Roses and includes drifts of herbaceous plants, including Verbascum, Verbena and Digitalis.Over 150 varieties of rose will feature in the garden, showcasing the full range of rose types available to modern gardeners, from true old roses, hybrid musks, English roses and floribunda, through to species roses which are rarely seen in a garden setting. The colours of the garden will run from hot to cold and back again, and the roses will create an impressive mix of scents.Rose highlights include:
 R. spinosissima is a species rose. It is§ native to Scotland and normally found on coastal sand dunes, and produces black hips in autumn. Buttercup (‘Ausband’) is a rich, yellow English rose with an impressive§ scent of cocoa powder Peace (‘Madame A. Meiland’) is described by some as the finest Hybrid Tea§ ever raised, and is one of the most famous and successful garden roses of all time. Several rose cultivars in the Garden have been awarded the title of Rose of§ the Year, including Super Trouper (‘Fryleyeca’) (2010), Tickled Pink (‘Fryhunky’) (2007), Champagne Moments (‘Korvanaber’) (2006) and Rhapsody in Blue (‘Frantasia’) (2003)Unusually, many of the roses will be planted in groups, just 50cm apart to grow up in large blocks of colour and variety, and will be grown and pruned as one rose. The roses are also planted with mycorrhizal fungi to promote strong root growth, and with the graft union flush with the soil level in line with current planting techniques.
The mycorrhizal fungi  (Root Grow is available from the Plant Centre.Colin Crosbie, Curator of RHS Garden Wisley, says: “The new rose garden will be a fantastic addition to RHS Wisley. We have chosen some wonderful varieties to demonstrate to visitors how roses can be used to create a real spectacle, with all types of roses, colours and scents.”
 Member late night evening in the Bowes Lyon Rose Garden, Thursday 14 July

Summertime sees the completion of our new Bowes Lyon Rose Garden which is awash with colour and fragrance from more than 400 different rose varieties. The rose planting has also been complemented by herbaceous borders that add depth of colour and diversity of texture to this inspiring garden. As part of the celebrations on the 14 July we have a pre-bookable celebration evening which includes:

• Tours of the Bowes Lyon Rose Garden with RHS Garden Wisley Gardeners.
• Glass of wine or soft drink on arrival.
• Enjoy listening to the background music of the Dovetail String Quartet.
• Call 0845 612 1253 to book.

Tickets £6 each (Members and Member Guests Only). Arrival 6.30pm; departure 8pm.

Buttercup

Rosa Spinosissima

Super Trouper

Tickled Pink

Champagne Moment

Rhapsody In Blue.

Full details on all our roses are available on our web site.

 

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

 

 

ROSES IN POEMS & POETRY

A Collection of Rose Poems and Poetry from  Famous Poets and Authors.

 

WOMEN AND ROSES

By Robert Browning.

I dream of a red-rose tree.
And which of its roses three
Is the dearest rose to me?

Round and round, like a dance of snow
In a dazzling drift, as its guardians, go
Floating the women faded for ages,
Sculptured in stone, on the poet`s pages.
Then follow women fresh and gay,
Living and loving and loved to-day.
Last, in the rear, flee the multitude of maidens,
Beauties yet unborn. And all, to one cadence,
They circle their rose on my rose tree.

Dear rose, thy term is reached,
Thy leaf hangs loose and bleached:
Bees pass it unimpeached.

Stay then, stoop, since I cannot climb,
You, great shapes of the antique time!
How shall I fix you, fire you, freeze you,
Break my heart at your feet to please you?
Oh, to possess and be possessed!
Hearts that beat `neath each pallid breast!
Once but of love, the poesy, the passion,
Drink but once and die!—In vain, the same fashion,
They circle their rose on my rose tree.

Dear rose, thy joy`s undimmed,
Thy cup is ruby-rimmed,
Thy cup`s heart nectar-brimmed.

Deep, as drops from a statue`s plinth
The bee sucked in by the hyacinth,
So will I bury me while burning,
Quench like him at a plunge my yearning,
Eyes in your eyes, lips on your lips!
Fold me fast where the cincture slips,
Prison all my soul in eternities of pleasure,
Girdle me for once! But no—the old measure,
They circle their rose on my rose tree.

Dear rose without a thorn,
Thy bud`s the babe unborn:
First streak of a new morn.

Wings, lend wings for the cold, the clear!
What is far conquers what is near.
Roses will bloom nor want beholders,
Sprung from the dust where our flesh moulders.
What shall arrive with the cycle`s change?
A novel grace and a beauty strange.
I will make an Eve, be the artist that began her,
Shaped her to his mind!—Alas! in like manner
They circle their rose on my rose tree.

