"The best loved of all flowers in most Western societies, the rose has exerted its fascination throughout recorded history and today is intertwined with our culture in many different ways. In this wide-ranging book, David Austin, who is known internationally as one of the most passionate rosarians of his time, encompasses all that you need to know about roses. He selects and describes more than 900 of the best and most beautiful roses for today's gardens, many of which are illustrated with glorious photographs. There are chapters on Old Roses, English Roses, Hybrid Teas and Floribundas, Small Roses, Species Roses, Shrub Roses, Climbing Roses and Rambling Roses, as well as on the more practical sides of incorporating roses into the garden and cultivating them."--Jacket.