Graham Thomas

Another David Austin Rose, the Graham Thomas is a lovely addition to every garden. It provides a beautiful touch of soft, lemon yellow, to a mixed border. The roses are medium in size and come in clusters of 3 - 5 heads. Its scent is lovely and fresh. It isn't a strong scent but a subtle one. My daughter loves to pick these roses and put them in her hair and mine. It has a lovely foliage but it needs a lot of support as the stems are not particularly strong.

The Graham Thomas won an award for the Nations Favourite Rose. Although this rose is lovely I wouldn't personally rank it as my favourite, more like 8th from the top. All gardens look lovely with a glimpse of yellow peeping through a packed border and this rose certainly ticks that box. They look great cut but they do not come on singular stems so if you want to take a cutting you have to take the whole spray. Its not a particularly fast grower and they are predicted to grow 4ft x 4ft. It can also be grown as a short climber.

I have had this rose for three years now and I have not had a single problem with disease. There have been no yellow leaves or blackspot and the foliage has always been healthy. It repeats well and the roses do not seem to be susceptible to water damage. I would not be without this rose in my garden and I would definitely buy this for a friend.

I currently have it planted behind my cluster of Generous Gardeners' and Friends Forevers' which are in the front border of my back garden. I can sit here writing this and see this lovely rose peeking through. The Graham Thomas can be bought from David Austin for £14.50 for a bare root. It can also be bought from garden centres or online.

REVIEW:

Visual Impact - 5

Scent - 3

Growth Rate - 3

Stem Strength - 2

Durability (in poor weather) - 5

Resistance to Disease - 5

SUMMARY:

This lovely rose adds a wonderful touch of colour to a border. My only problem with it is that is it rather slow growing and that its stems are not particularly strong. Staking this rose is essential otherwise it just flops around. I think this rose is my daughters favourite as its the one she always cups, sniffs and removes. Despite the weaknesses mentioned I would recommend you buy this rose. It is very hardy, disease resistant, it has a wonderful scent and visually its colour is wonderful and can only be described as a touch of sunlight in a border.

Iceberg

I bought this rose because my father has a fantastic one growing in his garden and

every time I popped round the thing was still covered in an abundance of flowers and it looked amazing. This is a very popular rose and I can understand why. The roses come in clusters between 5 and 10 heads so the effect can look very much like a bridal bouquet.

They are a brilliant white which looks amazing in the sunshine, they have an excellent amount of foliage and they are pretty reliable. Unfortunately, since 2012 has produced weather that would even shock Noah things have not worked out too well for my own batch. I planted five Icebergs in between my Gertrude Jekyll's back in march this year. The border is filled with bright pinks and purples so I wanted to inject some white into the mix. They were doing really well at first, loads of heads and an abundance of leaves. Since then though the rain has caused all of them to be infected with mildew (see first picture or this one).

because of this I have had to do some serious spraying and trimming. Its such a shame as it could have had a massive impact on my border. I will keep treating it and hope that next year I get a bit more lucky and a bit less rain.

This floribunda rose is medium in eventual height as it grows to about 80cm x 70cm. The roses is produces are on the smaller side in comparison to the others I grow in my garden and the scent is light and fresh. If it wasn't for the trouble I have had this year I would regard this rose as a good one for the newest of gardeners to start with. It likes a well drained sunny spot and it requires very little attention in general. This rose can also be bought as a short climber.

You can purchase this rose from most garden centres and online sites such as www.crocus.com
It will cost between £8 - £15.

REVIEW

Visual Impact - 4

Scent - 2

Growth Rate - 3

Stem Strength - 4

Durability (in poor weather) - 3

Resistance to Disease - 3

SUMMARY

Overall I would definitely recommend this rose. It is very pretty and delicate looking. Despite the mildew this rose has stood up really well to the rain that we have had this year. None of the actual flowers were damaged by water so in that they are quite hardy. The Iceberg has a fantastic amount of foliage and it makes a great addition to any border. It is easy to look after, plant and prune. Although it doesn't make the impact a Braithewaite makes, it is great to add a touch of white to the border.