Most people appreciate the roses, which come from the rose breeder David Austin. Created in England one would assume that Austin roses would do as well here in the Pacific Northwest as they do there. Both regions share similar climate and weather conditions. Yet, from personal experience and the experience of other rose growers, not all David Austin roses perform equally well in this region. This is not a critique but rather a recommendation of those varieties of Austin roses that are exemplary in a region plagued with excess moisture, many dull sunless days and an abundance of fungal afflictions many roses would soon find themselves retiring in.
From the perspective of a typical rose gardener there are ten which have stood up to the rigorous elements of the Pacific Northwest: Sweet Juliet, Othello, Abraham Darby, Heritage, Graham Thomas, Pat Austin, Pegasus, Golden Celebration, The Ambridge Rose and Constance Spry. These roses are tough.
Sweet Juliet pushes forth a lot of foliage in the beginning of the season. This is a very disease-free dense bush. After the initial growth flower buds begin to appear. There are many per stem. The flowers are of a medium-sized nature, soft-salmon/pink double-form and exude a delicious peachy-citrus scent. This rose blooms until the end of the season; with only brief interludes between flowering times.
Othello is as mighty as its Shakespearean name suggests. Full of vigor and character it blooms disease-free throughout the rose season until frost. It is sturdy and stiff. Thus the beautiful double deep-red flowers do not cause the stems to bend under their weight. The fragrance is particularly strong: a velvety sweet old-rose scent.
One of the first roses to bloom is Abraham Darby. This trait is guaranteed year after year. It is a lovely broad informal bush. The leaves are dark green and glossy. This rose is not plagued by disease at any point in the season. The oft saucer-sized blooms are a spectacular blend of salmon, peach and pink tones. The scent of these heavy blooms is heady; a delicious citrusy-fruity fragrance.
There is a rose, which has been noted to still be in bloom in early winter: Heritage. It is fairly tall and slender with smooth canes. This rose has charisma. There is a delicate beauty about its soft pink blooms arranged in an airy way all about the bush. The flowers are somewhat goblet shaped and of a medium size. There are many per cane and rarely is the rose without blooms. There is a honey-lemon quality to the fragrance. This bush also demonstrates good disease resistance.
Graham Thomas, a gorgeous deep lemon-yellow rose, named after the famous rosarian, is a must have. This bush is of a medium size (in warmer climates it has been known to grow taller). The leaves are a lovely bright green and disease-free. It is an informal bush, the canes exhibiting a gentle arc under the weight of the fully double large blooms. This rose is striking when grown amidst bright-blue delphiniums. It is always in bud; so as one set of blooms is nearing completion, another set follows shortly thereafter. And from the large buttery-lemon petals wafts a heady delicious tea-rose fragrance.
A contender to rival Abraham Darby’s predisposition to bloom early is Pat Austin. The buds on this rose begin to develop very early. When other roses are only beginning to form bud this rose is often already in bloom. And what incredible blooms! Large, satiny copper-gold petals and a very large, full flower. There is also a delightful tea-rose fragrance. The bush itself resembles Abraham Darby’s in form. The leaves are dark green and somewhat glossy with excellent disease resistance. The character of this rose is charming. Its flower heads are so large that they bow gently under their own weight.
Pegasus is an Austin rose of distinct beauty. In many ways it charms like a camellia. The flowers are a unique blend of subtle creamy-peach towards the outside of the bloom and a deeper shade of apricot towards the centre. The petals are softly rounded and the bloom itself is full but not too deep. There is a fragrance that is sweet and somewhat tea-rose in character. The leaves are dark green and glossy. This contrasts beautifully with the flowers. The bush itself is not overly large and is very disease resistant.
A rose noteworthy of being able to withstand the elements of nature is Golden Celebration. There are gardeners who have been able to successfully grow this rose in more northern regions of the northwest and in the interior regions of the west. This rose possesses supple light green smooth canes. They have a tendency to arc gracefully when in bloom. And the blooms they support are full, double and large. The rose petals are deep golden in colour and emit a gorgeous sweet honey-like fragrance. The rose rarely succumbs to disease and has a tremendous record of longevity.
The Ambridge Rose is another rose of unique distinction. This is not a very tall bush, which makes it ideal for a smaller garden. This rose is very healthy and floriferous. The period in which it is not in bloom is brief. The colouring of this rose is a unique cool tone peachy-salmon. Along with the unusual colour is a heady fragrance which can be described as a ‘sweet-myrrh.’ This rose is eye-catching and beautiful.
Where these last roses described were all bush roses, Constance Spry falls into the climbing rose category. This rose will attain 10 feet or more. It is vigorous, grows quickly and is disease-free. There is an abundance of foliage, which is very dark green. The rose will bloom only once, however the show is spectacular. The flowers are huge, deep pink and absolutely loaded with petals, which creates an incredible full effect. There are many blooms on the canes for an extended period. And the flowers themselves have an intoxicating heady myrrh fragrance. The overall effect of these blooms resembles the cabbage roses often seen in early Dutch paintings.
These David Austin roses are strong, vigorous and winter hardy. They have proven that they can withstand the nuances of the Pacific Northwest climate; the dampness, cool springs, dry summers, wet winters and the various maladies that befall other roses. They reward with ample blooms if given the proper care and offer pleasure to the rose gardener for many years.
