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English Roses
by Wesley Berry
Considering that material girl Madonna has mad herself famous as
a trendsetter, it's actually very likely that she does indeed
grow English Roses. That's because, in terms of flowers, English
Roses are relatively new to the scene and aren't found in the
gardens of most people. In fact, English Roses weren't introduced
until around 1969 when roses grown by English rose breeder, David
Austin, first began to appear in the flower world.
Austin and other rose breeders developed the English Rose by
crossing Old Roses (roses that existed before 1867) and Modern
Roses (roses that came into existence after 1867) to achieve the
best qualities of both. Specifically, the goal was to create a
rose that:
* Generated flowers shaped like Old Roses, like cupped and
rosette-shaped.
* Bloom more than once per year.
* Occur in many colors, including yellows that are not common
in Old Roses.
* Have a strong fragrance.
The breeding was a success, and the result, sometimes called
Shrub Roses, is gaining popularity. In addition to the desirable
attributes mentioned above, English Roses can be planted as
single plants or in groupings to be used as overall landscape
plants. When they are used as landscape plants, it's a good idea
to plant them closely together to give a fuller appearance. Also,
an odd number of plants rather than an even number should be
planted to give the grouping a more natural look.
Another appeal of English Roses is that many varieties are
resistant to some of the diseases that are common in other roses.
However, they are less resistant when grown in close groupings or
in wet climates. Very wet climates may not, in fact, be the ideal
situation for English Roses. This is because they often grow very
large flowers that, when wet, become too heavy for the stems to
support resulting in a droopy plant.
Because English Roses have characteristics of both Old Roses and
Modern Roses, they may be pruned using techniques common to
either type. If you prefer to keep your rose bushes smaller, you
may choose to prune them back sharply every year. Or, if you want
more of an Old Rose feel, you may choose to prune them less and
allow them to take more of a shrub-like form, allowing the roses'
natural forms to take shape.
Clearly, if Madonna is interested in beautiful flower gardens and
with her recent tendencies toward all things English, she would
be inclined to not just write about English Roses, but also to
grow them.
Wesley Berry is the President of Wesley Berry Flowers,
a successful multi-million dollar business that was
established in 1946. He is also the Headmaster of the
Professional Florists' Institute, a floral design school
located in Michigan. Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the
web at http://www.800wesleys.com
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