Delbard French Roses and Dahlias Light up our Gardens !

Arnaud Delbard & Lloyd Rankin in the Dahlia fields

Welcome to another wonderful season at Rankins Direct!
        
I have recently returned from an inspirational trip to France, visiting the Delbard Rose Farm. I had a fabulous time walking through fields and viewing and smelling all the new roses bred for the coming years. Walking with Arnaud Delbard amongst the roses was a pleasure. As always he is not only a great nurseryman and rose breeder, but a terrific host.

We discussed roses, their breeding, colour, fragrance and where the future is heading for rose breeders and growers around the world. There are many award winning Delbard Roses that shall be coming our way in the future years!
         
3 hours south of Paris, Arnaud's rose breeding houses are situated amongst a  250 hectare farm in Malicorne.  Walking amongst  thousands  of hand pollinated seedlings, and seeing the first flowers on these "children" is a truly wonderful experience that any gardener would fully appreciate and enjoy.

Delbards have extended their nursery skills and love of flowers to our 2010 New Release Roses. From Arnaud's breeding house, he has given us a unique and wonderful "Painter's Rose" in Edgar Degas. Flamboyant and  outrageous in its colours, as are all our French Painter Roses,
Edgar Degas also upon close inspection, has a softness and feminine beauty  not unlike a camellia bloom.But en-masse creates a riot of colour  - amber yellow tones splashed soft raspberry to rich pink!
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Arnaud has also created a perfumed, classic beauty in Chateau Versailles. New in the Delbard colour range - tones of apricot-peach soften towards the outer petals to pale cream. It's double wavy petaled blooms hide a beautiful secret  - a sweet perfume, of notes filled with freesia, apple and rose.

It has been an exciting journey. I think you will find these roses suit our hot sunny climate. They repeat flower nonstop from late October to early May - and are easy to grow and maintain.

Give them a try and you shall be surprised with their wonderful colours and how well they pick for a vase!

Keep sending us your pictures and great results you are getting with our Rankins Roses and the new Delbard Dahlias. I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Gardening,

Lloyd Rankin.

13th Century ” Chateau Ancinet” …..Home to Delbard French Roses and Dahlia”