Organic gardener growing food and flowers, lovin' pollinators and birds.

5 tips for growing 3 new fragrant David Austin Roses in your garden


David Austin Roses are known for their fragrance – in addition to their expanded color range and ability to flower repeatedly.

While many American gardeners plant roses to enhance their landscape, it’s important to smell the roses, too, according to Michael Marriott, senior rosarian and technical manager of David Austin Roses Ltd in Albrighton, England.

Sniffing roses is a great way to calm you down, he said. “Plant the roses closer to the edge of your walkways, so that every time you pass by you can smell or cut them to bring into the house.”

The company’s founder, David Austin, was the creator of English Roses, which married the fragrance of Old Roses with the desirable traits of modern roses. This attention to fragrance set the stage for an extensive line of roses.

This year’s three new introductions highlight the impressive scent combinations that are bred into the roses.

"Vanessa Bell" David Austin Rose. Photo credit: DavidAustinRoses.com

“Vanessa Bell” is considered one of the most free-flowering varieties that has been bred by David Austin Roses. The pale yellow flowers have a green tea fragrance with hints of lemon and honey.

"Dame Judi Dench" David Austin Rose. Photo credit DavidAustinRoses.com.

“Dame Judi Dench” offers large “sun-kissed apricot” color flowers with ruffled petals. It offers a tea scent with notes of cucumber and a hint of kiwi.


"James L. Austin" David Austin Rose. Photo credit: DavidAustinRoses.com.

“James L. Austin” has densely petaled flowers in a unusual shade of reddish-pink. Their fragrance evokes a mixture of blackcurrant, blackberry, raspberry and cherry, with hints of lemon zest and almond.

Even though our North American climate is different than that of England, the David Austin Roses that are available for purchase here are specifically selected for our growing conditions and climate zones. The three new varieties are hardy to Zone 5 — and in some cases, to Zone 4.

The good news — in addition to the three new varieties above— is that there is now a total of 114 Austin-bred English Rose varieties that can be shipped as bare root plants to North American gardeners. (The three varieties will be available at select garden centers in the U.S. and Canada in spring 2020.)

Tips for growing roses successfully in North American gardens


“There’s no one way to plant roses,” said Marriott. “Wherever you put them they steal the scene. But don’t mistake roses for loners or divas. Most roses, and especially the soft-colored David Austin English Roses, are highly cooperative, companionable garden plants.”

Marriott shared his tips to get English Roses off to a good start in the garden.

Go organic

"Encourage all the insects — pests or beneficial — into your garden, and let them sort it out themselves," he said. "You need to get everybody in the garden to balance the ecosystem."

Marriott is an organic gardener and incorporates plants that are attractive to beneficial insects. These good bugs include lady bugs, damsel bugs and lacewings, who will eat aphids, scale, mealybugs, thrips, mites and other pests.

Good companions for this purpose:
Sea holly (Eryngium)
Phacelia
Anchusa
Agastache
Goldenrods
Ammi majus (bishop’s flower)
Fennel

Soil is key to healthy roses 

"One of the great secrets to success is to prepare the ground. All roses love humus rich soil,” he said.

Make sure the soil holds its moisture well but doesn’t get water logged. Soil that is rich in microorganisms, along with worms and beetles, will help to aerate the soil.

Instead of treating roses as specimen plants in the garden, incorporate them with other plants. “Plant roses close enough so they join up together and the soil below is protected,” he said. This way the soil will remain moist and cool.

You will want to leave space and not plant right on top of the roses, so that the companion plants do not deprive the roses of food and water. Place companion plants 18 to 36 inches from the rose, based on the projected mature size of the plants.

Pick a site with enough sunlight


"You'll get the best show from full sunlight," he said. This is six hours or more. Also plant roses where they won’t be exposed to extreme afternoon sun.

You can still grow them with less sunlight — a minimum of four hours. In the UK, this can even include roses growing along a north-facing wall with morning and afternoon shade.

Don't let the leaves stay wet

Be sure to leave enough air flow between the plants. Marriott recommends watering roses early in the morning, to give the leaves time to dry off. "Don't irrigate roses when leaves won't dry off," he said. "Blackspot loves that."

'Vanessa Bell' is seen with s late-season companion, a non-seeding hybrid Verbena bonariensis. Photo credit DavidAustinRoses.com.

Use complementing colors in the garden

“Roses have pretty big flowers,” he said. “Small flowers contrast well.”

When planting roses in the garden, anything blue will pair well. “Vanessa” will look good with soft blue flowers and “Judi” will look good with soft lilacs. “James L. Austin” would grow well with a strong purple or a purplish-blue color, such as “May Night” salvia.

