'bishop's castle'

'Bishop's Castle' was the one of the first of the roses I planted in the garden, and the first Austin I planted in the new garden. It is still a favorite (one never has a single true favorite). I had seen this blog entry from hoovb's blog "A Piece of Eden" and was so taken by the appearance that I had to get some, never having seen them in person, or smelled them.

This could have been a big newbie mistake, as I've learned after growing a number of roses, some of them based on beautiful photos. But having had just removed my big backyard lawn, I wanted, no needed, something to plant in it. I bought three bare-root own-root plants from David Austin roses in Tyler, Texas, in January 2015. They arrived in a plastic bag, without any of the sawdust, wood chips or peat moss to retain moisture. I was a bit shocked, but they did have enormous roots 2-1/2 feet long. I got to work, planting them, even digging in the dark to get them into the ground.

April 23, 2015: I had to put a flag next to them so that I wouldn't step on them by mistake.

 

June 13, 2015, the biggest plant looked like this:

July 24, 2015:

Last year was hot and dry, and the spring bloom wasn't much. By fall, I realized that they needed more water and the monsoon rains had arrived. 

September 4, 2016:

I previously posted this photo, from a few days ago, with 'Bishop's Castle' on the right. 

This rose spoiled me into thinking that all roses would grow like this. They don't. They haven't. But 'Bishop's Castle' has made me quite happy. 

This year, the plants have been blessing me with candelabras of flowers, some with more than 24 buds on them: