Rose Renaissance - David Austin Roses

In the first of a new series, in collaboration with David Austin® Roses, Sandy Felton explores the fascination with the rose and why it is one of our best loved flowers.

For centuries the rose has had a special place in the hearts of gardeners and non-gardeners alike - Robert Burns declared his love was like a red one and Shakespeare waxed lyrical about them.

In polls of our favourite plants, the rose consistently ranks near the top and often as not is our favourite. Indeed the rose is an ancient symbol of love having been valued for its beauty and fragrance for centuries. There is a long history of symbolism and meaning associated with the rose - it's the national flower of England and English Rugby, of the USA and of course Yorkshire and Lancashire. There are rose windows in churches and cathedrals and during Victorian times the rose became a solid symbol of undying love and gratitude.

As a garden plant it can be traced back before the birth of Christ and was popular with the Persians, Greeks and Romans. During the Middle Ages roses were thankfully preserved in monasteries (for their medicinal qualities) - otherwise they may well have disappeared - until by the 18th century rose varieties were numbered in thousands – many French in origin. The Empress Josephine's Malmaison was renowned for its roses and she is often credited for the plant's later prominence in the garden.

Old Rose varieties flowered only once and so the introduction of perpetual blooming roses from China in the early 19th century doubtless caused great excitement. When the Hybrid Tea and Floribundas were developed their popularity slowly overshadowed the Old Rose varieties and nearly led to their decline. Fortunately, just like our Monastic friends in the Middle Ages, enlightened gardeners realised this decline and started to collect the Old Rose varieties which had survived.

Among these were Laurence Johnson of Hidcote Manor, Victoria Sackville-West (Sissinghurst) and Hilda Murrell. Eventually a National Collection was formed at Mottisfont Abbey, inspired by the work of the late great Graham Stuart Thomas who worked to bring Old Roses to the fore. Today, Peter Beales and his family hold a large collection of Old Roses at their nursery in Attleborough and David Austin Roses have an extensive collection near Wolverhampton.

Over the 20th century the rose came into and out of fashion - Hybrid Teas and Floribundas had the advantage of repeat flowering and colour variety but many lacked the rich scent associated with the Old Rose varieties. There was a tendancy to grow them in large rose beds, usually of one colour, and this may have led to their decline in the latter part of the century. Gardeners seemed to forget that Jekyll grew roses in mixed borders using their delicate beauty to enhance and create excitement in the garden - they were an important part of her cottage garden effect.

The popularity of the rose probably wasn't helped either when the late Christopher Lloyd decided to rip out several of his rose beds and replant them with Dahlias! Good for the Dahlia bad for the rose!

Enter the English Roses - they differ from other contemporary roses in two ways - the shape of the flower and the growth habit, thus combining the full rosette or cup shape and fragrance of the Old Roses with the wide range of colour and repeat flowering of Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.

Happily, and mainly due to the efforts of breeders such as David Austin Snr (pictured left), the rose is once again finding a firm place in all our hearts. Gardeners are today discovering the thousands of possibilities for growing roses in the garden, in mixed beds (aka Jekyll), around arches and in patio tubs. The wonderful thing about roses is that with care you will always find a place in your garden for all manner of types whether they be The English Rose varieties, Climbers or Floribunda or Hybrid Tea.

David Austin breeds roses which shouldn't just be banished to rose beds - they are glorious shrub roses, designed to be incorporated into mixed borders and used to create a romantic cottage garden effect. They are probably the most versatile in the world, for example roses such as Teasing Georgia (pictured below) and Crown Princess Margareta, can either be pruned hard and kept relatively small, pruned averagely when they will reach five feet or so, or just tidied up and tied to form wonderful climbers. As climbers, depending on the variety, they can have foliage almost all the way to the ground. They are fragrant with old rose style flower forms and repeat flowering.

Over the next few months, in conjunction with David Austin, we will be looking at a number of aspects of roses and their care. We hope to demystify the art of growing roses and to stimulate your creative side by suggesting the many ways you can use roses and where they will grow best.

Check our review of "The English Roses" by David Austin® Roses in our book review section – a must for all rose lovers.