Among the huge number of flower crops, the leading positions are occupied by roses, which are also called the queens of flowers. Many songs and poems have been written about these unusually beautiful flowers by poets and musicians. Today we will talk about a special group of these plants - English roses, which are distinguished not only by very beautiful and dense buds, but also by an unusually sensual aroma that they exude during flowering.
Origin
For the first time 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 roses with floribunda and hybrid tea roses. The resulting varieties inherited the following valuable characteristics from their ancestors:
- reliable structure of the "skeleton";
- fast growth rate;
- stable flowering;
- immunity to diseases;
- resistance to adverseconditions.
General Features
These varieties of roses perfectly combine all the advantages of old varieties. It should be noted the harmonious shape of the bush, beautiful cup-shaped flowers, a variety of shades and aromas. The following rose scents deserve special mention: fruity, myrrh, antique roses, musk and tea roses. Most often, English roses have one of these aromas or combine several different groups at once. Breeders highlight some of the most popular forms of double flowers of these roses:
- pompom;
- socket;
- deep bowl;
- shallow bowl;
- open bowl;
- cross-shaped rosette;
- reverse curved rosette.
English roses amaze with the presence of folded petals in one flower, their number in some instances 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;
- medium height;
- high;
- thick;
- sparse;
- climbing;
- outstretched.
It is interesting that in different climatic zones the same varieties may have different features. English spray roses are considered an ideal addition to a flower garden, mixborder or foreground group of shrubs. This type of rose usually forms a lush bush, in which the lower branchescurve elegantly to the ground. All 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 the old Belle Isis rose and the modern Le Grace. A very beautiful peony-shaped rose with an amazing myrrh aroma and huge cupped glasses of pink color was obtained. And 23 years later, 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, there are more than 200 varieties in his collection. In addition, they sell over four million English rose seedlings annually. 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 trellises, such roses can grow more than three meters in height. By the way, they grow well one climatic zone north of the middle lane.
Rose Princess Margaret
In the photo below - the English rose Princess Margaret. The variety was bred in the UK in 1999 and named after the granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
The flowers have an absolutely charming coloration, composed of a mixture of apricot tones that change their saturation depending on the weather conditions, as well as dissolving. The lower petals lighten over time, while the petals in the center of the flower are a bright saturated color. Rose buds are quite large, solitary, 10-12 centimeters in diameter, densely double, spherical. For quite a long time they are able to keep their 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 the creation of the style of English gardens. The plant is unusually beautiful, but in order to see it in all its glory, you need good care. Densely double buds of a cup-shaped shape or in the form of a flat rosette have a reddish-pink color, about 10-12 cm in diameter. In the center of the flower, the petals are saturated pink, and along the edges - a more delicate pink hue. The rose has a powerful aroma that is described in many ways by gardeners, some call it sweet, others compare it to the smell of rose oil. The bush is tall, its height reaches 120-150 cm, and its width is 120 cm, it has such indicators when grown in a cold climate. In the southern regions, it grows in the form of a climbing rose and reaches a height of 2.5-3 meters. Very abundantflowering is noted at the beginning of summer, repeated - less plentiful.
Tess of the d'Urberville
An unusually beautiful flower that combines the following colors: dark crimson, red. The shape of the flower is cup-shaped, the edges of the inner petals are bent inside the flower, densely double (about 80 petals in one bud), has a persistent rich aroma of an old rose. Flowering is very abundant, lasts a long time, flowers up to 12 cm in diameter are collected in small inflorescences. The bush grows up to 125 cm, re-flowering, resistant to diseases. Withstands winter temperatures down 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 plot - on balconies or terraces. And secondly, with their help you can create mobile compositions in the garden. There are several varieties that are particularly good for growing in containers. Consider some of the most interesting varieties of English roses with a description of the most suitable for this growing method.
