ive seen these gorgeous pictures of roses in pots by DA but I have a question: I was under the impression that one must prune the rose so that the foliage and canes aren’t too crowded to promote ventilation which would prevent fungal infection. Similarly I read somewhere saying that one should keep the base of the plant fairly well pruned and free of foliage to encourage air flow. Now see this picture by DA, the plant looks drop dead gorgeous but I can’t helo thinking surely there is practically NO air flow through it? The foliage is so incredibly thick and the base has absolutely no space for air to pass through?
@celcius_kkw .. I love those photos from DA showing their potted roses... ...what you have read refers mainly to climbing roses grown against walls.. especially those with a reputation for disease...due to lack of air circulation... or some old hybrid teas from yesteryear that were disease prone ... shrub roses like these grown in pots or the ground look best with lots of foliage and don't need that kind of treatment....however, they will shed the lower leaves naturally come August time due to blackspot, and can go bare at the base without any help from us...
Cheers @Marlorena, one thing though, I find it very difficult to water my roses without actually wetting the leaves, certainly when they’re bushy like in those pictures. I noticed at DA they have a drip watering system by the base but for an average gardener like myself all I have is a watering can.. I wonder if there’s a way of not wetting the leaves too much to reduce blackspots..
@celcius_kkw ... it's tricky but not something that concerns me too much.. just ease back the stems if you can.. but remember... it's rain that assists in the explosion of black spot as it tends to denote humid conditions in which the fungus thrives... it doesn't survive in hot dry areas of the world where they don't get rain for months in summer for instance... they grow beautiful roses [provided they have drip watering in place].. and black spot is unknown to such gardeners... it's humid here... and also Diplocarpon and Cercospora fungi are not active outside the temp range of about 68 - 86 F...
So I ended up going to David Austin’s nursery today... and having paid more attention to the plants this time I notice even their roses have blackspots too. I think that makes it officially acceptable for rose growers to have some too on their plants!
Couldn’t resist buying Boscobel and Lady M, I’ve decided that these two, together with munstead wood and Gertrude Jekyl are the most fragrant DA roses I’ve encountered to date. I’ve also realised that I’m not particularly sensitive to myhrr type fragrance, and even when I can smell it Im not particularly drawn to it either. The other one I liked today was generous gardener and summer song, the latter unfortunately wasn’t available for purchase today. Oh well there’s always next time 😝
@Marlorena , at some point I remember reading a post of yours where you listed your 10 favourite Austin roses, and others that you were dissapointed with.
It was either here or on your 'notes' thread, but I can't find it using the search function on the website.
..sure... I should stress these are personal opinions in the main, and all these are good roses that may be great in another garden.. I loved them all at first, but not in the longer term...
'Tranquillity'... blackspotted...nice at first but just not interesting enough.. 'Hyde Hall'... thorny, difficult to deal with, huge and straggly.. 'Lady of Megginch'... scentless and just dull 'The Lark Ascending'.. beautiful, exotic, stands out from a distance..very tall, vigorous and upright... and 100 percent healthy, probably the healthiest Austin I've found...but its thorns and growth habit were too much for me... 'Gertrude Jekyll'.. another thorny beast, with slow rebloom, and just wants to spread.. beautiful when in bloom.. downright ugly the rest of the time.. 'Spirit of Freedom'... too many petals for its own good.. droopy and balled in rain. 'The Alnwick Rose'.. upright and thin growing.. never in love with it.. 'The Lady's Blush'... thorny… quaint, but little impact 'Sir Walter Scott'... suckered... small blooms... didn't do much for me.. 'The Lady Gardener'... didn't like the colour.. apricot paling to a muddy cream.. 'Harlow Carr'... small but incredibly thorny... just got in my way... on the plus side, interesting brownish new foliage and seems to make a good standard rose... 'Princess Anne'... blackspotted, defoliated... didn't like the fading colour... odd mauve.. 'Rosemoor'... few thorns, healthy but small muddled blooms and never in a mass... I won't miss it.. 'Wollerton Old Hall'... a big tall lanky rose demanding support, else the canes will flop to the ground... strong myrrh scent, but I didn't have the time for it.. 'Benjamin Britten'.. constant bloom, nice when first open...4 or 5 flushes a season but the flowers fade quickly to a greyish purple that I did not like at all... very tall, very thorny...coarse... 'Sir John Betjeman'.. probably better as a standard... droopy stems, weak necks.. constant bloom and showy, almost red, deep pink... no scent.. 'Imogen'.. such a pretty rose when first opening but blooms last 2 days... good foliage, quite healthy, somehow I couldn't love it.. 'Boscobel'... strong myrrh scent, beautiful at its best...weird colours, sometimes pink, or orangey.. check it out after heavy rain and see what you think then... 'Summer Song'... strong orange, really stand out colour if you can take it... outer petals turned pink and I did not like that combination... however, I might get it again for shock value.. I think it has a place in a hot, but not dry, border... needs lots of moisture... ...my jury is still out on 'James L. Austin' ..healthy but little scent, and seems just more of the same. Similar to Princess Anne but healthier... 'Mill on the Floss'..I still have this but it better shape up next June or it's gone... continuous bloom but all growth - over 6 foot tall, and flowers open a few at a time... sometimes I love it... often I don't...
