Mention repeat flowering and most people think of roses. An early record, in Flora overo cultura di Fiori, published in Italy in 1638, alludes to ‘a rose that produces flowers every month’. This desirable characteristic was a focus of eminent breeder David Austin, whose English Roses have two flushes of early season flower, followed by sporadic flowering, then a larger flush later in the season. Such a major contribution is particularly valued in small gardens, and the mid pink R. Mary Rose (= ‘Ausmary’) is a fine example.
Plants repeat flower in various, for example, produces a mass of flowers over several weeks, individual blooms lasting just a single day. I recall a visit to the Chelsea Physic Garden, one sunny spring day, when the ground around their collection was carpeted in petal confetti. Spring-flowering woody plants may also re-flower in autumn, particularly after a hot summer. In ancient or diseased plants this is not always a bonus – it can also be their ‘swan song’ as these seeds are the final generation before their demise.
