David Austin Gardens (many images, heavy page load)

12 years ago

Last week we went to the "Mecca" of English rose lovers... David Austin's gardens in Albrighton, England. We took a two hour trainride and were dropped off at Albrighton station, then it was just a 20 minute walk to the nursery. Unfortunately, it started to rain just as we arrived, so we had a picnic lunch under the shelter at the station, and when it started to clear we walked to the nursery.

Many of the roses were in bloom, but a lot were still waiting to open up. The gardens were incredibly beautiful.

I think the one advantage of the poor weather was that the gardens weren't very crowded. In fact, we were lucky come on a day when they were offering a free "behind the scenes" tour, and only 4 other people signed up! So we got a wonderful, nearly private tour of the gardens... and... we got to go into the private area and visit the greenhouses where all the thousands of potential new English roses were growing!! Our tourguide, shown below, has worked for David Austin for over 20 years, and is obviously still very passionate about the roses, she was so incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic, a real sweetheart.

Below are some of my favourite photos from the day:

Mary Magdalene

Princess Anne

A Shropshire Lad

Young Lycidas

Gentle Hermione

The Herbalist

Darcey Bussell

The Lady of Shallott

Princess Alexandra of Kent

Skylark

The Generous Gardener

I've also included some photos of the new roses for 2011 (they were all tiny plants, just planted and still showing at Chelsea!), and some other that I think Austin fans might be interested in seeing. At the bottom of the page you'll find thumbnails for the entire gallery of images. I've tried to photograph the nameplate for each rose that I photographed, and to take shots of the full bush as well as individual flowers.

William and Catherine

Queen Anne

The Fighting Temeraire

Susan Williams-Ellis

Kew Gardens

England's Rose

Wisley 2008

I ended up buying three roses that day, (you should have seen the looks as we sat on the train buried in our little rose forest). I fell in love with Princess Anne and had to get her. It is just an amazing little rose. Every single bush I saw was just covered with amazing blooms and I loved the colour and shading. I also picked up one of the new ones (I couldn't believe they were selling the 2011 roses just announced that same week at Chelsea), Wollerton Old Hall, which is supposedly one of the most fragrant roses that Austin has ever produced, so I'm very much looking forward to the first bloom! Lastly I picked up St Cecelia, a rose that I used to grow in California and have missed terribly. I adore the scent, a mix of myrrh and almonds, which always reminds me of candy. It is very strongly scented, and I love the bloom shape as well. If I could have grabbed one more, it would have been The Herbalist, which really stunned me with its sheer joy and exuberance. Of course, there are dozens on my wish list, I wish I could just have a trial garden for David Austin... sigh... dream... dream... dream...

You can view all 200+ images, including many other roses and "bush" shots instead of individual flowers on my website by following the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: View the entire gallery of 200+ images

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Comments (15)

le_jardin_of_roses
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Robert, what a pretty sight to see all those roses blooming at once! I would love to go to David Austin's nursery in England. I am considering a trip to England in late August. I hope to include a stop at these gardens if time permits. Is Albrighton close to Birmingham?

As a lover of many DA roses, I have enjoyed this very much. I love the photos of YL. I have it and love,love,love that rose. I have my eye on Wollerton Old Hall of the new ones. Let me know how that one works out for you. And a big thanks for the link to your entire gallery of photos too.

Juliet
zeffyrose
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh My---what a wonderful collection of pictures----thanks for sharing this wonderful trip with us--

