I am back in the land of roses. The tradesmen have gone. It has rained and today we are showcasing another David Austin beauty. Life is good.
This week’s Rose of the Week is a little delicate rose by the name of Miss Alice.
Miss Alice is a rose that can be easily missed by a person like me who thinks there is a lot to be said for the expression ‘big is beautiful’, for Miss Alice is a tiny thing. The bush grows no more than 0.6m x 0.6m and the foliage is light and delicate. This makes Miss Alice perfect for the front of a garden bed or for those living in small, compact spaces who love roses but are wary of planting them for fear of being attacked by long, thorny canes. Rest assured, Miss Alice stays small and compact. She would also be perfect in a pot on a balcony.
But how could I bypass a rose of such beauty? Miss Alice regularly bears large soft pink rosette-shaped blooms, with closely packed petals. The outer petals gradually turn a pale delicate pink which spreads over the whole flower as it ages.
Miss Alice has a magnificent old-rose perfume. Imagine opening your balcony door to be greeted by a waft of wonderful old-rose perfume. Miss Alice can do it for you. David Austin notes that there is also a hint of lily-of-the-valley, though I am not discerning enough to notice it.
David Austin has classified Miss Alice into the Old Rose Hybrid Group. I have 10 roses in this group including Mary Rose, Redoute and Prospero which have already featured on Rose of the Week. As I have mentioned before, the Old Rose Hybrid Group of roses are the result of David Austin crossing early summer-flowering Old Roses with modern Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses with the idea of combining the best characteristics of both.
Miss Alice was named after Miss Alice de Rothschild who created a beautiful rose garden at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, England.
Miss Alice was introduced by David Austin in 2002.
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Glenda, you grow the most beautiful flowers! And you capture them in magnificent photos. I wish I could smell them!
Hi Pamela. Thankyou so much.
Miss Alice reminds me of an old-fashioned powder puff, and scented as well 🙂
Hi Ella, they are all so beautiful, it is so hard to choose a favourite.
Miss Alice is beautiful. I’m not a pink loving person in everyday life, but pink roses are my favourite and if they are perfumed, I’m a goner. There may well be a Miss Alice in a pot on my balcony next spring!
She’s very beautiful, Glenda. And how wonderful that you had rain! 🙂
Hi Celia, it was only a wee bit of rain but that is exactly what we wanted. A few years back our first rain was a deluge which took all our top soil with it down the hill and into our neighbour,s house. Much better to start gently.
Miss Alice is beautiful and I’m glad to hear that she’s not an ‘attack’ rose. After looking at all of your beautiful roses I can’t wait for it to warm up here so that I can get a few more in.
Hi Diane. They are all beautiful, you can’t go wrong really.
A pretty rose. How big are the flowers?
Hi Anne, this one’s diameter is 90mm, I just went and measured it for you. I think that is pretty standard.
Thank you Glenda. Pretty big for such a compact plant.
What an absolutely beautiful rose, Glenda. My sister will love this one!
Thanks Liz
I actually have this rose Glenda- it is the only rose I currently have, having purchased it for You- know – Who! It has survived years of neglect from her- it is in a pot without much loving but It seems to flower a lot if we keep the water up to it.. Can’t wait to see you on the 5th!
Emily x
xxx
Hi Em, Yes I do know who! It is good to know that it has survived for years in a pot. It is the perfect size for a pot and clearly if it has survived Alice’s neglect it is tough :).
Such a full bloom for such a tiny plant! Had you not revealed its size, I would have thought the blooms to be much larger. Big or small, Glenda, this is a gorgeous rose. Good to read that she’s fragrant, too.
Hi John. The plant is small but the blooms are large, and as you can see, quite beautiful.