Moondance is a white Floribunda rose honored by the AARS in 2007. We can always use more white (and true dark red) in the garden and the loose somewhat casual nature of the blooms is a juxtaposition with the clear, precise white color. We can always use more fragrant roses, and Moondance’s fragrance is described by the AARS as ‘delightfully spicy’, and spicy it may be, but the copyrighters over there at the AARS need a swift kick in the rump.

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Floribunda rose Day Breaker is another rose honored by the All-American Rose Selections committee. I’ve been on this streak with that bunch (the AARS) so I might as well keep it going with another dazzling rose, should you be inclined towards Floribunda roses and their ilk. The blooms themselves are stunners, a light orange-apricot (I remember the heartbreak of Tropicana so well…). To Day Breaker’s credit, the roses last a long time cut or on the shrub, fragrance is a nice Tea rose scent, and flowers come in wave after wave throughout the growing season.

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Abraham Darby is one of the most widely grown David Austin English roses, and with good reason. Abraham Darby is a shrub with classic flowers that also has the desired qualities of wonderful fragrance, excellent re-bloom, strong growth and disease resistance. Abraham Darby is the kind of result David Austin had in mind when he began his search for the new English Rose. Large blossoms can vary in color from soft peach to pink to apricot, and each perfectly formed flower is truly lovely. More, the fragrance is rich and memorable.

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Of limited availability, David Austin English rose Sir Walter Raleigh is best suited for experienced gardeners, largely due to the cultural demands required to ensure success. The blossoms, outstanding in form and fragrance, are produced somewhat stingily throughout the season. The blooms are a warm pink, and have been described as being similar to a peony. Watch out for mildew and rust in areas where these maladies are prevalent.

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Introduced in 1935, Hybrid Tea Rose Crimson Glory is still offered commercially; further, it’s fairly easy to find this grand old Hybrid Tea at local garden centers. For decades, Crimson Glory was the rose to have for those who wanted to grow classic red roses in their gardens. Form is excellent, a medium red with the classic Hybrid Tea high center.

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Prior to the introduction of China and Tea roses to Europe, roses grown there bloomed once per season; bear in mind that the climate for northern and central Europe is characterized by relatively short summers. Most roses would come out of dormancy, bloom, and go dormant again, all within a relatively short time span. While the China and Tea roses brought repeat bloom to Europe, they were not reliably cold hardy in northern reaches. Rose Autumn Damask, introduced into Europe almost two thousand years (yes, twenty centuries) before either China or Tea roses was in fact the first remontant rose introduced into Europe.

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Pure white roses are actually quite rare; Bourbon rose Boule de Neige bears clusters of buds tinged red, but opens to a flower of unblemished, chaste white. Blossoms are fully double and globular in form. Due to the many petals, Boule de Neige is susceptible to balling, but this should not stop you from including this magnificent rose in your garden.

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David Austin English rose Tradescant is a good choice for those who favor dark roses. Large clusters of ten to fifteen buds open to flat, fully double blooms of the deepest crimson; in fact, Tradescant would be a good rose for gardeners who are looking for a black rose (although all black roses are actually very dark red). Fragrance in Tradescant is strong, and reminiscent of many of the old roses. Foliage is light green and disease resistant on arching canes which may reach eight feet in southern gardens.

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Introduced in 1931, Etoile de Hollande is a classic dark red climbing rose that is still considered among the finest. Seductive dark crimson roses are set off well from the dark green foliage. Etoile de Hollande has strong flushes of bloom both in spring and early fall, with sporadic repeats during summer. Fragrance is generally brilliant, a heady Damask. Interestingly, the climbing version of Etoile de Hollande is considered far superior to the shrub form. This is somewhat unusual, as the climbing versions of roses, Souvenir de la Malmaison for example, are often inferior as garden plants.

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David Austin rose Perdita bears clusters of flowers which move through a range of color as they mature, starting as creamy buff buds which change to soft peach or apricot as they open. Repeat bloom is good. David Austin’s penchant for focusing on fragrant roses is borne out with Perdita. Fragrance is excellent indeed, as Perdita was awarded the Royal National Rose Society’s Henry Edland Medal for Fragrance in 1984.

Perdita takes a couple of years to become well established in the garden, maintaining an open habit until the center of the shrub begins to fill in. Growth habit is slightly arching.

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