Christopher Marlow
This variety belongs to the group of Leander roses. Launched in the UK in 2002. It has a very interesting, very original color for an English rose - having blossomed a little, 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 curl up to form something like a yellow button in the middle of the flower. With agethe flower loses its bicolor and becomes a solid, salmon-pink hue. The bush is not high, its growth can be from 60 to 100 cm, while its width is 30-40 cm. The flowers are medium in size, do not crumble 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 - grade Grace. It belongs to the Shraba group, grows up to 120 cm, the same size in width. Continuously blooming rose, flowers up to ten centimeters in diameter. This variety stands out against the background of others with its unusually clean and bright apricot color. The edges of the petals are 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 towards the end they acquire a pronounced rosette. The rose bushes emit a delicate sweet scent.
Roses with extra large glasses
Practically all varieties of English roses have large flowers. By the way, it should be noted that the maximum size of the bud is not set immediately, but several years after planting. Some examples of roses of this species deserve to be told in more detail.
Jubilee Celebration
This variety of English rose is considered one of thethe finest in the David Austin collection. It was named in honor of the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth. The bush has an average size, which is 120 cm in height and width. Foliage is semi-gloss dark green. A distinctive feature is the high resistance to disease. Flowering occurs in waves throughout the season. The flower is quite large, terry, dense, salmon-pink in color, with a yellow substrate. The flowers are collected in inflorescences, the aroma is very rich, with bright notes of lemon and raspberry. Most often used for garden decoration and for cutting.
Constance Spray
One of the oldest varieties of English roses, it was he who aroused great interest when he was first introduced in 1961. Blooms once a year, in the first month of summer, aroma with a pronounced smell of myrrh. This variety has huge inflorescences with pale pink flowers, they are considered the largest among all English roses. Their diameter is 13-14 centimeters. Very beautiful large inflorescences visually resemble peonies. The rose is vigorous and can grow up to 6 meters in height and 3 meters in width. In the event that it is grown by a bush, a garter to a trellis is necessary. According to reviews, the most lush flowering is observed on the bushes 3-4 years after planting.
Pure colors
David Austin roses, or as they are also called Austin, are famous for their pure colors. Such roses have monophonic petals that do not have any other shades of flowers, except for the main one. We suggest paying attention tothe following varieties.
Graham Thomas
Very branchy shrub characterized by drooping shoots that have dark green glossy leaves. The height and width of the bushes depends on the climatic conditions in which roses are grown, on average, their size ranges from 1.2 m to 3.5 m in height and up to 120 cm in volume. These English roses continue to bloom continuously throughout the summer season. The buds are cup-shaped, double, their diameter is 8-10 cm. One peduncle consists of approximately 75 petals. As for the color of roses, it seems that it has absorbed almost all existing shades of yellow. The inflorescence consists of 6-8 flowers, which have an incredibly light and sweet aroma.
Rose Claire Austin
Speaking of these amazing roses, one cannot fail to mention the Claire Austin variety, which was bred in 2007 by David Austin. It is considered the pearl of all the breeder's collections, has white petals and was named after her daughter. Claire Austin is rightfully considered one of the best and most beautiful white varieties of English roses, the description of which we will present. The bush of these roses is distinguished by its spreading, grows up to one and a half meters, and about two in diameter. Gardeners grow it and, like a climbing rose, use a 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 eachOn the stem of this amazing rose, from one to three fairly large flowers are simultaneously formed. Having begun to bloom, the flower is similar to the usual cup-shaped rose, and at the time when it fully opens, it exposes its many double petals and becomes more voluminous. Color depends on flowering period:
- at the initial stage of flowering, the petals have a soft lemon hue;
- in the middle of flowering, fading from the sun's rays, they become snow-white;
- to the very end of flowering, the roses of this variety acquire a beige-pink hue.
Like most David Austin roses, this variety has a strong and persistent scent that harmoniously combines several fragrances: myrrh, heliotrope, tea rose and vanilla. It should be noted that the flowers are not very resistant to rain, also during cloudy days they do not open their petals well, so they are helped to do it manually. The variety is resistant to the most common rose diseases.
