By JULIE COLE MILLER

TRADITIONROOTED

The family behind David Austin Roses combines a calling for saving old English garden roses with

a quest for developing the perfect flower

in

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Headquartered in Albrighton, England,

David Austin Roses has two acres of rose gar-

dens on-site, including the Renaissance Garden.

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The cut flower ‘Patience’ is known for its flat, medium-sized rosettes with the scent of fruit, lilac, and myrrh.

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SEPALS AND BRACTS, CALYXES AND CHROMOSOMES: The cultivation of roses inspires a certain affection greater than the botanical terminology might sug-gest. Such is the case with David C.H. Austin, the renowned English rose breeder who has devoted his life to developing distinctive roses known to gardeners, floral designers, and admirers around the world.

“My peers assured me that nobody would want to grow my style of roses. The trend at the time was for hybrid teas, though it seems hard to be-lieve that today,” says the now 18-time gold medal-ist of the Chelsea Flower Show and winner of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Victoria Medal of Honour. “As none of the nurseries were willing to sell English roses, I realized that if I wanted gar-deners to be able to grow them, I had to follow my instincts and offer them to the public myself.”

And so he did. Today, after releasing more than 200 English roses, being appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and winning a lifetime achievement award, the 89-year-old breeder shares the stewardship of his namesake company with his son, David J.C. Austin, and grandson, Richard Austin. Their office, in the

village of Albrighton on the Shropshire border of England, is also the location of their plant center, which houses two acres of rose gardens and breeding facili-ties. They extensively test each rose they cultivate: 50,000 cross-es might yield 250,000 seedlings, which are winnowed down and tested over a period lasting up to eight years. The end result is three to six new varieties of David Austin roses per year.

What started as a hobby—in-spired by a gift from his sister, the 1936 edition of Old Garden Roses by E.A. Bunyard—turned into a calling for this farmer’s son with a passion for developing new vari-eties of plants. “The book inspired me to order a few old roses, and I was able to appreciate, at first hand, their full beauty—their beautiful flowers, their wonderful fragrances, and their bushy, natu-ral habit,” says the elder David. He also ordered modern roses to study their advantages: They

David C.H. Austin (right) with his son, David J.C. Austin.

Named after the legend-ary florist and antique

rose enthusiast, the hardy climber ‘Constance Spry’

was the first rose David C.H. Austin introduced.

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‘Olivia Rose Austin’

‘Lady of Shalott’

‘Graham Thomas’

‘Darcey Bussell’

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The roses have romantic proclivities even in nomenclature, displaying David C.H. Austin’s fondness for local connections,

literature, music, and horticulture and gardening themes, as well as places of interest and areas of natural beauty.

Shrub roses and herbaceous perenni-als thrive in the Lion Garden, a riot of color and scent.

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flowered from early summer through autumn and had a much wider color range. From that, his hobby took root. He concentrated on developing subtler aspects of English roses: scent (myrrh, tea, and musk); color (blush pink, cream, and apricot through crimson); and character (repeat-flowering ability and good disease resistance).

The David Austin Roses empire can now be found around the world, with their English vari-eties growing in more than 30 countries and with licensees in Europe, the United States, China, Russia, Canada, New Zealand, and Japan.

The roses—whether found in garden centers, mail-order catalogs, or through luxury cut-flower

wholesalers—have an avid fan base, which responds to the heady romanti-cism of the aromatic and robust, many-petaled blooms. Their natural grace is as appealing to brides as it is to garden-ers. But the poetry of the petals doesn’t end there. ‘A Shropshire Lad,’ ‘Maid Marion,’ and ‘Christopher Marlowe’—the roses have romantic proclivities even in nomenclature, displaying a fondness for local connections, litera-ture, music, and horticulture and gar-dening themes, as well as places of in-terest and areas of natural beauty. “But above all, my aim is always to choose a name that matches the unique charac-ter of the individual rose. My first rose, ‘Constance Spry,’ was named after the British florist and author who, amongst her other work, was commissioned to arrange the flowers for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation,” he says. “She also devoted years to the cultivation of an-tique roses and was therefore a natural name choice.”

Today, his son, David J.C. Austin, takes on the challenges that come with putting down roots in areas around the world: “It has been a privilege to be a part of the success my father has creat-ed,” he says. “The business has taken me all over the world, and I have gotten to know many people extremely well, gaining a real insight into different cul-tures and ways of life. Traveling from Ecuador to Japan and everywhere in between has been a great journey to ex-perience different places, and it has given me the chance to see how plants

grow in different conditions, which continues to fascinate me. You learn so much, including little quirky things such as you can plant a seed at the equator 365 days a year and it will grow. We are used to seasons, but on the equator there is only one season—summer all year-round!”

No matter the season, botanical enterprise seems to favor this family. They are especially optimistic about one of their most recent intro-ductions in the United Kingdom: ‘Olivia Rose Austin.’ “It was named after my daughter,” says David J.C., “so it had to be something rather spe-cial. It is, in fact, possibly the best rose that we have introduced to date.”

Climbing roses, such as ‘A Shropshire Lad,’ are quintessentially romantic. The Austins say they grow best in a north-facing posi-tion or partial shade, planted at least one foot away from the base of a wall.

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Gardeners, give English roses a try. They are incredibly robust and easy to grow. Water well, at least once a week in dry conditions. Although watering is a very simple task, it will prove to be the most effective care you can provide for your roses.

To maximize the life of cut roses, always take care of them as soon as they arrive. Trim one inch off the stems, making a slanted cut while they are underwater, as this will help them absorb more.

Make sure the vase is completely clean, using bleach if necessary and rinsing out well. Then fill with lukewarm water and flower food.

Good hygiene is the most important way to ensure maximum vase life for cut flowers, but cool room temperatures also have a significant influence. Place flowers away from direct sunlight, and avoid positioning them near sources of heat or directly underneath air-conditioning units.

The Austins share their

tips for making the most

of your blooms:

One of the most popular of the David Austin roses, the peach-colored ‘Juliet’ is a luxury cut flower with a light tea scent.

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