A trio of fragrant beauties launched at the Chelsea Flower Show 2018
David Austin Roses won yet another gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and introduced three new scented roses on their display.
A traditional rose garden provided the backdrop for the launch of Emily Brontë, Tottering-by-Gently and The Mill on the Floss. The display, with more than 400 plants, included shrubs, climbers, ramblers, standard roses and a fragrant hedge of white Desdemona.
David Austin Jnr said: “The intention is always to inspire visitors and encourage them to recreate part of the display in their own garden at home. Our roses work well, even in smaller spaces such as planted in a large container on a patio or next to a front door where beautiful, fragrant blooms can be enjoyed throughout the summer.”
Read about David Austin’s trio of roses for RHS Chelsea.
Scented roses – Emily Brontë (Ausearnshaw)
Named to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of novelist Emily Brontë. The blooms are soft pink with a subtle apricot hue. The central petals deepen to rich apricot and surround a button eye which gradually unfurls to reveal deep-set stamens. The petals are small at the centre and increase in size until the outer petals are quite large, resulting in neat, rather flat blooms. It flowers freely and almost continually from early summer into autumn.
The fragrance is strong, beginning as Tea but becoming more Old Rose with hints of lemon and grapefruit. It forms a tall, bushy shrub with strong, upright growth; the foliage is tinged red at first, later turning green. 4½ x 4ft.
Tottering-by-Gently (Auscartoon)
Named to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Annie Tempest’s weekly cartoon, first published in Country Life in 1994. This variety’s beauty is found in the simplicity of its single flowers and the spectacular display they create when viewed en masse.
Held in large, open sprays, the tight little buds open to reveal bright yellow flowers, each with a boss of golden stamens. Paling over time, they have a light musky fragrance with notes of orange peel. It flowers freely, repeating regularly, even more so if deadheaded and is very tolerant of rain. A large shrub; its growth is shapely, rounded and branching. 4½ x 4½ft.
Scented roses – The Mill on the Floss (Austulliver)
Named after the novel by George Eliot, first published in 1860. A free-flowering rose, bearing large clusters of small, neat, deeply cupped blooms. Initially, mid-pink, verging on lilac-pink, they pale as they open, the individual petals defined by carmine edges.
When fully open, each bloom reveals a small cluster of stamens. Held above the foliage on gently arching growth, they have a sweet, fruity fragrance. It makes a relatively large, bushy shrub clothed in healthy, glossy foliage — the new growth is an attractive red, turning green with age. 4½ x 4ft.
For current prices and more information, visit www.davidaustinroses.co.uk. Read more on the best thornless roses by David Austin.
