Graham Thomas Yellow Roses
I knew I'd like the rose Graham Thomas from his description in a rose book - the soft, eggy yellow colour definitely appealed. He was one of the very first David Austin English roses I bought for my country garden, and I planted him on the fence at the top of the Jelly Bean Border.
Graham Thomas Roses
Something I didn't know about Graham Thomas was his flowering time, which was later than many of my other roses. Consequently in the chilly later months of autumn Graham Thomas was still busily re-blooming. What a lovely, cheerful chap!
Yellow Graham Thomas Roses
He had a couple of red Phormiums for company (the first one grew too big and was flattened in a winter snow storm) and each summer a cerise Dahlia would pop up from his base and always surprise me.
Cerise Dahlia and Yellow Rose
But nothing can be guaranteed to stay the same, and after ten years the roses were struggling. The nearby gum tree wasn't helping, taking a lot of nourishment out of the soil. And I hadn't been properly feeding or watering them. I dug them out and replanted them in the Allotment Garden. Alas, they didn't do too well there, either. Sometimes things just aren't meant to be, I guess. But I can still ogle over those early photographs...