Among the huge number of flower crops, the leading position is occupied by roses, which are also called flower queens. Poets and musicians have created many songs and poems about these unusually beautiful colors. Today we will talk about a special group of these plants - English roses, which differ not only in very beautiful and dense buds, but also in the unusually sensual aroma that they exude during flowering.
Origin
For the first time about this variety of roses became known in the late eighties of the XX century. It was at this time that David Austin obtained the first results from bold crosses of the following types of roses: bourbon and damask with floribunda roses and hybrid tea. The obtained varieties inherited the following valuable characteristics from their ancestors:
- reliable structure of the "skeleton";
- fast growth rate;
- stable flowering;
- immunity to disease;
- resistance to adverse conditions.
General characteristics
These varieties of roses perfectly combine all the advantages of old varieties. It should be noted the harmonious outline of the bush, beautiful cupped shapes of flowers, a variety of shades and aromas. The following rose aromas deserve special mention: fruit, myrrh, the aroma of old roses, musk and tea roses. Most often, English roses have one of these aromas or combine several different groups at once. Breeders highlighted several of the most popular forms of terry flowers of these roses:
- pompon;
- socket;
- deep bowl;
- small bowl;
- open bowl;
- cross-shaped rosette;
- the socket is back-curved.
English roses are striking by the presence of folded petals in one flower, their number in some copies is up to 120 pieces. This group consists of varieties that differ in the type of bush growth. They can be divided into the following categories:
- low
- of medium height;
- high;
- thick;
- sparse;
- wicker;
- prostrate.
Interestingly, in different climatic zones, the same varieties can have different characteristics. English bush roses are considered the perfect complement for a flower garden, mixborder, or for the foreground of a group of shrubs. This type of rose usually forms a lush bush, in which the lower branches elegantly bend to the ground. All of the listed qualities of this culture allow gardeners to use them in any landscape version.
English roses: varieties, photo
The first rose of this type in the Constance Spray series was introduced by David Austin in 1961. It was created by crossing roses of the old Bel Isis variety and modern Le Grasse. A very beautiful peony rose was obtained with an amazing aroma of myrrh and huge cup-shaped glasses of pink color. And after 23 years at the Chelsea exhibition, the author has already presented about 50 varieties of new English roses. All of them were obtained by repeated crossing. Currently, David Austin is considered the most successful breeder, in his collection there are more than 200 varieties. In addition, they annually sell more than four million seedlings of English roses per year. We offer an overview of the most famous varieties.
Tall
It should be noted that in Russia roses sometimes differ in characteristics from the description of the variety. In the middle zone of our country, with proper care, they can grow much higher than the declared growth. With the use of trellis, such roses can grow more than three meters in height. By the way, they grow well in one climatic zone north of the middle zone.
Rosa Princess Margaret
In the photo below - English rose Princess Margaret. The variety was bred in the UK in 1999 and named after Queen Victoria’s granddaughter.
The flowers have a completely charming color, they consist of a mixture of apricot tones that change their saturation depending on weather conditions, as well as with the dissolution. The lower petals brighten over time, while the petals in the center of the flower are bright saturated in color. Rose buds are large enough, single, in diameter 10-12 centimeters, densely terry, spherical. Quite a long time they are able to keep in shape and not crumble. Flowering continues continuously throughout the season. The aroma is light, with fruity notes. The bush is erect, about 250 cm high. The variety has high winter hardiness and resistance to diseases.
Gertrude Jekyll
One of the most popular English rose varieties. Named after the famous Gertrude Jekyll, a famous garden designer who made an invaluable contribution to creating the style of English gardens. The plant is unusually beautiful, but in order to see it in all its glory, good care is required. Thickly terry buds of a cup-shaped or flat rosette have a reddish-pink color, about 10-12 cm in diameter. In the center of the flower, the petals are saturated pink in color, and on the edges - a more delicate pink shade. The rose has a powerful aroma, which is described by gardeners in different ways, some call it sweet, others compare it with the smell of rose oil. The bush is tall, its growth reaches 120-150 cm, and its width is 120 cm, it has such indicators when grown in cold climates. In the southern regions, it grows in the form of a climbing rose and reaches a height of 2.5-3 meters. Very abundant flowering occurs in early summer, repeated - less abundant.
Tess of the d'Herberville
An unusually beautiful flower that combines the following colors: dark raspberry, red. The shape of the flower is cup-shaped, the edges of the inner petals are bent inside the flower, densely terry (about 80 petals in one bud), has a persistent rich aroma of an old rose. Flowering is very plentiful, lasts a long time, flowers up to 12 cm in diameter are collected in small inflorescences. The bush grows to 125 cm, re-blooming, resistant to disease. Withstands winter temperatures up to -23 degrees.
For growing in containers
What are container roses good for? Firstly, they can be grown even if you do not have a garden, on balconies or terraces. And secondly, with their help, you can create mobile compositions in the garden. There are several varieties that are especially good for growing them in containers. Consider some of the most interesting varieties of English roses with a description of the most suitable for this method of growing.
