Heirloom Roses - An early morning walk ... AT MY ROSE GARDEN

A cup of tea in hand (rosehip of course), stepping half awake around the garden to see what the night has brought, is one of the daily pleasures of having a garden.  

In our typically dry Spring on the Sunshine Coast hinterland it has been unseasonably hot, so an early morning inspection is necessary to see how the roses are coping, and which ones may need a little extra attention.  

Yet even in the midst of this routine walk, there are gorgeous surprises waiting to be discovered in the morning light.  

Altissimo, Delbart-Chabert,France,1966 - Modern Climber 

For many years I longed to have room to grow the modern climber, Altissimo, with her brilliantly red, single roses and had wistfully designed a country garden for a friend featuring this rose.   Now that I finally have two Altissimo roses growing on either side of a large arch, I find myself sometimes taking their hardiness and on-going rose display for granted ... until this morning when the vibrancy of their brilliant, unfading red blooms took my breath away.

Mrs Reynolds Hole, Nabonnand, France, 1900 - Tea

Sending out long arms to tangle with Altissimo’s spiky branches, Mrs Reynolds Hole has very double, dark pink blooms that have a surprisingly strong, real rose fragrance, unusual for a Tea rose.  She is one of the later Tea roses, named for the wife of the famous English clergyman, Dean Samuel Reynolds Hole.   Many rose books suggest this rose be planted with the long branches pegged to form a large rosette.  I prefer to allow this rose to grow freely, forming  a  very large bush. 

Gloire de Ducher, Ducher, France, 1853 - Hybrid Perpetual

Further along in a separate bed, Gloire de Ducher grows on a rustic pillar.  I believe this gorgeous rose deserves to be grown more often in Australian gardens.  In less than ideal conditions with minimal water, Gloire de Ducher offers a stunning display of quilled and buttoned crimson/purple blooms.  Exquisitely perfumed, the Spring display of this tough rose is worthy of any garden. 



Wife of Bath, Austin, UK, 1969 - English Roses 
Another tough rose in our garden is the gorgeous Wife of Bath.  One of David Austin’s earlier English roses, she is almost always covered in full, clear pink blooms, spiked with a strong myrrh fragrance.  The most exquisitely fat pink buds surround each of the cupped blooms.  Because of the enduring nature of this rose through drought and flood, she has become a firm favourite.  

Buff Beauty, Bentall, UK, 1839 - Hybrid Musk

Next is the lovely Buff Beauty, a favourite Hybrid Musk covered in sweetly perfumed, full blooms of soft apricot.  Always in bloom throughout the warmer months, this is one of the oldest roses in our garden, with lichens covering the grey trunk.  A deceptively tough rose that also survives our dry Springs with vigour and beauty. 

Each morning is a little journey into the unknown, wondering what lovely alchemy has brewed overnight ...  a gentle way to ease into the new day.