Rose Vollerton Old Hall

David Austin gave the world a lot of beauty, each of his roses is a hymn to Austin's love for the queen of the flower world. The Vollerton Old Hall variety (synonymous with Wollerton Old Hall) is a representative of the scrub group, a climbing beauty with buds that resemble a creamy ice cream, flowers like a creamy marshmallow with a sweetish-warm aroma.

The originator of the variety is the world famous English breeder David Austin, who named it after an old manor house and a traditional English garden in Shropshire. Rosa received registration in 2011 and over the past years has become a prize-winner and medalist of prestigious exhibitions and competitions.

A rose from the group of scrubs is a tall (from 1.5 to 3 m) semi-spreading bush about a meter wide, whose outlines copy the jets of the fountain. Long, flexible and strong shoots are covered with large foliage of light green hues. Straight at the beginning of the growing season, under the weight of the buds, the stems begin to slope downward. The leafy rounded plate has a pointed tip, jagged edges, a distinct longitudinal, and well-visible peripheral veins. The obverse of the leathery leaf is slightly darker than the seamy side and has a moderate satin sheen.

Rounded buds are painted in a creamy color. The size of large, pom-shaped semi-double flowers ranges from 9 to 10-12 cm, the number of matte velvety petals is 26-40. Iridescent tones change from light yellow, almost sandy, to light cream. A single palette looks like a pastel range of whites, pinks, up to yellow shades. Rose has an intense, pleasant aroma with floral, myrrh, almond notes and apricot tree scent. The variety has average frost resistance characteristics and is able to withstand temperatures as low as –23ºC.

The predominant qualities of the variety are:

• strong immunity;

• unpretentious care;

• high decorativeness and exquisite aroma;

• almost complete absence of thorns and resistance to rain.

No disadvantages were noted.

The continuous flowering variety has a long period of intense, profuse flowering.

Wollerton Old Hall is loved and revered by landscape designers because it gives the opportunity to decorate the middle and upper tiers with a gorgeous and aromatic backdrop. In addition, the amazing shrubs that look like flower fountains look great on traditional English lawns. The variety is suitable for creating hedges, decorating arches, gazebos, verandas and walls of mansions.

The rose is suitable for cultivation in the 6th zone of the USDA (from -18 ° C to -23 ° C), which means that the climate of central Russia and more southern regions is suitable for it.

The variety prefers to settle in sunny open spaces with fertile chernozem or loamy soils and a neutral acidity level.Despite the fact that the flowers tend to fade under the influence of hot sunlight, the variety only benefits from this change. This adds midtones in a wide pastel range.

Planting time: spring and autumn (late August - mid-October), with the latter option considered optimal. Autumn planting is the end of the growing season, the plants are preparing for rest, and the seedling does not need to grow the aboveground part, strive for flowering. He calmly endures adaptation, gets used to new living conditions and begins to grow roots. In the spring, such young growth begins the season simultaneously with all crops and gives many shoots.

The soil structure should be loose, breathable and well-drained. If the landing site has high acidity, then dolomite flour or slaked lime, chalk are used for deoxidation. The optimal layout of the wells depends entirely on the purpose of the culture. To create a hedge, the permissible distance between the holes is from 0.7 to 1 m.The size of the pit is 60x60x60 cm.The excavated layer of fertile soil is enriched with organic matter (humus, compost, manure), peat and coarse river sand are added, as well as complex mineral fertilizers for roses.

During the transfer of young animals to a permanent place, you should take care of the root collar - it should be underground at a depth of 2-3 cm. At the bottom of the pit, a ten-centimeter drainage layer of pebbles or fine gravel is arranged. The soil in the near-trunk circle is compacted and watered with warm, settled water (8-10 liters). The next day, the wet soil should be loosened or covered with a layer of mulch.

Further care consists in observing traditional agricultural practices. These are watering, weeding, loosening, feeding and pruning.

• Irrigation. Watering should be regular during the dry season: from 1 to 2 times a week, and minimal with proper amount of natural rainfall. Do not water the rose with ice-cold water mixed with chlorine. The moisture should be warm and well kept.

• Weeding will help rid the crop of competing nutrient weeds.

• Loosening prevents the appearance of an earth crust, which prevents oxygen from reaching the underground part of the plant.

• Top dressing is carried out throughout the season. Several times over the summer, watered with infusion of fresh mullein.

  • Nitrogen is introduced in early spring.

  • In the middle of summer, the variety is fed with potassium-phosphorus preparations.

  • Potash fertilizers are applied in autumn.

At the end of October, the trunk circles are covered with a thick layer (at least three buckets under an adult bush) of humus.

• Trimming is carried out in two types:

  • sanitary;

  • formative.

The time for the first is early spring, before the sap flow begins. At this time, damaged, diseased or dry shoots are removed. With the help of formative pruning, the crop is given the desired outline and the adult shoots are shortened into several buds. At the same time, rejuvenating procedures are performed, replacing too old shoots with younger ones.

During the preparatory work for the winter season, Vollerton Old Hall is not pruned. The stems are removed from the supports and laid on the prepared ground, pre-covered with spruce branches. Then the branches are pressed, fixed, spruce branches are thrown on top and a frame structure is built for air protection. Geotextile or spunbond is placed on top of the frame. In early spring, gradual airing begins to avoid damping out. Finally, the shelter is removed after the end of the frost.

Rose Vollerton Old Hall has a strong immune system and is practically not susceptible to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, gray rot and black spot. An excellent way to fight diseases will be preventive spring treatments with fungicides. Spraying with insecticides is used to control pests.

The plant is propagated in several ways. This is grafting, dividing an adult bush, seeds and grafting. The first method allows you to get a large number of young seedlings that fully copy the qualities of the parent plant.Division allows you to get no more than two plants at a time, but with a ready-made root system. Sowing with seeds takes a long time and does not guarantee the desired result.