Two new roses from David Austin USA this year:
Silas Marner® Rose
(Rosa 'Ausraveloe')
Named after the hero of the classic novel by George Eliot, this medium-sized shrub rose has soft pink petals that are pale on the back side and at the edges. It's a repeat-flowering rose that has what's described as an Old Rose fragrance, with hints of lemon, banana, and apricot. It size is 3.5 high by 4.5 wide, and looks great in a mixed or a rose border. It takes full sun to part shade and is ideal for cutting. And ... yes ... I think back in high school, that Silas Marner was on the reading list!
The Country Parson™ Rose
(Rosa 'Ausclergy')
I've never read The Diary of a Country Parson by James Woodforde, but it's an account of the parish life in the late 18th century. This rose, of Scottish descent, is named after the pastor and is part of Austin's literary-themed rose collection.
Strong yellow blooms on this shrub rose are said to have a fruity scent, and the petals are translucent on the edge, creating an effect of illumination. It's medium sized, at 3.5 feet high and wide. It has greyish-green small leaves and spiny thorns and it is repeat flowering from June until the first frost in autumn. It takes sun or part shade and could be used in a mixed or rose border, or even as a hedge.
Other roses in the literary colletion include Gabriel Oak (Rosa 'Auscrowd') after the hero of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, Eustacia Vye (Rosa 'Ausegdon') from Hardy's Return of the Native, and Roald Dahl, after the late British author.
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