Tuesday, May 29, 2012

My Susie

Or, as her father, David Austin baptised her : Susan Williams-Ellis.
It's the first rose to bloom in my garden and I bought her in November 2010 via bareroot order from David Austin UK. As I did not have a garden at the time, I planted it in a container and protected her with some old warm clothes from the winter frost and fed her with nice organic rose food during the blooming season. It is a free flowering rose and it has a delicate, feminine nature, not pretentious at all.
According to her creator, this is the story of her birth: The Mayflower was introduced in 2001 and has become a firm favourite with its charming rosette shaped flowers of pure rose pink, strong fragrance and of course its extremely good health. It remained stable until 5 or 6 years ago but then suddenly a stem with pure white flowers appeared: this is the result.
The fragrance is strong and perfectly Old Rose in character. Ideal for the border, for hedging or for a container. A delightful, unassuming little rose of typical Old Rose beauty.
And the lady who gave her name to the rose seems to have been similar in character to her plant counterpart (if I may say so): Susan Williams Ellis was a designer who, together with her husband Euan Cooper-Willis, founded Portmeirion Pottery. Susan was a great enthusiast of the English Roses and painted some beautiful water colours of them. What I can say, is that I am more than pleased with my choice as far as this rose is concerned. Here are some more pictures of its cute blooms. Her heart is cream colourd while not fully open
She has some nasty predators, too
But all in all she's charming in her discreet beauty

4 comments:

  1. Superb! Sper să scapi de locatarii clandestini cât mai curând.

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  2. Buna Ioana !
    Ma bucur, ca ai comentat la mine si am gasit gradina ta virtuala.
    Vad trandafiri. Austin si minunati. Eu am doar un Gr. Thomas si e doar in anul al doilea. Dar oftez in fata tuturor trandafirilor englezului ... i-as vrea pe toti, desi e imposibil.
    Are o floare splendida domnisoara Susie si e tare fotogenica. Se vede, ca e iubita :)
    Cred, ca poti stropi cu solutie de ardei iute impotriva omizilor. Si maceratul de nicotina ar trebui sa dea rezultate. Anul asta am avut si eu de furca in gradina cu tot soiul de gindaci si omizi ... si am pierdut destui boboci. Dar incerc sa le fac fata :)
    O seara frumoasa !

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  3. Multumesc de sfaturi, Dani. Am sa incerc una dintre cele 2 solutii propuse de tine, mai ales ca in seara asta am gasit cativa boboci mancati de omizi.
    Si eu am un Graham Thomas si e tot in anul 2, dar in primul an a stat in ghiveci, abia in primavara asta l-am mutat in pamant, deci nu am asteptari extrem de mari de la el :)
    Sunt perfect de acord cu tine - si eu i-as vrea pe toti, dar nu am nici pe departe atata spatiu cat mi-ar trebui macar pentru un sfert dintre ei :)

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