A Forrest Rose in My Garden

Rosa 'Boscobel' 13 June 2026

Rosa 'Boscobel', bred by British breeder David C.H. Austin, is named after the historic Boscobel House in Shropshire, England. History of the Name: Boscobel House (built in 1632) is famous for its role in the English Civil War. After his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, King Charles II fled and hid from Oliver Cromwell's soldiers on the Boscobel estate—most famously in the "Royal Oak" tree.The etymology of the place name "Boscobel" itself traces back to Italian roots:"Bosco": derived from the Late Latin boscus, meaning "wood" or "forest.""Bella": from Latin, meaning "beautiful."Combined, it is believed to translate roughly to "beautiful wood" or "fair wood" in Italian.

Unlike many perennials, roses are usually named after people or places. Because I take seriously being a rosarian (a rose fanatic), when I find out the name of a rose, somehow I get a pleasant knowledge of history.

David Austin started  hybridizing roses in 1961 when he introduced Rosa ‘Constance Spry’. He died on December 18, 2018, at the age of 92. Born in 1926, he was affectionately known as the "Father of the English Rose" and spent his life breeding famous varieties that combined the charm and fragrance of old roses with the repeat-blooming trait of modern roses.

While my wife Rosemary died on December 9, 2020, living in what used to be our house and our garden I cannot escape my loss. I am stared at by her framed portraits and that of our family throughout the house. When her cat Niña is in my bed I relive my loss.

One of the few situations when I fell a bit  less melancholic is when I scan my roses and plants. My vision is very good so I am able to remove the dust specks with my Photoshop 8 which is 23 years old.

Today I was struck by the lovely colour of this English Rose so I knew I had to scan it.

Thanks to my search of the etymology of Boscobel I found out that boscus is Latin for wood or forest. Now I know where the Spanish word for forrest “bosque” came from.