[GPI]

New roses from David Austin at Chelsea 2008.
by GPI

Summer equals good weather, equals roses in bloom, equals new rose introductions for the upcoming year. But you're wrong, I hear you shout as rose rage wells up inside you at thoughts of rain sodden petals and blackspot infestation. All right, all right, so I may have been a bit off the mark with the weather comments, but I was spot on with the rose introductions bit.

The roses exhibited at flower shows this year, will be some of the ones you will be planting as early as this autumn, that’s if supply meets demand. One such rose breeder whose varieties are always in high demand is David Austin, an English breeder of nearly two hundred roses over a spell of fifty years. His first rose released in 1961 was the fragrant “Constance Spry”, and this year at the Chelsea flower show, David introduced three new plants that you may want pre-order at your local garden centre.

. Left to right, “Sir John Betjeman”, “Wisley 2008”, and “Young Lycidas”, photo / picture / image.

The first is “Sir John Betjeman”, a lightly scented rose whose flowers start as small buds, opening to full petalled, double rosettes of a deep pink colour. With the impact of it colour this would be ideal to create some contrast in a border of other roses/shrubs of softer colouring. It’s claimed that this one metre tall and wide rose will grow well, even in less than ideal conditions, such a lowered light levels.

The second introduction has a real air of delicacy and is know as “Wisley 2008”. An extremely pure looking rose, its cupped flowers are a very pure soft pink in colour, and produce fresh, fruity fragrances with hints of raspberries, mmmmm.

No matter whether your garden is of the formal or informal style, I feel this rose would blend in quite nicely. Except perhaps in situations where its colour may clash with strong red flowering plants, but combining reds and pinks have always been a problem for us gardeners, so the struggle goes on.

The final David Austin rose brought to the fore at Chelsea this year was one with classic old rose beauty known as “Young Lycidas”. What’s classic old rose beauty, well in this case “Young Lycidas” produces quite large flowers, deeply cupped its many magenta coloured petals are arranged in a quite relaxed and informal way. The flowers nod gently and are produced singly or in small groups on vigorous stems to form a bushy shrub, a little over one metre tall and a little under one metre wide.

However it is the scent of “Young Lycidas” which is of most note, it’s a delicious fragrance that changes during the summer along with the age of the flower. It starts as a pure Tea scent, reminiscent of Chinese black tea and later in the blooming period peppers that Tea scent with hints of cedar wood.
Imagine that scent breezing out towards you from a mixed border on a warm summer evening, heaven, not a cloud in the sky, and not a chance of rain. We can but dream, next year maybe.

Any queries or comments on New roses from David Austin at Chelsea 2008, please post below.
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