Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: David Austin roses 2022
A rose is a rose. Hmmm, but is it?
Some are very picky for those of us in northern climates, some are super easy, some are climbing, some are old-fashioned rugosas that are tough! Then there are David Austin Roses.
For almost 60 years David Austin has been breeding his Literary English Roses. Named after writers and characters in books, these roses are stunning, most are many-petalled with repeat flowering blooms and rich fragrance.
There are now over 200 rose varieties bred by David Austin.
That dude’s been busy! Most of them are hardy to zone 4. His gardens are based in Shropshire, England where the roses are bred and then grown in the U.S.
New for 2022 is ‘Silas Marner’
Named after the kind-hearted character in George Eliot’s classic novel, the shrub grows 3 ½ ft tall by 4 ½ ft wide with soft pink flowers that fade to pale pink at the edges. It’s a repeat bloomer. This rose will work perfectly in light shade to full sun.
Another 2022 introduction is ‘The Country Parson’, named after James Woodforde’s diary ‘The Diary of a Country Parson’.
‘The Country Parson’ rose is a descendant of a Scottish rose. Described as a pretty yet feisty rose, the flowers open as medium-large, almost flat rosettes of pure yellow. The petals are translucent towards the outer edges creating an illuminated effect. The scent is fruity with notes of sweet apricot, green apple and honey. The shrub grows 3 ½ by 3 ½ ft. It produces blooms from June through to the first frosts.
OH so lovely… a climbing rose called ‘Wollerton Old Hall’ – named after one of the most beautiful private gardens in the UK.
