Everything's coming up Roses!

Categories: My Garden Photography

Comments

Mary/Cabernat
Mary/Cabernat 17 May 2011 at 14:44
Hi

What beautiful roses. Are they all fragrant?

Mary
Zoe Lynch
Zoe Lynch 17 May 2011 at 14:57
Hi Mary,

with the exception of one, they are all highly fragrant.

The first pic, shows Rosa rugosa 'Roseraie de l'Hay' with David Austin's Falstaff; sitting in the bower is how heaven smells in my dreams.

The second one is a David Austin too, 'William Shakespeare 2000' and I think one of my most favourite roses of all time, for scent and colour. Its a knockout.

The next one is 'Perpetually Yours' a modern climber with old fashioned quartered blooms, by ( I think) Peter Beale, the only thing it lacks is scent, but I love the colour and the form.

Next is another Austin Rose, William Morris, and again, he is fragrant, and I love the coppery tones as the flowers first open, they become a softer apricot in time.

The big girl's blouse of a rose is actually 'Alan Titchmarsh' another very fragrant rose, but inclined to ball in wet weather, and isn't too mad about bright sunshine either, and can get a bit crunchy around the edges in my garden. Again, a David Austin rose.

Lastly, 'Rosa Mundi' (Rosa gallica 'Versicolor') as she is known, in bud; an ancient gallica with striped petals and a wonderful scent that was a sport of Rosa gallica var. officinalis commonly known as the Apothecary's Rose

Zoë
Arabella Sock
Arabella Sock 17 May 2011 at 14:52
I don't always like roses but when they are grown like that they look fabulous. Particularly love the top picture - makes me want to sit on that seat and inhale the perfume.
Zoe Lynch
Zoe Lynch 17 May 2011 at 15:07
The fragrance wouldn't disappoint, this is how heaven smells.
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander 17 May 2011 at 16:30
OMG. That's it. O.M.G. :)
Zoe Lynch
Zoe Lynch 17 May 2011 at 16:37
Still got my green fingers, even if everything else is gone to pot!
lisa
lisa 17 May 2011 at 17:26
Really appreciate the lovely pictures. Here in west Devon I struggle to grow roses well, maybe should have another go as this year so far has been very dry.
Zoe Lynch
Zoe Lynch 17 May 2011 at 18:10
Its been bone dry here too Lisa, haven't had any rain in about 2 months! I dont do anything special with mine, but they do seem happy on our well drained sandy soil. I add a good deep mulch of organic matter in autumn, and some blood, fish and bone in spring. It seems the harder I prune them, the more they grow! Def worth giving another go, try adding some more organic stuff to the soil.
Felicity
Felicity 17 May 2011 at 17:38
Those are gorgeous Zoë. Agree about the scent of heaven - bet it looks like your top picture too.

My roses are waiting for me to go on holiday before they come out.
Zoe Lynch
Zoe Lynch 17 May 2011 at 18:14
That's called Sod's Law! Mine have been out since early May, much earlier than usual, but then its been much warmer and drier through April and May here.

My vision of heaven is stuffed with fragrant roses, pinks, lots of herbs, especially lemon thyme, with ponds full of honey, and the skies buzzing with insects and butterflies. The clouds really are cotton candy, but much improved, like manna, and keep you sustained.
I love roses, and I breathed in deeply when looking at your photos and just imagined the magnificant perfume. Thank you.
Solange Noir
Solange Noir 17 May 2011 at 20:31
These are just gorgeous!! I can almost smell them :)
Ena Ronayne
Ena Ronayne 17 May 2011 at 22:48
What a pity 'Perpetually Yours' lacks scent it has a classic quality about it doesn't it? I adores all the images Zoe are they all growing in your garden?
Zoe Lynch
Zoe Lynch 17 May 2011 at 23:18
Hi Ena, yes - some of the roses in my garden :-) Glad you like them
elizabethm
elizabethm 17 May 2011 at 22:53
Truly gorgeous. I can smell them from here.
Esther Montgomery
Esther Montgomery 18 May 2011 at 08:14
Stunning.

I have no roses now - they got too big and prickly so I dug them up. They weren't like these but these make me nostalgic for mine which are gone.

Esther
Bridget
Bridget 18 May 2011 at 09:43
Hmmm, gorgeous. Roses don't do well for me here in north-west Ireland. Too wet and too windy up here in the hills I think.