Members of the HRG are very saddened by the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. She was a great lover of plants and gardens, and at both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace there are large numbers of roses. At Windsor her apartment looked over the huge rose garden which Prince Phillip helped to design and […]

Just in time for the New Year, the lovely China rose ‘Comtesse du Cayla’ is still blooming in member Mary’s garden. It was named in memory of Zoé Victoire, Comtesse du Cayla, friend, confidante and last favourite of the French King Louis XVIII in his final years. Charming, astute, and well connected, she became politically […]

We’ve had another update from Leo Watermeier of the Friends of Armstrong Park in New Orleans about roses blooming in Armstrong Park. All photos were taken on 18 December. You can never visit Armstrong Park and see all the roses at peak bloom on the same day, but there are definite flushes, especially in the […]

HRG member Leo lives in New Orleans, and was there during Hurricane Ida. He had to leave, and on his return 8 days later was lucky enough to find not too much damage to his house, though he lost some of his roses. Now the park in which he works has reopened, and the roses are […]

Remember earlier this year, when John in Scotland moved his ancient 25-year old “stick” of his ‘Queen Elizabeth’ rose? As a result of this renewed attention, a miraculous recovery has been taking place. John reports: “My ‘Queen Elizabeth’ has five decent shoots now, and although I had only one flower from the first flush as […]

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet…”.

Juliet’s romantic musings on her balcony introduce the most famous love-scene in Shakespeare’s plays.