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Sharifa Asma David Austin rose

David Austin Roses need no introduction. Like many other gardeners I have become totally captivated by the old-fashioned look of these beautiful roses.

At one eager and early stage at Mooseys I thought I would try and have a complete collection - one of every David Austin rose ever introduced into New Zealand. I've since regained some moderation, but I'm always on the look out for new varieties.

Some of the David Austin roses grow tall in New Zealand gardens - so I often plant them against a fence, or some other support. Some have failed me (like the fragile Heritage, which has never been healthy), while others like Graham Thomas reward me by huge clusters of beautiful flowers throughout the summer.

Books which feature David Austin roses are almost as beautiful as the real thing! The flower colours are amazing, particularly the subtle pastels. The names are evocative, too.

David Austin roses are also known as 'English' roses. I hope you'll find your favourite English rose in my David Austin rose collection.

Glamis Castle Rose... Wed 30th Nov 2011: I've offered a good country home to six Glamis Castle roses. They're white David Austin English roses, named after a famous castle in Scotland.
Sharifa Asma Rose... Fri 25th Nov 2011: It's my bad luck that all my beautifully fragrant Sharifa Asma roses are situated far away from garden seats and paths. It is a David Austin rose, and rivals Othello for perfume. Sharifa Asma is in my opinion one of his very best, particularly in its autumn colouring.
John Clare Rose... Thu 27th Jan 2011: My very first John Clare rose was rescued from the bargain bin at a local nursery. I'm so glad I did! The pink is deep yet soft, and seems to glow - especially in setting and rising sun.
Sir Benjamin and Sir Edward Roses... Tue 30th Nov 2010: These two lordly English roses have been growing in my rose garden for some years now. Of course they're both named after two famous English composers - Sir Benjamin Britten and Sir Edward Elgar.
Crown Princess Margareta Rose... Mon 8th Nov 2010: When I was buying climbing roses for the archways in the orchard I wanted fragrance, fragrance, and fragrance. There were a few early casualties, and one of the first replacements was the David Austin English rose called Crown Princess Margareta.
Ellen Rose... Sun 10th Jan 2010: I get the David Austin roses all mixed up - particularly the group who have girl's names (Mary rose excepted, since she's my namesake). My latest plan is simple - leave the girlie labels on! And so with confidence I can welcome Ellen rose to the Moosey collection.
William Shakespeare Rose... Sun 8th Feb 2009: William Shakespeare is one of my favourite playwrights. But the rose that bears his name has been unspectacular in my garden - until the summer of 2009, that is.
Teasing Georgia Rose... Sat 31st May 2008: Teasing Georgia is one of the latest David Austin English Roses to grace my garden. She's a subtle charmer, with flowers of the most beautifully soft marmalade yellow colour.
Othello Rose... Fri 18th Feb 2005: If I was only allowed to grow one David Austin rose I think I'd choose the beautifully fragrant Othello. His perfume is absolutely gorgeous - whether in the garden or in a vase inside the house.
The Pilgrim Rose... Sat 1st Jan 2005: The Pilgrim was one of my early yellow rose purchases. It is a so-called English rose bred by David Austin, and the flowers are a soft lemon colour. The Pilgrim has a subtle and understated beauty.
Graham Thomas Rose... Tue 21st Dec 2004: Graham Thomas was one of the very first David Austin roses that I bought for the garden. I didn't realise then how big he would grow, but luckily I planted him alongside the house fence. Phew! Room to breathe and spread.
English Elegance Rose... Fri 17th Dec 2004: The name says it all - as if it is describing the Moosey Head Gardener! English Elegance is a beautiful David Austin English rose, with flat (and fat) petal-laden flower-heads. I feel a great affinity with this rose...
The Nun Rose... Fri 17th Dec 2004: David Austin has bred many beautiful white roses like this one, called The Nun. I rescued her from a bargain sale table, but her first flowering season was a disaster (the flowers balled in the rain).
Gertrude Jekyll Rose... Fri 17th Dec 2004: I know this is the David Austin rose Gertrude Jekyll by her sweetly scented pink flowers and the picture on the label. But in my garden these roses don't grow well if they are crowded with other plants, and I've had to move them several times.
Redcoat Rose... Thu 16th Dec 2004: Redcoat is one of the early David Austin English roses. I have two shrubs which used to grow in a mixed border. They were far too straggly, so I shifted them to lean on a small fence by the woodshed - much better.
Mary Rose... Tue 14th Dec 2004: Mary Rose should be my favourite rose, for the name if nothing else! This was my first David Austin rose, purchased when I knew very little about roses. The idea of an English Rose was appealing to me as an ex-pat, and Mary Rose promised a soft pink flower.
Golden Celebration Rose... Tue 30th Nov 2004: I've been worshipping the wrong Golden Celebration rose for years, as a result of an incorrect label. Hopefully I can put things to right - this is the real one with golden egg-yolk yellow flowers.
Pat Austin Rose... Fri 26th Nov 2004: Pat Austin is one of the most beautiful of the tall David Austin English shrub roses, and must be named for someone in the breeder's family - yes, it's his wife. It has huge flower-heads which are packed with apricot-pink petals.
Geoff Hamilton Rose... Thu 25th Nov 2004: Geoff Hamilton is one of the latest David Austin English roses to join my garden. This summer he has decided to bloom beautifully. The flowers are light pink, and very pretty, in an old-fashioned rose way.
Constance Spry Rose... Sun 21st Nov 2004: I think of Constance Spry as the mother of all English roses - these were introduced to the rose world by Englishman David Austin. I have one Constance Spry which sprawls over the fence behind the Septic Tank Garden.
Abraham Darby Rose... Thu 18th Nov 2004: Abraham Darby is a well-established David Austin rose, and one of the first luscious peachy pastels to be planted in my garden. It is one of the strongest growing and most beautiful English roses, and so suitable for New Zealand gardens.
The Alexandra Rose... Thu 2nd Mar 2000: The Alexandra rose is a single David Austin rose with delicate pink and soft yellow single flowers. My books tell me it should be useful in a mixed border. My Alexandra rose is a bit straggly in its present position, and is taking part in the next Great Autumn Shift.
Molineux Rose... Sun 13th Feb 2000: Either the books and the label are both wrong about the Molineux rose, or my nose isn't working any more. I can't smell any scent on this beautiful yellow David Austin rose, though I'm assured it has a strong tea rose fragrance.