To learn more about the three new David Austin varieties, click here.


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Floral Friday: Spring in the back garden

Each year the back garden puts on a better spring show. The hellebores have begun their blooming period, which should last through most of April. 

The snowdrops are still going strong and are complimented by the crocuses. Daffodils are growing, but not yet blooming. On warm afternoons, there are honeybees (presumably from a nearby hive) visiting the flowers.

The bright yellow feathers are showing on the male goldfinches. The mourning doves are courting. The robins have moved back. This weekend temperatures are going to be around 65 degrees F — which should jumpstart the season.

Here's what's blooming this week.

'Night Coaster' hellebore.


'Sunshine Selections' hellebore. 

'Red Lady' hellebore. 

Snowdrops and crocuses.


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The Gardener's April Calendar



It's the time we have been waiting for — spring! Here is the growing list of items to work on this month:
  • Pest control: I'm continuing my use of Repellex Systemic on my emerging tulips, coneflowers and anything else that the groundhog might find tasty. It is a granulated repellant that can be sprinkled around plants to deter groundhogs, rabbits and deer — but it has to be applied as the plants grow so it will be absorbed by the plants and make them taste like hot pepper. While it takes a few weeks to be fully effective, it provides protection for three months. In the past, my tulips made it through last spring unscathed, as well as my Oriental poppies. The time to apply is now as you see the new growth emerging.  
  • Pruning:
    • Paniculata hydrangeas: Take a third of the plant off to increase branches in the growing season. Make sure the cuts are uniform so that the entire plant grows at the same rate. 
    • Montauk daisies: Cut them back to encourage new growth. 
    • Roses: As soon as the buds begin to swell on the roses, trim them. (I've also heard it's safe to prune with the forsythia blooms.) I trim out old, diseased or damaged canes and try to remove canes that will impede air flow.
    • Hellebores: If you haven't removed last year's growth, now is the time. Plus, it makes for prettier photos. 
    • Raspberries: Cut back stems that bore fruit last year and anything thinner than a pencil. For the remainders, cut back at least 12 inches. If you plan to move your raspberries, now is the time. 
    • Grapes: Here's a great guide. 

  • Seeds, bulbs and tubers:
    • Sow peas! Soak them in water overnight (no more than eight hours) to help germination before planting. Use a soil thermometer to take the temperature of the soil — peas like a soil temp of 45 degrees F and above. The time window for getting peas in the ground is narrow because they stop producing when the temperature gets too warm. If you think you've waited too long to sow the seeds, see if your garden center has plants already growing that you can pop into the ground.
    • Cool weather crops: Now is the time to get broccoli starts outside. You can start planting seeds for lettuce, radish, turnip, beet, arugula, spinach, carrots, collards and kale, too. Start a new crop every three weeks for succession sowing. 
    • Hot weather veggies: Make sure you have sowed your tomato, eggplant and pepper seeds. I try not to start them too soon or they get leggy. Leave a 3 inch gap between plants and the grow lights so they don't stretch too far.  
    • Dahlias and begonias: Pot up tuberous begonias and dahlias now for a jump on the blooming season.
    • Last call for poppies. Scatter the seeds on top of cold soil now so they germinate. 
  • Cleanup and Maintenance: A gardener's work is never complete!
    • Give birdbaths a good scrubbing. (I use SOS or Brillo pads to do the job.)
    • I'm still cutting down old growth from last year and raking up leaves. Try not to walk on soil that is too wet because this can compact it. Old perennial growth can be removed and laid on top of compost piles to give native bees and insects a chance to wake up and leave (in case they haven't already done so). 
    • You can create new paths (and even garden beds) by layering cardboard on top of grass and then covering it with mulch.
    • Remove old foliage from irises to lessen the chance of the iris borers settling in this season.
    • It's time to sweep up fallen black oil sunflower seeds underneath feeders. (The seed will inhibit the growth of other plants.)
    • Cut back the ornamental grasses. If you don't have a tool you like, you can use a serrated bread knife to do the job.
  • Garden structures: Make sure to repair fencing and trellises. It's a lot easier when the garden hasn't filled in yet for the summer.
  • Fertilizing: Scatter bulb fertilizer around emerging bulbs. Top dress roses and other perennials with compost. Top dress rhubarb with well-rotted manure.
  • Soil test: Now's the time to send out samples so you can address any last minute issues before the season fully kicks off. 
  • Take photos of your garden as the bulbs emerge this spring. They will come in handy in the fall when you are trying to remember how many daffodils you have or where there are empty spots that might need filling in with — you guessed it — more spring bulbs! 
I live in Central Connecticut and garden in Zone 6b.
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