David Austin Roses
· David C.H. Austin OBE (born 1926) is a rose breeder and writer who lives in Shropshire, England. His emphasis is on breeding roses with the character and fragrance of Old Garden Roses (Gallicas, Damasks, Alba roses, etc.) but with the repeat-flowering ability and wide colour range of modern roses such as Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.
· His first rose, 'Constance Spry', was introduced in 1963. In 1967 and 1968 he introduced 'Chianti' and 'Shropshire Lass' respectively. Although these first roses bloomed only once in spring or early summer, they led, in 1969, to a series of remontant (repeat-flowering) varieties, including 'Wife of Bath' and 'Canterbury' (both in honor of the English author Geoffrey Chaucer). Austin's roses soon became the most successful group of new roses in the twentieth century.
· After 50 years of intensive breeding, David Austin’s English roses combine the forms and fragrances of old roses with the repeat flowering of modern roses. They are very easy to grow, healthy and reliable.
· English Roses may be grown as magnificent, shapely shrubs or trained as short climbers. David Austin’s extensive collection contains a rose for almost every garden situation.
· David Austin was appointed officer of the order of the British empire in the queens birthday honours list for services to horticulture.
· David Austin lives in Shropshire where he overseas one of the worlds largest garden rose breeding programmes.
· Though Austin's roses are not officially recognised as a separate class of roses by, for instance, the Royal National Rose Society (in Great Britain) or the American Rose Society, they are nonetheless commonly referred to by rosarians, at nurseries, and in horticultural literature as 'English Roses' (the term he uses) or 'Austin Roses'.
References. www.davidaustinroses.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Austin
Work done by Tim Macey