Raubritter Rose

Raubritter is a beautifully cupped old-fashioned pink rose, which I first saw growing at Lyddington (a garden filled with old roses in rural Canterbury, New Zealand).

I don't grow many old-fashioned roses. As a novice rose 'collector' the David Austin English roses first appealed to me - they seemed to have the instant old-fashioned look, and promised repeat flowering and an easy-care nurturing programme. So I've cheated, and the real old roses I grow have arrived more by accident than by design.

Raubritter was different, though - the flowers are such a beautiful pink, and I loved its sprawling form. When I found one in a bare root rose sale I was most excited. This summer I'm seeing its first proper display.