..you have a bewildering choice...I've interrupted my pink's with a darker shade in 'Sir John Betjemen'... but there are lots of others... it's fun working it all out... I've also put a couple of whites into the mix, but you might not want that...

'

'Sharifa Asma' is one of the more popular pale pinks.

For contrast, 'Sophy's Rose' is a very unusual pinkish red on a bushy compact plant that is resistant to blackspot in some gardens. Could clash with some strong pinks. Purplish crimson 'Munstead Wood' goes well with traditional pinks as an accent.

It depends on how much contrast you want to go for. Certainly, Michael's suggestions (both gorgeous, wonderful roses) would be very dramatic contrasts. However, if you want a milder contrast, you might try Princess Anne, a somewhat shorter one, or Royal Jubilee, a somewhat taller one, and one of my favorites, Princess Alexandra of Kent. They are all in the medium to darker pink range without getting into the rosy reds or purples.

It really depends on whether you want a softer or a bolder look.

Going the other direction, I think the recommendation of Sharifa Asma is good--pale pink/white--or other white or part white rose would be good. White usually brightens up a bed and brings out the colors of the other roses.

Hope to see some pics when you finish this bed. Should be lovely.

Kate

I'm using Alnwick with Tradescant, and I'm very happy with the combination. Rather than lots of different rose varieties, I use multiples of the ones I consider most perfect for the setting. In this garden deep burgundy Tradescants will climb a central arbor, and many Alnwick roses will flank the arbor on both sides. Dwarf lavender and Euphorbia Diamond Frost will add color, texture, and lushness to the bed. Alnwick and Tradescant are shown below.

Another pretty combination might be Scepter'd Isle with Munstead Wood, but our MW was just planted from a bare root, so I haven't seen its blooms yet. We have lots of detailed pictures of roses along with evaluations on Humpty Dumpty House Facebook page. Your "likes" are appreciated, as they help us restore and reopen our gardens after my lengthy hospitalization. Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/HumptyDumptyHouse

Hi, I love english roses. Alnwick and Mary are very different colors to me but its hard to go look bc nothing is blooming now. I have done a new bed of Alnwick, Carding Mill, and Sweet Juliet. The latter two are peachy but I love the peachy with the pink. Queen of Sweden is a pretty light pink to consider. Have fun deciding. Judy

I don't have a picture of the bed and it's not blooming yet, but I put the roses in order in one of my ideabooks that y'all can scroll through:
My pink bed roses in order

The little yellow garden that book starts with is across the driveway from the pink bed, not right up against it. The pink bed has mid-deep purples and whites for perennials, which aren't pictured. Then when you hit the peachier color roses (with portico in the notes), that begins the pink-apricot rose bed :)

Lovely roses! Pretty color scheme!

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Hi Rach,
I love the photos posted so far, especially Sharifa Asma. I do have a mostly pink Austin bed plus pinks scattered all over my garden. I hope I can get some photos posted without too much mixup. They tend to get stuck in my text in odd places. Diane

EglantyneEvelyn when she is looking a bit pinkerBrother CadfaelPart of my pink bed, showing Brother Cadfael with Eglantyne on the left; Jude the Obscure is on the right of BC, and farther to the right is a large Frederic Mistral, a Romantica.The pink bed turns a corner, filled with snapdragons, pink daisies, and alyssum (not shown), and Evelyn is behind the snaps.Princess Alexandra of Kent is in another bed featuring pink and purple roses.
Hope this illustrates some possibilities for you.
Diane

I was going to mention that any photos posted can be enlarged by clicking on the photo. Diane

Not sure why my PAK picture didn't post. Wierd! Here is PAK again.

Here is a better picture of Pretty Jessica

Here is this year's picture of my front yard showing Pretty Jessica (thornless), Princess Alexandra of Kent, Munstead Wood, etc.

I love these photos. When I see Diane's photo of Eglatyne, Brother Cadfael and Jude the Obscure, with the antirrhinums I want it in my garden. Then when I see mustbenuts photo of that walkway, I just want to walk up and down it, all day.

Daisy

This is one of my favorite threads -- so many gorgeous photos!

jannike

Ahhh, this is all rose heaven. I hadnt considered Pretty Jessica but I think I will put her in a pot on my deck now. So beautiful. One last question, from photos Alnwick Rose & Scepter'd Isle look a similar mid pink. Maybe I dont need both....... which one do you think has the more amazing bloom, and biggest bloom size?

Don't forget Redoute, which is a lighter sport of Mary Rose, and more manageable. Also Bishops Castle, a medium pink with a very good fragrance.

Among The Alnwick Rose and Scepter'd Isle, the differences are more the growth habit and flower style. Scepter'd Isle for me is the better bloomer, but it's also in more sun than TAR. However, the blooms are loosely double at best and have that stinky myrrh fragrance that I rather dislike. It gets at least 6' in my zone 5 yard. The Alnwick Rose is more 4-5' and branches out a little. It doesn't bloom as often for me, but has the more typical double Austin look and smells better. In terms of amazing/biggest bloom, I'd definitely go with TAR, but Scepter'd Isle has more blooms and more often.

Cynthia

Not for a nanosecond am I implying you would make the same awful mistake as me, Rach, but...picking several pinks to go together can be surprisingly hazardous. Back in the day, I planted a huge barrel with various roses - in my defence, I was poor and they were freebies, but essentially, I ended up with the stupendously pink Queen Elizabeth (and yes, the inevitable height disparity was an issue too), a smaller semi double called Jenny's Rose - one of those porcelain types which fade to pale parchment/green (although I only realised that later) and Blue Moon. The weird conjunction of pinks and Lilac made me want to lose my dinner - truly, horribly awful. Worse than any other colour combo I have ever had (and I have attempted some horrors).
Don't go with catalogue photos and watch how they die, as well as live together.

I have to say, I agree with Camps -- creating a garden from several pinks together (or all of any color, for that matter) can be a risky venture. It has to be done with an artful eye or a great deal of care, otherwise the result can look like a mistake. Done well, such a color scheme in a garden can be sublime, and we've seen some exquisite examples on this forum.

On the other hand, if you're trying to put together a wonderful collection of the roses that make your heart sing, rather than create a harmonious design, it's your garden, and you should do what makes you happy. Even a collection, tho, can be shown to best effect when the colors are carefully thought out.

jannike

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