David Austin

For more than half a century, English Roses have been bred by David Austin OBE VMH. Loved for their old-rose-style blooms, they combine the gorgeous fragrance and beauty of old-fashioned roses, with the wide colour range and excellent repeat-flowering ability of modern roses.

Of the countless roses David has bred and trialled, only a fraction have been chosen, having provided that additional wow factor, such as ‘Desdemona’ (below right). ‘It’s impossible to define beauty in a rose, but you know it when you see it,’ he insists.

Over the years, David (who is now 92) has bred different groups of roses, including climbers, miniatures and standards. ‘My aim is diversity. I don’t want to walk into every garden and find that all the roses look the same,’ he says. But it’s his English Old Roses that most closely resemble the old rose varieties – his original source of inspiration. ‘Ours are not bred so much for brilliance of colour, or even excessive flowering, but for the delicate charm and fragrance of their individual flowers,’ he points out. They also have widely varying foliage that provides a foil for the lovely flowers.

Frequently asked which rose he likes most, David’s answer never varies: ‘To choose one over another would be like picking your favourite child. It’s quite impossible because different ones have different attributes.’

Visit the David Austin Roses nursery and show gardens at Bowling Green Lane, Albrighton, Wolverhampton WV7 3HB; davidaustinroses.co.uk