Hi Lola, I tried hard to Id your C.R.Macintosh with no avail. Its not listed in the Treloar catalog or HMF. Could you provide me a link or a picture?
In my experience, when I place my bushes, color is just one other criterion. Sometimes colors may clash as seen on a piece of paper; yet when grown together the mere contrast seems to provide interest. This question reminds me of our conversations with my late wife, a professional painter, when we discussed color palettes in the garden. She taught me a lot about how to handle colour. What tends to outstand color is the overall greenery of the bush and these easily blend together which provides visual continuity. Next comes the differing textures that add more interest to the border. Not all Austins have the same textures In trying to achieve a beautiful border she also pointed out the need of "movement" in such a way that the observing eye will be led to move around which enhances the visual experience. Also included are questions like volume ,shape and proportion. These are all structural which means that they are more or less there all the growing season. Finally the rose blooms themselves appear, usually in flushes, not all Austin flush synchronized so after a few seasons you'll discover which actually end up by clashing so...you just find a different spot and move it/them there. You'd be surprised to find that many bushes that would look unhappy together (color wise) on paper fit in your landscape beautifully. Finally there's the matter of personal taste and again in my experience I need to try out before I finally set it in its definitive position. Perhaps I've extended too much in my explanation...
Arturo
