Rose unveiled at Chelsea honours Emma Bridgewater
David Austin RosesA rose dedicated to Staffordshire pottery pioneer Emma Bridgewater has been unveiled at Chelsea Flower Show.
Developed by David Austin Roses, based in Albrighton, Shropshire, the firm said its pink and apricot colours were a nod to the "painterly nature" of Bridgewater’s ceramics.
The company, which has won more than 20 gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show over the years, has been growing roses since 1961.
Emma Bridgewater said visiting the nursery and witnessing the rose creation process was "thrilling and incredibly inspiring".
She added the rose was "full of surprises, as it displays several distinctly different colours as the buds appear".
She has captured it on a mug and range of vases.
The project follows a collaboration between the two firms in January, which featured another David Austin rose painted on a charity mug to raise money for the National Garden Scheme.
Emma Bridgewater started her own pottery company in Stoke-on-Trent in 1985 and today employs about 400 people, producing some 40,000 pieces a week.
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