Christopher Marlowe
This variety belongs to the Leander group of roses. It was bred in the UK in 2002. It has a very interesting, very original color for the English rose - a little blooming, the flower seems orange, but in fact the inside of the petals is orange-pink, and the outside is orange-yellow. The petals in the center, curled up, form something like a yellow button in the middle of a flower. With age, the flower loses its bicolor and becomes a monochromatic, salmon-pink hue. The bush is low, its growth can be from 60 to 100 cm, while its width is 30-40 cm. The flowers are medium in size, do not show off for a long time, the bush blooms, as they say, wave after wave. According to reviews, English roses of this variety are unusual and very attractive. Gardeners note the incredible beauty of these roses, abundant flowering, and due to the fact that the flowers stay on the bushes for a long time, they amaze the eye with a variety of colors.
Roses grace
We offer a description of another amazing English roses - Grace. It belongs to the group Shrabs, grows up to 120 cm, the same size in width. A continuously blooming rose, the diameter of the flowers is up to ten centimeters. This variety stands out from the others for its unusually clean and bright apricot color. The edges of the petals are most often slightly lighter than the petals in the middle. It is interesting that the shape of the roses changes throughout the season: at the very beginning they are cup-shaped, and by the end they acquire a pronounced rosette. From the rose bushes comes a gentle sweet aroma.
Roses with very large glasses
Almost all varieties of English roses have large flowers. By the way, it should be noted that the maximum size of the bud is not established immediately, but several years after planting. Some specimens of roses of this species deserve to be told in more detail about them.
Jubilee Celebration
This English rose variety is considered one of the best in the collection of David Austin. It was named after the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth. The bush has an average size, which is 120 cm in height and width. The leaves are semi-gloss dark green. A distinctive feature is the high resistance to disease. Flowering is observed undulating throughout the season. The flower is quite large, different terry, dense, salmon-pink hue, with a yellow substrate. Flowers are collected in inflorescences, the aroma is very saturated, with bright notes of lemon and raspberry. Most often used to decorate the garden and for cutting.
Constance Spray
One of the oldest varieties of English roses, it was he who caused great interest when it was first introduced in 1961. Blooms once a year, in the first month of summer, an aroma with a pronounced smell of myrrh. This variety has huge inflorescences with flowers of pale pink color, they are considered the largest among all English roses. Their diameter is 13-14 centimeters. Very beautiful large inflorescences visually resemble peonies. The rose belongs to vigorous and can grow up to 6 meters in height and 3 m in width. In that case, if grown by a bush, a garter to the trellis is needed. According to reviews, the most magnificent flowering is observed on the bushes 3-4 years after planting.
Pure colors
The roses of David Austin, or as the Austins call them, are famous for their pure colors. Such roses have solid petals that do not have any other shades of flowers, except for the main one. We offer you to pay attention to the following varieties.
Graham Thomas
Very branched shrub, characterized by drooping shoots that have dark green shiny leaves. The height and width of the bushes depends on the climatic conditions of which roses are grown, on average, their size is from 1.2 m to 3.5 m in height and up to 120 cm in volume. The flowering of these English roses continues uninterruptedly throughout the summer season. The cup-shaped buds are terry, their diameter is 8-10 cm. One peduncle consists of approximately 75 petals. As for the color of roses, it seems that he has incorporated almost all the existing shades of yellow. The inflorescence consists of 6-8 flowers, which have an incredibly light and sweet aroma.
Rosa Claire Austin
Speaking of these amazing roses, one cannot fail to mention the Claire Austin variety, which was bred in 2007 by David Austin. She is considered the pearl of all the breeder's collections, has white petals and was so named after her daughter. Claire Austin is rightfully considered one of the best and most beautiful white varieties of the English rose, the description of which we will present. The bush of these roses is distinguished by its sprawling nature, grows to one and a half meters, and about two in diameter. Gardeners grow it and like a climbing rose, use support for this. The bush can grow up to 3 m tall. The bush is well leafy, the shoots have an arched, slightly drooping shape, due to which the bush looks very elegant. The leaves have a bright green color with a slight glossy sheen. On each stem of this amazing rose, from one to three rather large flowers are simultaneously formed. Starting to blossom, the flower resembles a regular cup-shaped rose, and at the time when it is fully opened, it exposes its many terry petals and becomes more voluminous. Color depends on the flowering period:
- at the initial stage of flowering, the petals have a soft lemon hue;
- in the middle of flowering, fading from sunlight, they become snow-white;
- by the very end of flowering, roses of this variety acquire a beige-pink hue.
Like most David Austin roses, this variety has a strong and persistent smell, which harmoniously combines several aromas: myrrh, heliotrope, tea rose and vanilla. It should be noted that the flowers are not very resistant to rain, and during cloudy days they do not open the petals well, so they are helped to do this manually. The variety is resistant to the most common diseases of roses.