Let me introduce you to the elegant, historic rose 'Nuits de Young', bred in France in 1845 by Jean Laffay. This single flowering, mossed musk is a delight in the midsummer garden. Matt foliage & thorny stems support double maroon/purple blooms. 'Nuits de Young' has a shy, deferential nature almost as if it is apologising for its exquisite rose scent & aristocratic form. With the old fashioned air of Hugh Grant as the slightly eccentric bookseller in 'Notting Hill' it does not demand your attention from a distance. To appreciate the full beauty of this rose, I love to wander along the path & hold it's soft head in my hand. At the moment it is magnificent in full bloom, adding dramatic shade under the arching branches & white flower-heads of David Austin's magnificent 'Snowdon' & the dramatic 'Nevada'. The soft underplanting of white campanulas are like sumptuous cotton cushions, their purity enhancing this rose's regal splendour!
