David Austin's Mary Rose

The small garden immediately outside the big bay window features Mary Rose, one of David Austin's famous English roses. There are also white Flower Carpet roses planted in here, with lots of self-sown blue forget-me-nots.

Mary Rose in the Forget-Me-Nots

Mary Rose is one of the first to flower, and because my name is Mary too I'm particularly fond of her. Hello, old friend - what a pretty pink complexion. We are both true English roses...

Archives Mary Rose

Both these following photographs are from the Moosey Archives, taken in the summer of 1998. The Mary roses are grown on their own roots, and have to survive some dry times in this garden. Unfortunately they are not as healthy as grafted bushes.

mary rose in the garden - 1998

The lawn sweeps around the small bay window garden to the gardens beyond. The Island Bed is on the right, and there is a grass path which leads through to the Driveway Lawn. This area always look great when the lawns are mowed.

house gardens - 1998

The thing I notice looking at these old photographs is how much the permanent plantings have grown. Take that shrubby conifer in the background, for example - I wish it was still this size!