Stop, Look and Sniff Before Picking

Each year, new varieties of old-fashioned Austin roses are introduced in the United States.

Created by English hybridizer David Austin, these roses offer strong old-fashioned fragrance and form. In the warm Southern California sunshine, many tend to grow very tall, though.

That’s true of Brother Cadfael, one of the newest to reach our climes. In England, this shrub only grows to three or four feet. Here, expect it to soar to 10 or more. It produces very fragrant, large peony-shaped bright-pink flowers and can be trained as a climber or pegged to the ground.

Jayne Austin is another new English arrival for 1995. Named after David Austin’s daughter-in-law, Jayne Austin has an upright form and produces flat flowers in shades of yellow and apricot.

A good way to select roses is to see them in bloom. The rose garden at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda still has roses to view even though it’s almost time for winter pruning.

“The garden is full of flowers now,” said spokesman Kevin Cartwright. “This year, because New Year’s is on Sunday, we’re open on Jan. 1.”

Visitors can see 700 rosebushes, representing 60 varieties, many selected because they were favorites of the late Pat Nixon or have an association with past presidents.

The garden contains 25 varieties of Austin roses.

For information about viewing the Nixon garden, call (714) 993-3393.