David Austin English Rose Prospero

I guess you could say that I have a passion for David Austin English roses..Although , having said that, I really love all roses. But I am especially fond of old fashion antique roses.

It must be because the flowers are twice the size of most Hybrid Teas, even though I do have some of those growing as well..

English roses are great for cutting flowers . I like the fully cupped and quartered flower shapes. And the fragrance is out of this world wonderful.

If you like a rare and unique purplish hue then you will love Prospero as much as I do.

When I purchased my poor little Prospero Rose, it was in the greatly reduced aisle for a quick sell, but truthfully it looked like it was ready for the trash bin, poor little rose bush. It looked much like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. But I felt sorry for the poor little fellow and decided it should come home with me for some tender loving care....

I found the location that I wanted to plant it in, dug my hole, filled the hole with water and let the soil absorb it...Put the wimpy little rose bush in the hole taking care not to do any damage to it.

Fed and watered him and just continued to nurse the rose bush back to life.

That was about 3 years ago..Now my Prospero Rose bush looks amazing....it is very healthy and beautiful..He stands upright at about 5 feet tall and is just covered in beautiful wonderfully scented reddish purple blooms...

After fifty years of intensive breeding, David Austin's English Roses combine the forms and fragrances of old roses with the repeat flowering of modern roses. They are very easy to grow, healthy and reliable.

English Roses may be grown as magnificent, shapely shrubs, or can be trained as short climbers.

If you are interested in David Austin's English Roses and have not been able to obtain them from your local nursery . The go to his website where you can request a free catalog.

The Handbook Of Roses.....

Prospero is an English Rose that was raised by David Austin in 1982. It is a low growing shrub with short stems , Prospero has an upright habit. With leaves of dark green. The flowers are medium-sized, fully double, starting out crimson becoming dark purple as they begin to die off. The flowers are beautiful and open flat with an abundance of small petals, it has a strong sweet scent.

Prospero is an interesting rose that I find unique and appealing with its purple shade. Making it a delightful addition to my garden.

I understand that Prospero seems to be a weak rose in Europe..But here in California, I find it to be healthy as well as strong, hardy and disease resistant.

This rose is beautiful when creating a large bouquet , but equally as as gorgeous as a single cut stem placed in a bud vase.