There were a few reasons why I decided to do the Rose of the Week series but the number one reason was to stop and take stock of the roses I have, to find out a bit about each one and, most importantly, to take time to appreciate their beauty.  There are always jobs to do, both in Perth and Bridgetown.  There is, literally, no time to smell the roses.  These posts make me stop and look and smell.  I sometimes only realise their beauty after I have taken the photos and am examining them to work out which ones to include and why.

So it was with Troilus.  I can honestly say I have never really noticed it before I picked a bud for this post.  It is a very me rose so I can see why I bought it but, clearly, there are bigger and louder roses in the garden demanding my attention.

Look at the photos and you will see a beautiful rose blooming.

Another thing this series has taught me is how many roses prefer a hot, dry summer ( I had never thought about it before).  Troilus is one such rose.  According to my books, it does not fare too well in cool, damp climates where it has a tendency to ball and spot. I have not noticed these tendencies in my bush.

Troilus is a David Austin rose. The blooms are very full-petalled (over 40 petals) and  cup-shaped.  The colour of the flowers is usually described as a honey or apricot buff shade.  Curiously, mine is a delicate, peachy pink  (I hope it wasn’t mislabelled).

All my books comment on Troilus’ lovely sweet fragrance and, boy, that is true.  The fragrance is magnificent and amazingly strong.  You can smell it just walking into the room.  As an added bonus, the rose lasted exceptionally well in the vase.  It began to fade on the 6th day, which is pretty good.

Troilus flowers continuously from spring to late autumn.  It is a sturdy, upright shrub of medium height.

As mentioned above, it is best grown in places where there is a hot, dry summer.  In such climates, the flower size and colour are, reportedly, superior to when it is grown in cooler climates. In cooler climates, it is only recommended for the green house.

Troilus was released by David Austin in 1983.  It was named after the Trojan War hero in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Troilus and Cressida.