English Garden	L D Braithwaite

I am very interested in exhibiting, so the shrubs I grow must perform well on the show table. The standards I require for exhibiting are similar to the traits that are desirable for a happy garden: Disease resistant, and lots of blooms with good color and form. I also love the fragrance of the Austins, although some Austins have more fragrance than others.

I've been growing Austin shrubs for nearly 10 years, before it was fashionable to grow them. My first few Austins had to be imported from Hortico in Canada because at the time I knew of no other local supplier of Austins. My older shrub plants are most likely budded on Rose multiflora. Now, you can buy them from almost any local nursery, which are usually budded onto Dr. Huey, or sometimes they are growing on their own roots. From the very beginning, I began winning trophies with them.

The Squire

The Squire ~ The velvety red blooms come on a small plant that grows much like a hybrid tea. Open and airy, not real bushy. Oddly, sometimes the blooms are intensely fragrant, and at other times I can detect no fragrance on them at all. Long stems, so no need to have stem-on-stem. Although The Squire will produce small clusters of 3 blooms per stem, he is best shown with only one bloom. Removing the side buds early will encourage a bigger central bloom. The Squire is one of the few Austins that will grow and bloom in partial shade. I grow The Squire on the north side of my house with only about 3 hours of morning sun, and it always seems to produce blooms in time for the rose shows. On its maiden voyage to a rose show, November 1993 in Palm Springs, we won the best shrub with him. In 1995, The Squire was in my winning District Albuquerque Challenge entry, along with Perdita and Leander. I've won nine trophies with The Squire, all were one bloom per stem, with one in an Artist's Palette among other varieties. The Squire is very popular among the judges, but what makes it difficult to win is that it is popular among the exhibitors, too.

Leander

Leander ~ The Hortico catalog claimed that the size of this shrub would be 3 x 3 feet. I think they meant to say 3 meters x 3 meters, but even the metric size would have been grossly understated. This bush is a climber! It grows to more than 10 x 10 feet, but it takes several years to get there. The plant produces huge clusters of smallish apricot blooms on very long stems. Again, no need for stem-on-stem condition when exhibiting. During the spring bloom cycle, the plant is covered in hundreds of blooms. The fragrance is light and fruity. You must prune it hard in the winter (hard for this rose is 6 x 6 feet). Then after the late spring bloom, prune it again in order to get another bloom cycle in October. Because the bloom is small, about 2-1/2 inches, and because of its ability to produce large clusters of blooms, obviously this rose is best shown in its clustered condition. However, I have won twice with Leander in an English Box of 6 blooms, and once in an Artist's Palette among other larger Austin varieties. Leander is not an easy rose to show and is not particularly good for cutting. It has a problem with the necks of the blooms drooping and the blooms lose substance after being cut. It does not refrigerate well. Yet, I've won six trophies with Leander over the past 10 years, because of its awesome clusters of 16 and more blooms.

Evelyn

Evelyn ~ I've grown this very pale apricot Austin for nearly 10 years. In that time, I've only managed to win four trophies with her, and 3 were for Most Fragrant Rose, beating out other shrubs, old garden roses, and even the likes of Mister Lincoln. The problem is that most of her blooms are produced when there is no rose show, like July and November. I'm not really complaining because that means I have blooms to enjoy when other roses aren't blooming. The stunning blooms are large with an intense old garden rose fragrance. They are produced in small clusters on very long stems. The plant is very big. We've tried pegging but the plant got monstrous. So now we prune her 18 canes down to 3 feet in the winter.

Perdita

Perdita ~ This tidy little Austin could easily be a floribunda. And indeed, Iceberg is one of her grandparents. The blooms are supposed to be apricot but can be nearly white in my hot Santa Clarita garden. The fragrance is a light licorice. The blooms are very long lasting on the bush or when cut for a vase. And the plant seems to be in bloom continually. I've won seven trophies with Perdita, some just one bloom, others in sprays, and one English box. She was in my 1995 District Albuquerque Challenge, and a small spray was the central focus of my winning National Griffith Buck entry at Portland in 2001.

Following my first four shrubs (The Squire, Leander, Evelyn, and Perdita) it was more than six years before I would add any further Austins. After the shocker of seeing Leander grow so big, and the disappointment of learning that Gertrude Jekyll only blooms in the spring (she's long gone), I decided to wait and watch them growing in others' gardens before getting more. I also had to wait for garden space, and the removal of two trees in my neighbor's yard liberated a rose bed that was previously held hostage by tree roots.

Golden Celebration

Golden Celebration ~ This plant is only a few years old and is growing on its own roots, so it's been slow to establish. I'm told that she can get big, but so far mine is still small. The blooms are a gorgeous golden yellow, with an intense citrus fragrance. I've only won a single trophy with Golden Celebration so far, and that was a bloom contained in an Artist's Palette with The Squire, Symphony, Leander, and Tamora. As my Golden Celebration bush matures, I look forward to winning more trophies with her.

Abraham Darby

Abraham Darby ~ I've seen this rose grow very big and that is what I was hoping for. But, so far, after two years, my plant is less than 3 feet tall. Even still, I've managed to win two trophies with Abe, one for the Judge's entry at Ventura in 2001, and the other one in my National Griffith Buck entry at Portland. Not too bad for a young plant that refuses to grow. I have now purchased a new plant (one of those waxed jobbies for $10 at Costco) that appears to be more vigorous and is leafing out quite nicely in spite of the waxed canes.

Geoff Hamilton

Geoff Hamilton ~ This new plant from Jackson & Perkins won a national trophy for me in its very first year and first time at a rose show. I think it may have been a fluke. Judges are drawn to new varieties like bears to honey. The pale pink blooms have only a hint of fragrance so far, and the bloom form has not been consistent. But, who's complaining? To be included in the National Griffith Buck entry from a plant that was barely six months old was a surprise to me, and very thrilling.

Fair Bianca	Tamora

The Search Continues ~ I have a few other Austin shrubs that I am evaluating, but they are all less than a year old so this will take some time. Fair Bianca has a good reputation as a successful show rose, and so far it looked great last fall in my garden. The plant is small to about 3 feet, and it has a lovely licorice fragrance. The medium pink Radio Times shows much promise. Falstaff is looking terrific. Clair Martin says that Falstaff grows to only about 4 feet so that is good news as I don't have space for "monsters."  English Garden has potential. Teasing Georgia appears to make a nice landscape statement with its mounding, arching growth habit.