Roses

 

In April 2019, I had a new rose border, and it was planted up with 10 roses, 9 of them bred by David Austin.  Within 2 weeks, the rabbits had stripped the bark off every stem, right down to the ground.  I was not a happy bunny, pun intended.

Happily, I’d followed the instructions to plant with the graft point two inches below the surface, and all survived, although they struggled a bit to get going.

This winter, they were flooded out in late winter and early spring, and the rabbits started on them again – there’s a post showing the Easter Bunny nipping off with half a shrub rose.  And then came total drought and temperatures in the eighties, a state of affairs only due to break on Wednesday.

But they’ve risen to the challenge again, and most of them are flowering.  The rest aren’t far behind.  So, I felt they deserved a post to themselves.  Here are the ones that have put their party dresses on.  I expect you’ll see these, and the others, in the future.

 

1  Desdemona and friends

 

2  Buff Beauty

 

3  Emily Bronte

 

4  Lady of Shalott

 

5  Vanessa Bell

 

 

6  The Fighting Temeraire

 

7  The Lady Gardener

 

8  Lichfield Angel

For the avoidance of doubt, the arm clutching that rose is mine, not some passing toddler’s to make the rose look big.  And Lichfield Angel is one of the smaller flowered ones…

That part of the garden smells like an Attar of Roses distillery, in the nicest possible way.

Only Jude the Obscure and Lady Emma Hamilton to open their buds, now.  Can’t wait!