I've spoken before about the lovely May next door to me, 91 this year. For the last three years I've pruned her rose bushes in winter. She is always trying to force money into my hand as I work, but settles for dropping off chocolates for the kids. I have given up protesting!
The other day as I passed by she was out the front with her hedge trimmers. I couldn't convince her to let me trim the offending piece of hedge her grandson had missed and then she turned on this beautiful heritage rose, which her mil planted over 50 years ago. Before I could leap the fence she had pruned all these roses off for me. They are just so lovely. Wafts of deep perfume, a lovely cupped shape and a unique red/magenta/pink colour.
A couple of years ago I struck a cutting of this rose. I have had quite good luck with rose cuttings and I'm not sure why people don't propagate them more this way. They are reputed to be tougher on their own roots than grafted.
Here's another beauty I struck from one of my mother in law's roses. It is quite laughable really as I only did it this past autumn and so the plant is smaller than the flower! This rose has about a bazillion petals even as such a scrawny seedling.
The colours of both roses are beautiful, does anyone know their names? The colours aren't showing up so great, the one below can go more purple, might be a David Austin...?
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