The historic walled rose garden at Mottisfont is romantic and fragrant and at its best in June
WORDS: HAZEL SILLVER
BRITAIN’S GOT
Old roses are unrivalled for character, beauty and scent. An enchanting places to see them is Mottisfont Abbey in Hampshire. Its two-acre walled garden holds the National Collection of pre-1900 shrub roses, which encompasses over 400 varieties.
There are ancient roses, including the Damasks (such as Quatre Saisons), which are thought to hail from Persia, and the Gallicas (including Rosa gallica var. officinalis, widely used by apothecaries during the Middle Ages), as well as the many hybrids that stemmed from them.
Most old roses only flower once a year, unlike modern roses, making this charming garden’s peak in June even more special. Historic roses have more personality and beauty than most modern rivals, not to mention delicious scent. The old walls contain the fragrance, especially on still, sunny days, amplifying it to heady heights.
Walkways lead between beds of roses framed by box hedging and under pergolas covered in rambling roses, such as Veilchenblau and Adélaïde d’Orléans.
Tall shrub roses and ramblers scramble through apple trees to great effect, raining flowers down through their branches; and historic climbing roses clad the walls.
This magical garden was created by the late gardener Graham Stuart Thomas during the 1970s. He planted historic roses that he had collectedd since the 1930s, partly to preserve them, since many were rare, but also to encourage people to grow them. He interplanted them with perennials and biennials to ensure a long flowering display; this mixed planting also helps to prevent disease.
Today, the Mottisfont roses grow amid a tapestry of bellflowers, foxgloves, pinks, alliums, peonies, nepetas and cranesbills. It’s a great scheme to copy at home, and in a small garden, it’s worth selecting the few historic roses that repeat flower.
Jacques Cartier and Comte de Chambord are two of the best – both offer the beautiful shape and knockout scent of old roses over a long period.
For visiting Mottisfont, go to nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont or call 01794 340757.
Star Plant Rose Comte de Chambord
Rosa Comte de Cha
