Painted by an Old Master
Last Friday I went to visit a friend who has a beautiful, rambling cottage garden: a haven of colour and greenery in the inner city. His roses are starting to bloom as the days grow longer and there is more sunshine. This includes his Old Master rose, whose blooms caught my eye as they blazed in the dappled light.
"Old Master" was one of the first of the hand painted roses bred by Samuel Darragh for Sam McGredy Nurseries in New Zealand in the 1970’s. A novelty at the time, the blooms gave the look that one colour was splashed with another. Today, they are still grown and a wider selection of varieties are available. One of the earliest varieties and one still grown today is "Old Master" which has crimson red blooms that feature a silvery white centre and reverse to the petals. Unlike some other hand painted roses, the colours are fairly stable throughout the season and the clusters of blooms will form a very colourful display.
Spring has finally come to Melbourne after a long and grey winter, and everywhere, gardens are bursting forth with beautiful coloured blooms in a profusion of colours.
Painted by an Old Master
Last Friday I went to visit a friend who has a beautiful, rambling cottage garden: a haven of colour and greenery in the inner city. His roses are starting to bloom as the days grow longer and there is more sunshine. This includes his Old Master rose, whose blooms caught my eye as they blazed in the dappled light.
"Old Master" was one of the first of the hand painted roses bred by Samuel Darragh for Sam McGredy Nurseries in New Zealand in the 1970’s. A novelty at the time, the blooms gave the look that one colour was splashed with another. Today, they are still grown and a wider selection of varieties are available. One of the earliest varieties and one still grown today is "Old Master" which has crimson red blooms that feature a silvery white centre and reverse to the petals. Unlike some other hand painted roses, the colours are fairly stable throughout the season and the clusters of blooms will form a very colourful display.
Spring has finally come to Melbourne after a long and grey winter, and everywhere, gardens are bursting forth with beautiful coloured blooms in a profusion of colours.