Content
- 1 History of selection
- 2 Description of the Graham Thomas rose variety and characteristics
- 3 Advantages and disadvantages
- 4 Methods for propagating Austin roses by Graham Thomas
- 5 Growing and caring for English rose Graham Thomas
- 6 Pests and diseases
- 7 English bush roses Graham Thomas in landscape design
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 Reviews about growing Graham Thomas roses in Siberia
English rose Graham Thomas is an amazing, sunny ornamental crop that is grown everywhere with great success. Bright, large buds of Graham Thomas can add sunlight to any, even the most shady corner of the garden.
Graham Thomas exudes a captivating citrus aroma with subtle hints of tea tree
History of selection
The English rose Graham Thomas is the result of crossing two famous varieties, Charles Austin and Iceberg. The authorship belongs to the English breeder David Austin. The variety was bred in 1983. Thomas Graham was Austin's colleague and friend, after whom the new ornamental crop was named.
The variety was first announced at an exhibition in Chelsea, where the English queen of flowers Graham Thomas won a leading position
Description of the Graham Thomas rose variety and characteristics
English decorative culture Graham Thomas is a spectacular decoration for any garden.For more than 30 years, the variety has been incredibly popular among gardeners and fashionable landscape designers around the world, thanks to its exceptional unpretentiousness and stable immunity to pathogens and pests.
The plant is easy to distinguish among other popular species, thanks to its magical aroma and bright and memorable appearance:
- bush height 1.5-5 m;
- bush diameter is about 1 m;
- the shape of the bush is spreading, dense;
- shoots - flexible, long, with a small number of thorns;
- the number of buds on one shoot is from 3 to 8 pieces;
- petal color - peach, honey, yellow, golden yellow;
- flower diameter up to 10 cm;
- double flower shape;
- the texture of the petals is soft, delicate, smooth, even, with slightly wavy edges;
- number of petals - up to 80 pieces;
- leaves are large, elongated;
- leaf color is dark green;
- The aroma is strong, fruity, with the smell of tea tree.
Despite its elegant appearance and belonging to the royal family, the ornamental plant is perfectly adapted to growing even in the most difficult natural conditions:
- the culture successfully grows and develops in light shading conditions;
- the plant exhibits enviable resistance to most pathogens and pests;
- rose bushes successfully survive wintering even in the difficult conditions of the Russian north (they require shelter).
Blooming all summer long, the sunny yellow English park rose Graham Thomas is most likely the rule rather than the exception. The plant buds intensively throughout the season. The buds bloom alternately, preventing the inflorescences from losing their splendor.It is noteworthy that all the roses on Graham Thomas are almost the same in size, consisting of tightly packed petals, forming a regular cup-shaped shape with a tightly closed center.
Flowers that have not yet bloomed are characterized by a special, unique peach hue with a barely noticeable red tint. When exposed to bright sunlight, the petals noticeably fade. Therefore, it seems that the Graham Thomas rose is “covered” with a myriad of buds in the most intricate shades of yellow. Several dozen roses of various shades of honey color can be bloomed on one bush at once.
The undulating, repeated bloom of the rose lasts all summer, accompanied by an amazing, sweet, delicate aroma with notes of tea tree and fresh fruit.
In June, a record number of buds bloom. Due to the rapid shedding of petals, the flowers of the English park Graham Thomas are not suitable for cutting.
Another surprising feature of this variety is the fact that during rain, some buds do not open at all.
The rose is a powerful, well-developed shrub with graceful, arched shoots. The branches of the decorative crop can be trimmed or formed into a variety of designer floral forms.
Graham Thomas leaves themselves are a decoration of the plant. At the beginning of summer, the leaf blades are painted in a delicate yellow-green color. By the middle of the hot season they become dark green, with a characteristic gloss.
The dormant period for the plant is autumn, winter and spring.
On the site, one Graham Thomas bush occupies an area of up to 1 m²
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of the English rose variety Graham Thomas can be highlighted in a separate list:
- beautiful terry bud shape;
- unique fruity aroma;
- long flowering;
- resistance to diseases and pests;
- frost resistance.
The main “minus” is the insufficiently bright color palette.
The scent of Graham Thomas is at its most intense in cloudy weather.
Methods for propagating Austin roses by Graham Thomas
Rose Austin Graham Thomas is propagated in a universal way (cuttings, layering, ready-made seedlings).
Division using ready-made seedlings is the most optimal and always 100% effective method. The material is transplanted into open ground in spring or autumn. Young plants are prepared in advance for moving:
- seedlings are kept in a root-forming solution for about 2 days;
- the holes are formed at a distance of 50 cm from each other;
- planting holes are moistened (at the rate of 10 liters per seedling);
- Seedlings are moved into holes 50 cm deep and wide, sprinkled with earth to the level of the grafting bud, and watered.
Rose Graham Thomas is undemanding when it comes to “place of residence.” The plant grows well in sunny areas and with slight shade. The soil for English rose Graham Thomas must meet the following requirements:
- well drained;
- loose;
- slightly acidic;
- fertile;
- fertilized with organic matter.
The soil around the bushes is hilled up a day after planting
Growing and caring for English rose Graham Thomas
Caring for the English rose Graham Thomas does not differ in complex agricultural technology:
- moderate watering only when the top layer of soil dries out;
- maintaining a sufficient level of humidity;
- regular feeding with organic and complex mineral fertilizers for flowering plants;
- annual sanitary pruning (removal of dry, wilted leaves, stems, buds);
- pruning to form a bush;
- preparation for winter (pruning shoots to the base with buds, sprinkling with earth, leaves, covering with polyethylene, agrofibre).
During flowering, English Graham Thomas roses need to be fed with mineral mixtures high in potassium.
Pests and diseases
The English park rose Graham Thomas is characterized by persistent natural immunity. If not properly cared for, the plant can be exposed to pests and diseases:
- Root mold may appear as a result of abundant or frequent watering.
Drugs such as Alirin and Fitosporin are effective in combating root mold fungi.
- gray rotb (the causative agent is the Botrytis fungus) provokes the appearance of unaesthetic gray spots on the foliage and buds.
If a fungal disease, gray mold, is detected on Graham Thomas, it is necessary to use Fundazol, Benorad, Benomyl
- Powdery mildew - a dangerous fungal disease that can cause the death of a bush. It appears as a white, powdery coating on the foliage.
To prevent and treat powdery mildew on Graham Thomas roses, you should use Topaz, Skor, Baktofit
- Aphid - well-known sucking pests that feed on plant sap.
To combat aphids on Graham Thomas roses, you can use traditional methods (decoction of wormwood, tomato tops, tobacco)
English bush roses Graham Thomas in landscape design
English garden roses Graham Thomas are a magnificent decoration for the local area:
- in group compositions;
- as a tapeworm plant;
- for decorating gazebos and building walls;
- to disguise unsightly architectural forms;
- for creating hedges.
The plant goes well with other varieties of roses and harmonizes well in the same bed with lilies, garden daisies, echinacea, phlox, and lupine. The bright colors of the “neighbors” in the flowerbed effectively dilute the pastel consistency of the sunny yellow mood of the English park rose Graham Thomas.
Due to the delicate color of the buds, Graham Thomas English roses are used with great success by florists and wedding designers
Conclusion
English rose Graham Thomas is an excellent choice for a small garden, a large garden plot and a large park. The plant will fit perfectly into any stylistic direction of landscape design and will captivate with its unpretentiousness. The main bonus for owners of sunny yellow Graham Thomas is the continuous flowering throughout the summer season.
Reviews about growing Graham Thomas roses in Siberia