so nice to hear from you---I remember your Cal. garden---

Florence
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I plan to put Wildeve next to a fence - so if it does get long canes I will have something to attach it to. Jay [that's my son's name too!], glad to hear you like this rose - got it at an excellent discount for $5 in a big pot - it now has lots of buds. I have quite a few pink Austins - many are young so I haven't been able to evaluate yet. Am thinking I need to get Queen of Sweden, heard lots of good reports on it. England's Rose started out great last year, covered in blooms. Maybe I should have pinched them - the bush is still alive but not very vigorous - not going to let it bloom until/unless it recovers and starts growing. Love my James Galway - strong, upright bush that has a beautiful spring display then always has some blooms on it. Just got Sharifa Asma - covered in buds. I have a very old Mary Rose that does well. Love Tess of the d'Ubervilles - its on a huge fan trellis that it covers - it now has loads of big buds. Like Lady of Megginch - think I need to fertilize it more - when it blooms, you can see them all over the yard. Also have a large Scepter d'Isle that I like a lot - soft pink blooms, healthy bush, reliable rebloom. Charles Rennie Macintosh is another favorite - almost a lilac pink. I would like to see a stronger bush, but maybe its time for it to "leap" - it will be 3 yrs. old this year. That Alnwick rose is beautiful, Sylvia! Judith
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Veilchen, I hope you had a great time in London! Even the "squares" there are fantastic, not to mention the fabulous parks. Hi Mendocino rose, I was surprised that I liked Pat's statues as much as I did, I had seen photos of some of them before but they always seemed rather "sweet", when in fact, they are really very earthy and magical. Hi Carla! We're in Oxford, and renting, so no big plans for a garden here. We share an enormous back yard with two neighbours, but most if it is covered in brick. There are also borders, but they have long established shrubs and trees in them. It's basically a "low maintenance garden" (god I cringe at that phrase). If we owned it, I'd be making all sorts of plans; but as it is I am content to put just a few things into the ground and try to enjoy the wonderful gardens and nature which surrounds me here. I put two roses in last fall: The Ingenious Mr. Fairchild and Alan Titchmarsh; this spring I put in bare roots of Gentle Hermione and Scepter'd Isle. I'm still deciding whether to put Spirit of Freedom in along the back wall, or to put it in a large pot outside by the front door, judging from what Daisy said, I might have to rethink this! Hi Florence, Thanks for the nice words. I miss my garden in California, but I'm just trying to appreciate that I'm now in a climate more conducive to growing the kind of garden I've always dreamed of. I always felt a bit guilty for trying to have an English Country Garden in the middle of a drought area! Here, we don't even have a hose!!! Thankfully, we do have a rainbarrel, so when things do dry up I can get extra water from the last rain. It makes me feel much better. Hi Andrea, I think Daisy is right, no children allowed at the flower show. I'm not sure what the limit is but I think it is on their website. We joined because members get a discount to the show... so by the time we added up the three tickets and figured the money saved would almost pay for itself if we got a membership. So now I have the card and get the monthly magazine. I'd love to get together with you sometime. Maybe we could meet at a garden somewhere inbetween our two cities? We'll form an Oxbridge gardening club! Hi Carol, we have Megan with us, we unfortunately lost our beloved Spencer to cancer right before we moved. Megan LOVES it here. We take her on long walks along the river, visit meadows, take her to pubs, and she is welcome on buses and trains as well. The British are so much more sensible about dogs! She's definitely part of our family and she really enjoys going everywhere with us. On the train she sits on my lap and looks out the window. People in the stations see her and smile and wave. It's delightful. Daisy, thanks so much for the information on Spirit of Freedom! I'm glad to know you thought it was a good rose. I've wanted it for a long time, and was worried because it is so rarely discussed. There was a recent thread where it was brought up with some recommendations, so I put it back on the top of my list. I was thinking of putting it in a pot in front of our house (many people grow roses on our street up the front beside their door, no one has any earth, just row houses built in the 1850s for railway workers, but with a pot and a trellis people have done wonders. Maybe I'll put him in the back and think of something a little less vigourous. Then again, you were in Cornwall which probably helped him grow with the extra sunlight! How did you like Cornwall? I have this romantic notion about it, and have it on the top of my list for places to visit. It looks so wonderful! Cheers, robert
