| | Major
developments in English Roses have increased the number of varieties to more than
80. Forty best-loved and forty recently developed varieties, exquisitely photographed
by Andrew Lawson, are at the heart of The Story of English Roses. The book explores
the new classifications that David Austin has developed: 'The Old Rose Hybrids'
(small to medium-sized shrubs, with the charm of Old Roses enhanced by disease
resistance, more continuous flowering and more bushy growth); 'The Aloha Group'
(tall, arching growth, mostly with large, deeply cut flowers); 'English/Alba Hybrids'
(tall, airy, natural growth, with almost Wild Rose daintiness); and 'The English
Musk Roses' (vigorous, bushy growth with reliable repeat flowers of particular
delicacy). As the many virtues of English Roses have spread, David Austin has
monitored their performance all over the world and offers advice on growing them
in different climates. Never resting on his laurels, the English Rose Maestro
reveals the refinements he has made to breeding techniques to take English Roses
into the future |