This week... English roses

With a long flowering season and disease resistance, English roses are a great choice

- Graham Rice

ENGLISH roses, often known as David Austin Roses after the expert who developed them, were seen for the first time, in England, in 1981. They brought together the best qualities of the old fashioned roses – wonderful colours, elegant flower form and intoxicating fragrance – with the neater and bushier growth, the long flowering season and disease resistance that today’s gardeners demand.

All were developed by the nursery’s founder David Austin, who established a research programme developing new roses. Hundreds of thousands of possible new introductions are screened each year, and more than 140 English roses have now been introduced, although some of the early varieties have been replaced by more recent improvements.

Along with their other fine qualities, disease resistance has always been a top priority. Gardeners have become more reluctant to continue with the traditional regime of regular spraying with chemicals. Also, dangerous chemicals have been withdrawn from sale and others become less effective. So developing new roses with built-in disease resistance has become the best way to grow healthy roses.

How to choose English roses

Shrubby English roses Choose shrubby English roses for their flower form and the colour you prefer, for the strongest fragrance, for good health and the mature height of the bushes.