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Hi le Jardin, we moved here for several reasons.. my partner is English and had a career opportunity, I wanted the chance to go back to school, and we have family here. I've always loved England anyway, so I was actually more excited than my partner! I love it here. Hi Diane, thanks for looking at the photos, I'm really glad you enjoyed them. Hi albertine, Yay! Another corgi fan. I've had two as well and they really spoil you for other dogs (although, there are many others that I love as well). We see a lot of Jack Russells, Greyhounds, Westies, occasionally an English Bulldog or a Bull Terrier. There are also some type of herders that I'm not familiar with that remind me of skinny versions of Australian Shepherds. If I ever see Lilac Rose looking lonely at a garden centre, I'll probably go ahead a pick her up anyway, but she's not something that I'm going to seek out, there are far to many recommended roses to get first! Andrea! We really have to meet up, I think you might be my soul sister! :) I picked up Mr. Fairchild and Alan Titchmarsh together last autumn, the first to roses that I purchased here. I have mixed feelings about A.T., like your', mine tends to have such heavy flowers that they go right to the ground. On the other hand, there are so many of them! For a first year rose mine must have produced 30 or so roses so far this year. I noticed that if I let the branches hang, like pegging I'm getting new shoots popping up and already there are buds on them too, so I'm just going to let him do his thing and see how it goes. Mr. Fairchild, by comparison, has been less vigourous; but I much prefer the flowers, scent, and bush shape. I really like this rose. Wow... going through your wonderful list: I grew Gertrude in California and didn't really like her. I smell some scent, but my nose doesn't register the scent that everyone else raves about. I had the same problem with Comte de Chambord, so I guess I'm just not wired for that group. Shirifa is in a nice pot, I am hopeful. Jude I adore, I'll have him again soon. Lady Emma Hamilton really surprised me at Austin's, not my colour, but I loved the scent. Summer Song is totally out of my colour range, I wish I had smelled it though.. bananas!?! I really liked Young Lycidas, it is one that needs to be seen in person to really get the subtlety of the colours, and yes.. WOW, what a scent! Love WM2k, so so about Golden, but love the Prince. This is one of my favourite photos of him from my California garden: I saw Dark Lady and Prospero for the first time this trip, both nice but undewhelming. I really liked Munstead Wood. Also saw Radio Times for the first time, it was nice but didn't bowl me over. Now, I had the Alnwick Rose high on my list, but was disappointed in the scent! I chose Sceptre'd Isle over it this year during my small bareroot purchase, and had been wondering if I had made the wrong choice. The way you describe it though, I really out to love it, so maybe it was just the wrong time of day, or I had been overwhelmed by other scents. I grew Evelyn in California and I liked her delicacy very much. I've yet to meet Ab Darby, isn't that strange!? Princess Alexandra and Jubilee are the two top on my list right now, I'll keep my eye out for Rosemoor. Gentle Hermione is the other bareroot I ordered this spring, and she just had her first flowers this week. I like her, and true to Austin's word, she held up beautifully in the rain this morning, and even held water in her cup through the whole day without falling over or apart. I used to grow Tamora as well, but in California it was a rust magnet, I swear it was nearly copper coloured by the end of the season. Thanks for sharing your list, it's helped reassure me about several choices that I'm interested in. Here's a shot of Tamora and Evelyn: Carla, it's so kind of you, thanks for the good wishes. Here's a hug for you... (((Carla))). Hi Joanne, it's nice to see you! Apparently they have redone the "Lion garden" and will grow roses with perennials, thank goodness, as much as I like roses I much prefer them mixed with other roses. Mottesfont is still the gold standard for me. Megan thanks you, and sends best wishes to Maggie. Hi Aliska 12000, thanks for looking, and good luck with your Wisley, ultimately, it really comes down to each of our gardens, what does poorly for David Austin might be a gem for someone else. That's a lovely photo! Hi Sue, thanks for your good thoughts, they are much appreciated. Thanks Beth! Cheers everyone! I'm delighted that you have enjoyed these photos.
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silverkelt
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
EGADS

