DAVID AUSTIN ROSES CATALOGUE

David Austin's ‘Handbook of Roses' features 900 varieties, including 150 English Roses together with a selection of old roses, modern roses, climbers, ramblers and species roses. 100 pages, illustrated in colour. UK,

The award-winning website www.davidaustinroses.com is one of the world's leading online resources of information about all types of roses. It contains over a thousand images of roses, rose-related products and rose gardens, together with detailed selection and cultivation advice. The database can be searched to find roses by type, colour of bloom and flower shape. Roses can be ordered online.There are regular news updates and special website offers.

David Austin, the award winning rose breeder, has achieved worldwide recognition for his English Roses.Their flowers and growth habit are reminiscent of the old roses, yet they have a unique charm and particular beauty of their own.They are the most fragrant of all roses and, unlike their old rose ancestors, are available in many different, delicate and rich shades.

All repeat flower well.They have an excellent reputation for being particularly tough, hardy, reliable and healthy.

English Roses form graceful shrub roses which are ideally suited for use in mixed borders as well as more traditional rose gardens.Together they have great variety of form, fragrance and habit, making them highly versatile in the garden. Several of the English Roses can be trained into fragrant short to medium sized climbers which can be encouraged to repeat-flower from the top almost to the ground.

David Austin's new book ‘The English Roses' was published in the UK in November 2005 to great critical acclaim. During 2006, the US and Danish editions will be published.Worldwide rights are currently being negotiated with German, French and Japanese editions planned for release in 2007.

During the last ten years David Austin has been hybridising cut flowers which combine the forms and fragrance of the garden roses with the vase lives of modern roses.The first four varieties were released in 2004 in the UK. Perfect for special occasions, each rose opens gradually to reveal spectacular, full-petalled blooms and delicious fragrances.

During 2005, David Austin Roses were awarded their 14th Chelsea Flower Show gold medal, their first gold medal at Courson, France and twin gold medals at the Hampton Court Flower Show.

David Austin lives at his Shropshire nursery in the UK where he oversees one of the world's largest garden rose breeding programmes. 150,000 crosses are made between April and July, with over 250,000 seedlings germinating the following year.These are grown on to flowering size when the rigorous selection procedure begins. After eight years of field trials, only the best four to six new varieties will be released each year.

David Austin's exclusive slow-release formula of rose food is pelleted for ease of use. It includes an organic component which helps promote active growth of the micro-organisms which are essential for strong healthy growth. It contains the major elements of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium together with a range of essential trace elements to ensure thriving plants with abundant fine quality blooms.Available in 2lbs (0.9kg) and 5.5lbs (2.5kg) cartons.

David Austin's Rootgrow is a totally organic treatment that improves the vigour of all roses when incorporated at planting. Rootgrow improves water and nutrient uptake and helps to overcome rose replant sickness which can occur when planting a new rose where an old rose has previously been grown. Rootgrow helps to establish the natural ecosystem around the roots of the rose, improving disease resistance both above and below the soil.

Born in 1926, David CH Austin was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society in 2003 for his services to horticulture and the Dean Hole Medal by the Royal National Rose Society. He has received an Honorary MSc from the University of East London for his work on rose breeding.

With his eldest son David J. C. Austin, he owns one of Britain's leading rose nurseries, David Austin Roses Ltd. His rose gardens at Albrighton are home to over 800 varieties and are open to the public. More than 4 million licensed English Roses are grown every year across 30 countries.The wholesale division supplies roses to the trade including garden centres, garden designers and other nurseries.