Product Description

"The rose has always been the best loved of all garden flowers. With the English Rose our aim has been, quite simply, to breed a more beautiful rose on a more beautiful shrub."
- David Austin

Exquisite photographs of Austin's beloved blooms grace every page of The English Roses. David Austin revolutionized rose gardening by restoring the viability and popularity of the Old Roses. In this book, he introduces 40 recently developed varieties in addition to 40 of his best-loved and time-tested favorites.

Here David Austin tells the compelling story of how he set out to create the English Roses and presents an entirely new classification, which helps rose enthusiasts to better understand and appreciate their great diversity. The book also features:

• The distinctive qualities and fragrances of English Roses
• The original Old Rose Hybrids
• Musk Hybrids, Alba Hybrids and 'The Leander Group'
• Climbing Roses, Cut-Flower Roses
• Growth habits, flower form, foliage, and name origin
• Valuable cultivation tips
• Austin's favorite garden designs
• Tips forcutting and arranging roses.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #323287 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Booklist
Austin achieved great success as a hybridizer of his so-called English Roses, which possess a combination of alluring traits found in antique varieties and modern hybrid teas. More than a decade has passed since his first guide to these cultivars, and Austin now explains the ancestry and qualities of his roses, presenting 80 roses in six subgroups that include more recent introductions. Only roses that have proven to be vigorous and disease free make the cut. Succinct descriptions sum each rose's attributes, from growing habits and overall shape to luscious fragrance, flower form, foliage, and origin of the plant's name. And breathtaking photographs illustrate the reasons English roses are beloved by gardeners everywhere. Rose lovers will find Austin's personal observations regarding the development of these exquisite flowers mesmerizing, while his candor regarding a rose's faults is noteworthy and will surely help a gardener select roses for any given situation or climate. Novices will appreciate a final chapter with useful tips on culture and maintenance. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Stunningly beautiful photographs ... that have the artistic quality of the work by the renowned French artist, Pierre Joseph Redouté. (The National Gardener, National Garden Clubs, Inc. 20090618)

Exquisite photography .... valuable tips, guidelines and methods, and even the casual admirer will enjoy learning about the flower's history. (Romantic Homes 2009)

The definitive reference on the English rose. (Karla A. Dalley Connecticut Horticultural Society Newsletter vol. 20090628)

At $45 it is a great investment, containing growth habits and cultivation tips for this popular flower. (Terra Hangen Victorian Homes )

This book practically leaped off the shelf into my arms. If you love roses, this truly is a sumptuous book! (Donald McClure The County Weekly News (Picton ON) )

Exquisite photographs. (Rob Mooy Kingston This Week )

Gorgeous photographs. (Marilyn K. Alaimo Chicago Botanic Garden (www.chicagobotanic.org) )

Full-color illustrations will make you want to cut them out and frame them. (Grand Rapids Press )

From the Publisher
Beloved for their colors and their appealing fragrance, English roses have long been garden favorites. In his first book in more than ten years, David Austin introduces 40 recently developed varieties in addition to 40 of his best time-tested favorites.

Customer Reviews

Not worth the money...
As an avid collector of David Austin books and roses, I was very displeased with this over priced book. It's pretty much his older books just rehashed with a few more added roses. The quality of the photographs are not very impressive. The book just seems to photograph each rose by itself as opposed to a full bush. I was hoping for a lot better quality for the price I paid for this book.

Love the roses...why didn't they show pictures of the bushes?
With all this talk (by David Austin) of breeding a more attractive flower on a more attractive shrub, why didn't he include a picture of a mature shrub of each rose he was talking about?
The book does have beautiful closeups of many, many, (I think 71) of his roses. And... there are pictures in the other sections of some of the rose bushes... but it could have been much more helpful if there were also a picture of each shrub, not just the close-up of the flower.
But not to be forgotton, other than the beautiful flowers and the missing shrubs, David Austin's history of the English roses, etc, makes for interesting and educational reading.

Disappointing
I love growing David Austin roses, reading about them and deciding which ones to add to my garden. I was disappointed with the quality of the paper and the printing has declined since the previous edition. I found it difficult to really see what a rose would look like in the garden when the backgrounds of the photos are all stark white.
After having this book out on my coffee table for three months and making notes to decide which roses to buy I noticed that the binding is starting to tear. I feel that stardardizing this edition took away the charm and beauty of the previous edition. ams