A Few of My Favourite Old Heirloom Roses

With so many old roses to choose from, it's unlikely to have only one overall favourite. So here's a few of my all-time favourites, for now at least ...

1) Buff Beauty; I fell in love with this rose when I first found her at a rose nursery run by specialist rose growers, Roy and Heather Rumsey in Dural NSW, Australia. When I first visited their nursery over 30 years ago, I had no idea that they were Australia's rose royalty. Heather and Roy were instrumental in re-introducing some of the old roses that had been lost to the nursery trade in Australia.

Buff Beauty is a Hybrid Musk, bred by Pemberton's assistant, JA Bentall, who released roses after the Rev. Joseph Pemberton's death. In fact, Buff Beauty was bred by Anne Bentall, who as was usual in that era, released roses in her husband's name. Anne was a gifted rose hybridizer, who also released such well-loved roses as the Fairy. Buff Beauty was released in 1939 and is the child of the lovely Noisette, William Allen Richardson.

Buff Beauty growing through the herb, Tansy

Don't be fooled by her delicate appearance, as Buff Beauty is a tough rose, coping with warm weather and some drought. Of course, if she is grown in ideal conditions with good watering and fed regularly, she will reward you with an abundance of bloom from Spring through to Autumn. And her fragrance, a sweet fruity scent, is delicious. She can grow up to 2 metres and just as wide but responds well to light pruning. A worthy addition to any rose garden, particularly if you love soft to buff apricot colouring and abundance of blooms.

Buff Beauty in bud and at various stages of bloom.

2) Another favourite old rose is the Tea rose, Perle des Jardins. Often maligned because her multi-petalled blooms can ball and go brown after rain, she is nevertheless a gorgeous lemon coloured rose with lovely plum coloured new foliage and stems.

Perle des Jardins, Tea rose, after a light shower of rain.

Perle des Jardins forms a broad, moderately sized shrub and covers herself with pale lemon blooms repeatedly from Spring through to Autumn. There is a light, fruity fragrance that adds to her appeal. I could not have a garden without her. And her blooms are lovely as a cut flower in bouquets and vase arrangements.

A lovely bloom of Perle des Jardins, lovely as a cut flower.

3) Another Tea rose, but with a very bold presence, is the big and blowsy Mrs B R Cant. Released in 1901 and named for the wife of the famous British rosarian, she is a worthy addition to any rose garden. Her large, many petalled blooms are a rich pink with a fragrance reminiscent to my nose of a strong, sweet cup of black tea. Others talk of her fragrance as rich, fruity with old rose. Regardless, Mrs B R Cant is almost always in bloom, and develops into a large shrub up to 2 to 3 metres, and at least as wide.

Mrs B R Cant; her blooms are wonderful as cut flowers.

I planted two of Mrs B R Cant a metre apart in our previous large garden, not realising how huge she would grow. They both grew into each other, forming a huge bush covered in the most luxurious blooms for most of the year, with the exception of the coldest months of Winter. I love this rose for her generous blooming and enthusiastic growth. Another rose I could not be without. We have only one of her in our current smaller garden, but I have left her plenty of space to grow into. This rose deserves respect!!!

Mrs B R Cant, covered in blooms.

These roses make wonderful shrubs in their own right in the garden, and can hold their own when in bloom, and between flushes of bloom. I do not prune either of these roses in the 'traditional' way. Tea roses often resent heavy pruning, and both Perle des Jardins and Mrs B R Cant are no exception to this rule. I only ever trim them lightly, if at all, and only after they've had at least 2 to 3 years of growth to establish themselves. And from time to time I will cut out the dead wood, but as these roses are vigorous, particularly, Mrs B R Cant, it will be several years before this is necessary. This allows them to retain their shrubby, well foliated shape and allows the blooms to be cover the bush when in full flush.

Similarly, with the Hybrid Musk, Buff Beauty, I only ever prune lightly, cutting out dead wood as and when needed. Buff Beauty can be allowed to form a loose shrub or trained as a small climber. I prefer to provide support for the long, flowing branches as this allows the lovely blooms to drape nicely over the bush.

Watering roses in Australia is a necessity if they are to remain healthy and blooming, particularly during hot, dry seasons. And while I didn't find heavy feeding necessary when I grew these on clay soil, in our Hunter Valley garden the soil is very poor and sandy. My mission for now is to ensure these old roses have good quality compost and mulching to help build up soil humus and retain moisture.

I trust you enjoyed this brief little foray exploring a few of my favourite old heirloom roses.

There are so many more old roses to explore - until next time!

xxLillian