DA's - roadtest

Following on from Happy Roses's 'Best Cutting Rose' thread, I thought I do my own road test of some David Austin Roses I have growing in my front garden.

Last Saturday, 26 March, apart from picking a huge bouquet for my neighbour, I also managed to pick a smaller bunch for myself.

I took a photo of these the following morning (Sunday) for the record ...

Not the best pic but you get the idea of the blooms. As you can see, most were already blown open so already a few days old on the bush. Here is what I picked and how long they lasted from first picking on Saturday evening:

Rose picked 26/3 - Lasted till
Canterbury (bud) - Wed 30/3
Brother Cadfael (bud) - Fri 1/4
Chaucer - Fri 1/4
Cymbeline - Wed 30/3
Jude the Obscure - Tue 29/3
Katherine Morley - Tue 29/3
Lucetta - Thu 31/3
Lilac Rose - Fri 1/4
Radio Times - Wed 30/3
Swan - Fri 1/4
Troilus (1 x bud) - Fri 1/4
The Dark Lady - Fri 1/4

The roses that hung on till Friday were looking very sick but still intact on their stems. I should have taken a photo of the vase with the stems and blooms, and petals when I threw them out the following Saturday.

From memory, Tuesday was a hot 30deg day so was expecting to come home to a bunch on shrivelled blooms, but most survived.

50% of them lasted a week, not bad percentage I reckon. Lovely roses Rita.
A nice library of rose books in the background, or are these called "rose bibles".

Beautiful Rita. Did you do anything special to them, to preserve them? or just cut and put in water. They seem to have lasted pretty well

I wouldn't care if any of those roses only lasted for a day, they are so beautiful.

I sometimes put a few drops of bleach in the water to save changing it. Also cleans the vase.

Dave a few drops of bleach in the water kills off any microbes which make the stems rot, plus add a teaspoon of sugar for an energy source, ( sounds like Mary Poppings)LOL

Tks. No, there are no additives to the water ... I'm a lazy kind of person when it comes to this stuff. They either grow & thrive & survive without my fussing over them, or else they can just .....

But, I will certainly take the bleach/sugar thing on board next I pick a bunch.

Yes, rose bibles indeed David (M) and have had these for quite some time.

David (C) - I'm with you, couldn't care less if they only lasted a day ... like Peter Beales, I appreciate and love these roses even if their beauty is fleeting. As long as I can grow, smell and behold their beauty even for just a moment in time .... I feel blessed and at peace.

Just lovely Rita .

" David (C) - I'm with you, couldn't care less if they only lasted a day ... like Peter Beales, I appreciate and love these roses even if their beauty is fleeting. As long as I can grow, smell and behold their beauty even for just a moment in time .... I feel blessed and at peace. "

I couldn't agree more .

I do the bleach/sugar thing although it's domestos rather than straight bleach as that's what I have in my kitchen cupboard ; one of the Ozgrow ladies who cuts a lot of her roses for the house swears by Chrysal if you can be bothered tracking it down . Also worth keeping it in mind if you put roses on the show bench.

cheers. Rosalie