Robert Browning
1812-1889

 

Over 1000 varieties of roses to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

 

 

ROSE OF THE WEEK

DAINTY BESS

Shrub Rose
3ft. 1925

 

An unusual old shrub rose that has been referred to as “One of the loveliest roses ever bred”.   
Not to everyone’s liking as it is a single rose and little different.   It has large flowers of silvery pink with pronounced  wine coloured stamens.   The blooms are often 3ins  across and are produced in loose clusters or sometimes singly.    The petals are quite distinct as they have wavy ragged edges which give it a somewhat untidy appearance, although very lovely.      A stunning sight in full bloom and the blooms repeat well all summer.  

A vigorous healthy rose with strong deep green leathery foliage and excellent disease resistance.    
Deliciously fragrant and makes a great cut flower. 
It is quite a hungry rose so feed at least twice a year to get the best results.    It can cope with poor soil but is always best in full sun.
Today it is known as a Shrub rose but it was an accepted practice in 1925 to call all large 5 petalled roses Hybrid Teas, so many lists still refer to it as an HT.

Bred in the UK by William Archer & Daughter who named the rose after his wife.

 

Sometimes know as ‘The Artistic Rose’

If you are looking for something a little different this fits the bill perfectly.

 

Full details on all our roses can be found on our web site.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

ROSE OF THE WEEK

GRUSS AN AACHEN

Shrub/Floribunda Rose. 2ft-3ft.  1909A superb rose which produces large clusters of blooms of pale orange- red plus  yellow in the bud stage.    As the blooms open they change to a  beautiful blend of pearly pink blush and cream with an attractive silky sheen on the petals.   The strength of colour is often determined by the weather and the difference in colours can be quite pronounced.   The shape of the blooms can be very similar to an English David Austin rose and are often mistaken for one of that variety.   A good repeat flowering habit, and in our opinion and is probably one of the most beautiful roses we have ever sold.  
The blooms are very weather tolerant, and the rich dark green foliage is healthy and disease free.
An excellent bedding rose with the bonus of  a great perfume which makes it a great rose for cutting.    The perfume is a cross between the classical Tea Rose and honey.     Not a very large variety so will  grow in a container quite successfully.   
For the best results dead head regularly and only prune lightly in the spring.

The roses ancestry is very complex, so rosarian’s around the world never seem too agree on how to classify it, is it a Floribunda a Hybrid Tea a Polyantha or a Bourbon shrub?      One fact that is certain is that it was bred from the famous white Hybrid Perpetual ‘Frau Karl Druschki’ which was considered to be the finest white rose of its time.   Frau Karl Druschki was the wife of the President of the German Rose Society.
It is also believed that ‘Gruss An Aachen’ was the original rose that began the Floribunda variety.
A truly remarkable rose that was bred by Philip Geduldig.  

The name ‘Gruss An Aachen’ means “Greetings to Aachen”  in Germany which was the breeders home city.   

 

 

Full details on all our roses can be found on our web site.

http://www.countrygardenroses.co.uk/

 

ROSE OF THE WEEK

FANTIN LATOUR

Shrub Rose. 5ft plus.  1900

Michael Gibson who is a well respected English rosarian once described this rose “This is one of the most beautiful roses of all”   A statement that we would fully agree with as it has always been one of our favourites.  
It is quite a large shrub rose which produces sumptuous powdery pink blooms in abundance in mid summer.   The large blooms are often 3ins (8cm) across when fully open and are packed with around two hundred petals.     At first they are cupped;  later the outer petals reflex to expose a central button of tightly packed smaller petals
This enchanting old rose usually grows to around 4ft (1.2m) but is very versatile as if it is left un-pruned it can reach 10ft (3m) and be trained as a small climber.    It makes a very attractive climber as the massed blooms tend to hang downwards which shows the blooms off to perfection. 

It is only summer flowering so pruning can be a bit tricky to get the best results.    If you want to keep it as a shrub it should be pruned lightly after flowering which will increase the blooms for the following year.   If you require it to climb, leave it un-pruned except for taking out dead wood etc.  You will possibly get less flowers, but the choice is yours.
It is a healthy rose with very few problems and only a few thorns.  It will do well in any situation or soil, but has shown the best results in a cool climate.
Best of all. the perfume is intoxicating and ‘Fantin Latour makes a superb cut flower as the blooms last well in water.
Every rose garden should have one.

Its origin is a little obscure, but it was discovered again in a garden by Graham Thomas who fell in love with it.    There was no name on it, and it was just labelled  (Best Garden Rose).  Graham Thomas tried to trace its origin but was un-successful so named it ‘Fantin Latour’

Henri Fantin Latour (1836-1904) was a famous French painter renowned for his still life paintings of flowers, with many of his paintings being of Old Garden Roses.
Like so many great artists he was almost unknown during his life.  His work hardly sold in his native France and most of his work was sold in England.    He was obviously a lover of roses as he built a rose garden in his country home where he died in 1904.

 

 

Full details on all our roses can be found on our web site.
 

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk