I just adore this time in my garden. Weather is that perfect, breezy temp and of course the flowers begin to wake from their slumber! Rose season has began and the first to awaken are these sweet Albrighton Rambler Roses from David Austin.
They have the cutest of button blooms, and the sweetest of scents! They’re one of my favorites to cut and bring indoors as a small bud vase fills the room with their sweet aroma! Also, a sneak peak of the first Peony to bloom in our garden (sharing more on Instagram today as well!)
These David Austin Albrighton Rambler Roses are also fairly straightforward in the care department. I feed the plant this once a month during the growing season. Diligently (or as much as I can with three little ones around), remove any damaged or diseased leaves when they appear. Black spot is something I deal with and have just accepted it as a normal thing when growing garden roses in the south. I also water well on days when temps are high and rain not forecasted. These Albrighton Ramblers have also been a favorite of my kids and we quickly decided to train on our cottage playhouse.
While she isn’t void of thorns, she has the least amount of any rose I grow. And because it’s been so important to incorporate our kids in all aspects of the garden, they have learned very quickly to be careful near the thorns, last summer my one year old at the time was diligent in putting his little hands behind his back to then lean into a bloom for a whiff of the intoxitaing scent!
The training of a rambling rose is rather quite easy. And the real tip for success is the understanding that rambling and climbing roses do best when main stems are trained horizontally. This allows for more, fuller stems, foliage and of course blooms to emerge in vertical growth. And for executing those horizontal stems, the main thing to consider is what method to train, guide and manipulate the growth of the stems. Wires work well, and if training on fences or grids, floral twist ties can do the trick. For our wood playhouse, simple screw in hooks, found at local hardware stores, do the trick. Simply alterdate the direction of each hook to ensure stems stay put on gusty, windy days!
And the hardest part about training is simply being diligent enough during the new growth stage when stems are still pliable and bendable for you to get them where you want. Wait too long and the stems harden off making horizontal placement nearly impossible.
As for bloom times and vase life, albrighton rambler roses are similar to all other garden rose varieties. From bud to finished flower plan on 5-6 days. And her color hue softens as the days go on. Above shoes the life cycle of a bloom, from a pink bud, to a soft peach, then a beautiful blush hue!! While garden roses are fleeting, the plants will generously give you a large flush of blooms in the Spring with additional throughout and for me here in Atlanta, another flush in fall.
The main differnce between rambling and climbing roses is that rambling tend to have more vigorous growth and therefore smaller blooms. While climbing roses tend to grow a bit slower, but produce larger buds. Look closely above and that Generous Gardener Climbing Rose was snuck into this vase by one of my kids. Another beautiful option to add to your space!
Can you now see size variations above? Well friends, I’m off to go pick some more blooms! I hope this space inspires you to also grow special things that bring joy into your house and home! Happy Spring Firends!