What a trip of a lifetime..and to think you could go more than once a year if you wanted to!

I wish I could take a trip to England around this time and other well known english gardens.
jumbojimmy
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Those photos are great! They really help me to choose which roses I should buy next time.

I wonder what's the name of that white roses just above the photo of the tourist guide. 'Perhaps it's William and Cathrine'? I hope it is. I can't wait for that rose to be release here.

I also love the look of Darcey B. In fact I love roses that show off their button eye at the center.
Krista_5NY
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oh, I'd love to visit David Austin roses someday.... thanks for the tour. I love the very pale pink pom-pom rose in the first greenhouse pic.

It must have been so much fun to visit the Austin gardens.
hosenemesis
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wow- thanks for posting these photos for us. What a pleasure it will be to go through your whole album!
Renee
inga007
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What a treat. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos.
Now to go for more eye candy-- to your album.
the_bustopher z6 MO
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you very much for taking the time and making the effort to do this. It is a real treat.
organicgardendreams
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Robert, this is a great post about the David Austin Garden, nursery and the "old" and new David Austin roses! I am literally speechless looking at all this beauty and right now I only can say I enjoyed it very much! Thanks a lot for posting!

Christina

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Garden Dreams
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Robert, I'm already back for a second look and this is really fabulous. These are really wonderful views of the Austin gardens. Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to prepare this treat for us.

Ingrid
zeffyrose
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm also back for another peek---so many beautiful roses

Florence
jerome
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Amazing. Thanks for posting. David Austin is a genius.
kristin_flower
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I think I could get lost in that garden for hours. How beautiful. Thanks for sharing these pictures!
blendguy
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Juliet, yes, his gardens are very near Birmingham, it's a half hour train ride from there. Even in late August it should be pretty spectacular.

Wollerton Old Hall is covered with buds. I've not seen a single bloom yet "in real life", so I've got my fingers crossed. I think I'm expecting something similar to Scepter'd Isle with a lighter colour. I'll post photos when it blooms.

Florence, it's my pleasure, and a treat to share it with others who enjoy the roses!

Silverkelt, I do appreciate how lucky I am to live so close! When I lived in California I never dreamed I'd get to visit, and now I can walk out of my door, get on a train, and be there in just over two hours. I wonder what I should do this weekend?? LOL.

Jumbojimmy, the roses in most of the pictures of the greenhouses are "potential" new Austins, either for garden or cut flowers, so I'm pretty sure we wouldn't know any of them already. If you like button eyes, you should consider Sister Elizabeth and Eglantyne. I thin Sister Elizabeth might do very well in your climate, she loved my So. California garden.

Krista, it was great fun. I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures.

Hosenemesis, thanks for taking a look!

Inga007, you're very welcome, thanks for taking the time to look through everything.

The Bustopher, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Christina, I'm so glad the photos brought some happiness to your day!

Ingrid, it was my pleasure. Thank you!

Jerome, yes, I agree, I think he is a genius too. I can't tell you how much enjoyment I get out of his creations. I think we are so lucky to have him. He lives in a house on the grounds, and the tour guide told us that he still comes out every morning and walks through the gardens, taking notes, commenting, and finding improvements. He still works in the breeding and selecting and is very much the man we can thank for these roses. So.. thank you very much Mr. Austin!

Kristin, I did spend hours there. We arrived at 11 and left when they closed at 5, and I still could have spent many more hours wandering around. It was really fantastic.
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
12 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
So nice to see where all my money has gone. ;^) At least they did some great things with it. I'd much rather it go there than into a hole in the ground in Afghanistan.

Darcy B. is a stunning rose. I must get that one.

David Austin Gardens (many images, heavy page load)

Comments (15)

le_jardin_of_roses

zeffyrose

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blendguy
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hoovb zone 9 sunset 23

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David Austin Gardens (many images, heavy page load)

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