Next time you see a fallen rose petal, pick it up and try to imagine how many it would take to make a ton. Ozric Armstrong knows the answer - a lot.

In 1989, Armstrong decided to establish a rose plantation on eight acres of land beside his home, Cawthorpe Hall, near Bourne in Lincolnshire, for the simple reason that little else thrives in the area's heavy clay soil.

He and his wife Chantal now tend an impressive spread of 2,000 roses, and harvest the flowers from early summer until the first frosts. After each morning's picking, they boil the petals in a Heath Robinson-like still made from a caterer's cooking pot and an ex-Coal Board condenser, to produce headily fragrant rosewater and highly concentrated rose oil.

The Armstrongs' annual production of rosewater is about 2,000 litres, while only 200-300 millilitres of oil can be extracted from the year's harvest. To get those amounts, two tons of petals have to be distilled. To put that into perspective, a standard wheelbarrow load weighs four to five pounds.

Most of the roses on the plantation are of the Roseraie de l'Haÿ variety, because it is hardy and produces large numbers of highly scented blossoms in regular flushes, although the Armstrongs do grow Louise Odier (which also makes fine rose jam) and Bulgarian Kazanlik (aka Professeur Emile Perrot). This is the most fragrant and oily variety, but the blossoming season lasts only three weeks and it is also the least suited to the area's climate.

The genteel life of a rose farmer is a strong contrast to Armstrong's pre-retirement career as a civil engineer on road and pipeline projects in Africa and the Middle East. After returning to Britain, he attended a commercial horticulture course one day a week for two years before setting up the plantation.

"During the season it is a seven-days-a-week job, and out of season there is pruning, manuring and weeding to be done," he says.

"Roseraie de l'Haÿ is a very tough variety, which is important, as we run the plantation on an almost entirely organic basis and therefore don't use any chemicals or sprays against aphids or other insects. We rely on the balance of nature being maintained by birds, ladybirds and hoverfly. This is very important to aromatherapists, who insist on the rose oil being as pure as possible.

"Our main enemies are moles, which tunnel underneath and can damage the root system, as well as rabbits and deer, which nibble at the bushes - although it doesn't really matter if the petals are a bit chewed as they all end up as pulp in the still."

Apart from insects and moles, other natural influences can affect a rose harvest. The Armstrongs' chief picker, Ghislaine Raby, starts work at 6 a m to catch the blossoms as they begin to open with the first touches of sunlight, but a stiff breeze is all it takes to blow away the precious scent. If the petals have been subjected to a shower, they are likely to remain tightly shut. And if a bee has got there first, forget it - once pollinated, a rose stops smelling.

The harvesting process, which involves deftly tweaking the blossom at its base to remove it cleanly from the bush, is surprisingly quick. Within an hour of being picked, the roses are undergoing the distillation process - any longer and they would lose their moisture, and subsequently most of their perfume.

After that, the Armstrongs are left with the pleasurable task of bottling their products and selling them to retailers, aromatherapists and customers of their b & b business. These visitors invariably leave Cawthorpe with a sample of rose water, having been wooed by the scent of the freshly cut blossoms that are a feature of every room.

Ozric and Chantal Armstrong can be contacted on 01778 423830 or at www.rosewater.co.uk.

Reproduced from the Gardening section of The Daily Telegraph, Saturday 13th August 2005.

Return to Cawthorpe