Hampton Court Palace Flower Show presents a new perspective on roses. The show is the brainchild of RHS, well known for gathering the best blooms in the country in one place, as well as being the largest annual flower show in the world. But one thing that I like the most about this show is that it has a pavilion dedicated to roses, which could rightfully be called a ‘Rose Haven’.
This year, most of the press coverage focused on the 25th the anniversary of the show, not on what’s important – the flowers. So in this article I will try to put flowers back into the spotlight.
It is no secret that I am obsessed with roses – especially the ones that smell good - and so when I saw all the stunning blooms at the show I got excited and took a million pics. My large collection of pictures is justified by how stunning the roses were. So take a look at the best of them.
Roses have always been an important part of the show since it began in 1990. And in 1991 the British Rose Festival was introduced, which continues to feature at the show and is now called the Festival of Roses. And on top of this, each year the Rose of the Year is announced at the show. This year (in 2015) it is a beauty called 'Sunny Sky' (Koraruli).
'Sunny Sky' is a Hybrid Tea rose producing large flowers. Its main colour is yellow, but it tends to change tones—its honey-yellow buds lighten to soft yellow. Another fantastic thing about this rose is that it has disease-resistant foliage and an easy-care nature. What is there not to like about it!
Rosa 'Sunny Sky' (Koraruli) was awarded the coveted accolade of Rose of the Year 2016. Rosa 'Sunny Sky' was bred by W. Kordes' Söhne of Germany; this rose was introduced to the UK by Roses UK and Mattocks Roses. Its display featured a horse-drawn wagon decorated with roses and surrounded by flower pots filled with the yellow roses.
The Real Flower Company's Rose Stand
The Real Flower Company was featuring lots of gorgeous roses and stylish posies. In my opinion, their selection of English roses was the main attraction of the show. Who needs show gardens when there is so much to see just at one stand.
David Austin Roses
David Austin's rose stand was great and happened to be this year's gold winner, but it was not my favorite. It had a sea of stunning English roses, but that was it—nothing else. They had a central composition, but by Saturday the roses looked dead, although this is forgivable given the temperature.
Peter Beales Roses
Though, the hot weather was no obstacle for the Peter Beales Roses as they all looked magnificent. Just look at those beauties.
Peter Beales Roses secured a Silver-Gilt Medal for their beautiful rose arbours and archways, which became heavily photographed attractions. As world leaders in classic roses, their display proved particularly resilient during the hot weather conditions that challenged many exhibits that year.
Harkness Roses
Harkness Roses also earned a Silver-Gilt Medal while making headlines with their launch of Rosa 'Lynda Bellingham', a compact rose with large warm apricot flowers and spicy fragrance, named in memory of the beloved actress. Philip Harkness personally presented this commemorative rose during a special family ceremony at the show.
And a final picture showing the glorious Hampton Court Palace from the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show grounds.
