- Author: Launa Herrmann
Whoever in the world said that roses don't bloom in December?
It's almost the middle of the month, and this morning I spied from the kitchen window several pops of crimson red. Delighted, I traipsed through the dewy fog to the flowerbed, clippers in hand and plucked a rose. Two blooms and five buds to be exact. As I placed the stems in a vase, I savored the heady old rose fragrance emanating from the velvety clusters. Ah, what a beautiful crimson gift on a dreary overcast day!
William Shakespeare 2000® is more than just an ordinary rose. The bush growing in my garden was also planted in numerous groupings at Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born. New Zealand named it “Most Fragrant Rose 2011" in the Hamilton trials. I purchased mine online several years ago, sight unseen. No regrets.
Here's all you need to know about this easy-to-grow rose bush:
It's a disease-resistant, medium size hardy shrub. Blooms several times throughout the year. Flowers are double with multiple tightly compacted petals that open in a velvety crimson color that changes to a rich purple.
For a link to this particular English rose on the David Austin Roses website, click
http://www.davidaustinroses.com/american/Showrose.asp?Showr=3651
To learn how to care for English roses, visit: http://www.davidaustinroses.com/american/Advanced.asp?Pageld=2006