CLICK TO ENLARGE

Centifolia. A chance seedling classed as a Centifolia but some say it is a modern hybrid. No matter the heritage it is a truly beautiful rose with pink quartered blooms that have a strong sweet fragrance. The blooms appear in large clusters for a long period but do not repeat thereafter. C1940.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Hybrid Perpetual. This rose would have to be one of the nicest striped varieties with semi-double blooms of pink and crimson. The blooms appear from mid-summer through to autumn and are nicely fragrant. Light green foliage, vigorous and upright. France 1921.

Hybrid Musk, Shrub. Medium, semi-double, apricot blooms in large clusters with an open bloom form. Mild, tea fragrance. Blooms in flushes throughout the season. Bred by Rev. Joseph Hardwick Pemberton (UK, 1922). Very disease resistant.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Rugosa. A robust Rugosa with large, heavy petalled, double, purplish-red flowers with mauve highlights. Beautiful strong clove fragrance. This rose has beautiful red hips that form after the flowers have finished in late summer-autumn. Vigorous, hardy and easy to grow. From the Netherlands. 1905.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

China. Rich, deep black-red, semi-double flowers with pronounced golden stamens and a nice fragrance appear more or less continuously throughout the summer. A medium sized bush with few thorns. Nice glossy foliage. France 1859.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

aka AKA Madame de Stella

Bourbon. The petals of this lovely rose are perfectly arranged to form very large blooms that are double and shaded a rich rose pink. An exquisite fragrance delights the nose, the relatively thorn free stems delight the gardener. Tall, vigorous and will bloom generously throughout the season. 1851.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Moss. Beautiful double, fragrant blooms of rich pink with a hint of purple and grey. Very free-flowering throughout summer. Nice dark foliage, the light 'mossing' is also dark green. Best lightly pruned immediately after flowering. From France, 1853.

Named for a young general in Napoleon's army - Louis-Nicolas Davout - who remained loyal to the very end.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Bourbon. A very beautiful old rose with cupped blooms of palest silvery pink touched with white, especially at the edges. The blooms are sweetly scented. Repeat displays throughout the season with a final flourish in the autumn. Relatively few thorns and long slightly lax canes. From France - 1878.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

This rose is an old favourite of mine and many other NZ gardeners. Often found thriving in older gardens. The white flowers are very fragrant and open from long pointed buds. A profuse flowering rose throughout the summer. Generally hardy and tolerant. From Northern Ireland - 1910.

There is also an excellent climbing version of this lovely old rose that David Austin has on his 'recommended roses' list - as do we.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

aka AKA Parsons Pink China

China. This important heritage rose has been cultivated in China for centuries and was introduced to Europe around 1750. It has been used extensively as a 'parent' breeding rose. Small semi-double blooms of pink that fade as they age. Nicely fragrant with light green foliage and few thorns.

'Old Blush' will flower for months and will grow quite happily in light shade, tolerant of poorer soils. It does not like to completely dry out in summer.