Botanical Rose (botanical style)

Wild roses grow across the northern hemisphere, and the dog rose is a familiar native of British hedgerows. Old garden roses are the groups that existed before the first hybrid tea appeared in 1867, among them gallicas, damasks, albas, centifolias and moss roses. Many flower once, in early summer, and are richly scented. Roses have compound leaves, usually of five to seven leaflets, and prickly stems. Pierre-Joseph Redouté's paintings of roses are among the best known botanical studies.

Bare-root roses are planted from November to March, with the graft union just below the soil surface. Feed in spring and again after the first flush of flowers, and mulch to hold moisture. Most repeat-flowering roses are pruned in late winter, in February or March, cutting to outward-facing buds. Once-flowering old roses are pruned lightly after they've finished in summer. Deadhead repeat flowerers to keep blooms coming, and leave hips on others for birds. Clear fallen leaves if blackspot has been a problem.

A single stem of an old garden rose is drawn here on a cream ground, with one open pink bloom and a bud. Setting bloom and bud on the same stem shows two stages of the flower at once, the way a botanical study does. It's the plain cream ground that keeps the eye on form and detail.