David Austin: The British Rose Breeder Who Transformed Gardens Worldwide
There was a time when I was highly intoxicated by the sight of a David Austin rose. I had only seen them online in spectacular English gardens. The first time I ever saw one blooming in person was when I ordered a couple for my own garden. I was also obsessed with tree roses around the same time, so I purchased two tree roses from them. Tree roses are a whole "thing" on their own, so at some point I will come back and discuss those as a topic.
I lived in a climate that I would call very different from the UK. And I think many places in the US will also have very different climates from the source of these roses. That is certainly a consideration when deciding to buy some of these. When a plant is designed in one place, then moved to another very different place, you're never quite sure how it's going to do. So my recommendation is to start with plants that are listed specifically for your growing requirements. Whatever your local big problems might be, look for the version of a David Austin rose that can handle those issues. I was specifically looking for DA roses at that time designed to handle a lot of heat. Otherwise, they wouldn't have stood a chance.
I also feel like these roses need a little more time to get situated and established before they will "wow" you. They may need to be babied a year or two, and then you can relax a bit more. I found that if I wasn't constantly watering them in the first year, the flowers would easily wilt. By the second year, they were doing much better.
I did notice as I went along that other "home grown" American roses were more able to handle more of the weather conditions constantly being thrown at them. And they ultimately outperformed them in the ground. However, the tree roses I had in pots were seemingly in bloom all the time. Or resting for another upcoming flush of blooms. My theory on this is that having them in pots allows you to move them around for more or less sunlight, depending on what is happening with the weather. So I can recommend anyone buy those David Austin grafted tree roses you see online. Though I would be inclined to make sure they have extra protection if you live in an area with cold winters. Especially since a pot can also make a plant vulnerable to temperature issues.
David Austin was born in 1926, in Albrighton, Shropshire. His passion for roses and his exceptional breeding skills revolutionized the world of roses. His dedication to creating roses that combined the best of old-world charm and modern roses has left an indelible mark on gardens around the world. It was his artistic flair for selecting roses with blooms that look almost like wrapped up spheres of crepe paper, that set him apart. I think I heard an interview with him at one time and he said something about planting 100,000 rose seedlings in order to find one "keeper."
In the 1960s, when he was trying to bring his creations to market, they were initially rejected because they were too much like old roses. And you know how gardeners are, they always want the next new big thing. He basically started selling his roses from home until he broke through at the Chelsea Flower Show. That's a good philosophy to take, work with what you have and build from that point.
Incidentally, one of the first Austin roses I purchased for my own garden was Graham Thomas, which is the yellow rose featured in the photos of this article.
© Copyright Terry Aley
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