@celcius_kkw ...lucky you !.. glad you had a great day.. not that far from you I should think... they look nice roses for the time of year.. it goes to show how you can keep roses in those pots going most of the season...
Posts
ive seen these gorgeous pictures of roses in pots by DA but I have a question: I was under the impression that one must prune the rose so that the foliage and canes aren’t too crowded to promote ventilation which would prevent fungal infection. Similarly I read somewhere saying that one should keep the base of the plant fairly well pruned and free of foliage to encourage air flow. Now see this picture by DA, the plant looks drop dead gorgeous but I can’t helo thinking surely there is practically NO air flow through it? The foliage is so incredibly thick and the base has absolutely no space for air to pass through?
Picture courtesy of DA:
...what you have read refers mainly to climbing roses grown against walls.. especially those with a reputation for disease...due to lack of air circulation... or some old hybrid teas from yesteryear that were disease prone ... shrub roses like these grown in pots or the ground look best with lots of foliage and don't need that kind of treatment....however, they will shed the lower leaves naturally come August time due to blackspot, and can go bare at the base without any help from us...
Couldn’t resist buying Boscobel and Lady M, I’ve decided that these two, together with munstead wood and Gertrude Jekyl are the most fragrant DA roses I’ve encountered to date. I’ve also realised that I’m not particularly sensitive to myhrr type fragrance, and even when I can smell it Im not particularly drawn to it either. The other one I liked today was generous gardener and summer song, the latter unfortunately wasn’t available for purchase today. Oh well there’s always next time 😝
@Marlorena , at some point I remember reading a post of yours where you listed your 10 favourite Austin roses, and others that you were dissapointed with.
It was either here or on your 'notes' thread, but I can't find it using the search function on the website.
..sure... I should stress these are personal opinions in the main, and all these are good roses that may be great in another garden.. I loved them all at first, but not in the longer term...
'Tranquillity'... blackspotted...nice at first but just not interesting enough..
'Hyde Hall'... thorny, difficult to deal with, huge and straggly..
'Lady of Megginch'... scentless and just dull
'The Lark Ascending'.. beautiful, exotic, stands out from a distance..very tall, vigorous and upright... and 100 percent healthy, probably the healthiest Austin I've found...but its thorns and growth habit were too much for me...
'Gertrude Jekyll'.. another thorny beast, with slow rebloom, and just wants to spread.. beautiful when in bloom.. downright ugly the rest of the time..
'Spirit of Freedom'... too many petals for its own good.. droopy and balled in rain.
'The Alnwick Rose'.. upright and thin growing.. never in love with it..
'The Lady's Blush'... thorny… quaint, but little impact
'Sir Walter Scott'... suckered... small blooms... didn't do much for me..
'The Lady Gardener'... didn't like the colour.. apricot paling to a muddy cream..
'Harlow Carr'... small but incredibly thorny... just got in my way... on the plus side, interesting brownish new foliage and seems to make a good standard rose...
'Princess Anne'... blackspotted, defoliated... didn't like the fading colour... odd mauve..
'Rosemoor'... few thorns, healthy but small muddled blooms and never in a mass... I won't miss it..
'Wollerton Old Hall'... a big tall lanky rose demanding support, else the canes will flop to the ground... strong myrrh scent, but I didn't have the time for it..
'Benjamin Britten'.. constant bloom, nice when first open...4 or 5 flushes a season but the flowers fade quickly to a greyish purple that I did not like at all... very tall, very thorny...coarse...
'Sir John Betjeman'.. probably better as a standard... droopy stems, weak necks.. constant bloom and showy, almost red, deep pink... no scent..
'Imogen'.. such a pretty rose when first opening but blooms last 2 days... good foliage, quite healthy, somehow I couldn't love it..
'Boscobel'... strong myrrh scent, beautiful at its best...weird colours, sometimes pink, or orangey.. check it out after heavy rain and see what you think then...
'Summer Song'... strong orange, really stand out colour if you can take it... outer petals turned pink and I did not like that combination... however, I might get it again for shock value.. I think it has a place in a hot, but not dry, border... needs lots of moisture...
...my jury is still out on 'James L. Austin' ..healthy but little scent, and seems just more of the same. Similar to Princess Anne but healthier...
'Mill on the Floss'..I still have this but it better shape up next June or it's gone... continuous bloom but all growth - over 6 foot tall, and flowers open a few at a time... sometimes I love it... often I don't...
...lucky you !.. glad you had a great day.. not that far from you I should think... they look nice roses for the time of year.. it goes to show how you can keep roses in those pots going most of the season...