Buy From British Florists Including World Famous David Austin Roses
Roses are one of the most beautiful flowers on the planet, and is the most popular flower among florists. Ask any florist shop, and they'll tell you that roses are their best products. A rose has been a symbol of love and beauty since ancient times, and today's it's the first flower in mind when buying someone flowers for a special occasion such as anniversary and other couple's events. Additionally, the rose is the national flower of England and the United States, as well as being the symbol of England Rugby, and of the Rugby Football Union. The rose also made its way into English Football, as it's part of the badge or team logo of the professional premier league team Blackburn Rovers F.C. On a municipal scale, the rose is also the provincial flower of Yorkshire and Lancashire in England. On a social scale, the rose is a symbol of social democracy in United Kingdom and elsewhere. So clearly, the British have a love affair with the beautiful flower, the rose. And you can't blame them. British florists proudly sell a variety of roses, cultivated locally and imported worldwide. In fact, the popularity of roses in England has produced a world famous rose breeder, David Austin, who British florists know very well. Walk into any British florist shop, and you'll find a wonderful selection of beautiful and fragrant roses from David Austin.
David C.H. Austin is a rose breeder and writer who lives in Shropshire, England. His emphasis is on breeding roses with the character and fragrance of Old Garden Roses (Gallicas, Damasks, Alba roses, etc.) but with the repeat-flowering ability and wide colour range of modern roses such as Hybrid Teas and Floribundas.
David Austin's first rose, 'Constance Spry', was introduced in 1963. In 1967 and 1968 he introduced 'Chianti' and 'Shropshire Lass' respectively. Although these first roses bloomed only once in spring or early summer, they led, in 1969, to a series of remontant (repeat-flowering) types, such as the 'Wife of Bath' and 'Canterbury' (both in honor of the English author Geoffrey Chaucer). Austin's roses quickly became the most successful group of new roses in the twentieth century.
Though Austin's roses are not officially recognised as a separate class of roses by, for example, the Royal National Rose Society (in Great Britain) or the American Rose Society, they are nevertheless commonly referred to by rosarians, at nurseries, and in horticultural literature as 'English Roses' (the term he uses) or 'Austin Roses'. Since its establishment in 1969, he and his firm David Austin Roses in Albrighton, near Wolverhampton have introduced to the world over 190 rose cultivars. Cultivars have been named in honour of Austin's family, well-known rosarians, geographical landmarks in Britain, historical events, and British writers, particularly Shakespeare and Chaucer, and their works or characters. For instance, roses have honoured such different entities as the rosarian and artist Graham Thomas and King Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose.
In 2003, David Austin was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society for his services to horticulture and the Dean Hole Medal from the Royal National Rose Society. Austin has received an Honorary MSc from the University of East London for his prolific work on rose breeding. He received the lifetime achievement award from the Garden Centre Association in 2004 and was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire )in 2007. As you can see, David Austin's work on roses was taken seriously, and highly acclaimed and respected.
David Austin has published several books, sharing his great expertise on roses with the rest of the world. The books include The Heritage of the Rose (1987), Old Roses and English Roses (1992, David Austin's English Roses : Glorious New Roses for American Gardens (1997), 100 English Roses for the American Garden (1997), Shrub Roses & Climbing Roses: With Hybrid Tea and Floribunda Roses (2001). Additionally, David Austin wrote the foreword for Botanica's Roses: The Encyclopedia of Roses (by Peter Beales, 1998.)
You can buy David Austin Roses directly from British florists and other international florists, and of course from his own company. Also, you can buy David Austin roses to cultivate and grow in your own garden, enjoying the blossom of these wonderful flowers for years. You can find all the required information on how to cultivate your very own David Austin roses in his writings and website. Whatever your choice, make sure to enjoy these great English roses.
