I love roses! There is something endlessly fascinating about them to me. Their velvety petals, heady fragrances and graceful carriage enchant me. I’m a rose addict, spending countless hours plotting and planning how I can sneak yet one more bush past poor Brainiac. Welsh Gold just arrived, and I immediately took her outside and planted her. Unfortunately, the tale doesn’t end there. Oh no! Along with my new prize, Heirloom Roses included their 2006 catalogue. What a gorgeous thing it is! Filled with the most exquisite roses imaginable, I’ve spent hours already, trying to select my next 54 roses. Seriously, this catalogue has the most beautiful roses I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Starting with Louise Clements: a bronzy gold rose, spilling over and down the sides of an equally lovely container. I have to have it. This rose was rated by the ARS as 30 ahead out of 33 David Austin roses, and with good reason. This ever blooming, fully doubled rose possesses reddish stems, glossy leavers and a lovely fragrance. A standout in any garden, especially mine. Evil grin!

Then there is Antique Artistry, a lovely apricot blush, fully doubled, with an intense damask scent. SIGH. This is an extremely graceful and prolific bush, that will light up any garden. The Impressionist is the first climbing English style rose. It has outstanding vigor, a strong myrrh fragrance and dark green leaves, The blooms are fat and shaded from yellow to pumpkin in the Fall.

William Shakespeare, an Austin offering, is a rich deep crimson, turning magenta, as the blooms fully open, is an outstanding red rose. It’s rich, intense scent will fill a room. The blooms are borne upright on a tidy bush, with deep green foliage. This is a real showstopper.

Cornelia is a pink hybrid musk, with outstanding scent and growth habit. The blooms are small and doubled, like apricot/pink rosettes, against a green background. This is a sturdy reliable rose for tough corners of the garden. Lavender Lassie is another must have. She is a fantastic specimen shrub, bearing masses of blooms and is more upright than most shrub roses. As a bonus, she possesses a lovely rosy scent. My last choice is Fragrant Plum. As it’s name implies this is a plummy colored hybrid tea, certified virus free. She has an intense fruity fragrance, long stems and near perfect form. She is a beauty! Now my only problem is finding somewhere to put these new treasures. That and trying to convince Brainiac, they’ve been here all along.