English Roses fit for a King
Six English shrub roses bred here in Shropshire by David Austin are plants destined to reign supreme in your great outdoors. Some better suited to borders and others for containers, some can to be cut and brought indoors and others best serve gardens alone, but what they all share is a stately air that will command attention and appreciation. Be warned though, you may find visitors to your garden curtsying when graced with their presence!
Royal Jubilee
(Auspaddle)
Named for: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee
One of the characteristics that makes Royal Jubilee so special is its chalice-shaped blooms whose petals curve inwards, keeping the stamen is mostly hidden from view. The focus then falls on its rich pink palette and its accompanying fruit fragrance with notes of blackcurrants. A large shrub that repeat flowers, it suits a mixed border or rose hedge most and is happiest in full sunlight and any and every soil type.
Elizabeth®
(Ausmajesty)
Named for: Britain’s longest serving monarch, the late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
A pale pink rose with hints of apricot to be found on every petal, Elizabeth is a formidable flower yet is full of grace and gentle beauty like the monarch after which it’s named. From its crisp apple blossom pink rosettes to those petals in the gentlest blush white, its delicate palette is complemented by its lemon sherbet meets Old Rose fragrance. Plant it as part of either a mixed or rose border, to form a rose hedge, or simply alone in a container for this rose is one of most easygoing to plant and grow, suiting all soil types and levels of sunlight.
Princess Alexandra of Kent®
(Ausmerchant)
Named for: Princess Alexandra, cousin to Queen Elizabeth II and both a keen gardener and great lover of roses
Here is a rose instantly recognised for its unusually large flowers coloured in bright pink. Deeply cupped and strongly scented with a fresh Tea fragrance that melts into notes of lemon and blackcurrants, it’s a rose to be noticed yet has poise on a well-rounded shrub. Another rose that thrives in most growing conditions, it’s unfussy about sunlight and soil type, making it a success in shadier spots.
William and Catherine
(Ausrapper)
Named for: the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day
The pure white colouring of the William and Catherine rose and pure myrrh fragrance combine to produce the most glorious wedding bloom we hope the newlywed royals could have wished for. It grows to form an attractive shrub with largely upright growth of up to 4ft. Though it thrives in a garden from mixed borders to containers, this is a rose for cutting and bringing indoors to fill vases and pots.
Anne Boleyn
(Ausecret)
Named for: the second of Henry VIII’s six wives
A delightfully frilly rose that promises large sprays of rosette blooms with symmetrical petals. Its colouring is an attractive mid-pink with a scent as medium-bodied too, for this is a rose that is mostly about its petal formation. It has low-spreading growth that builds up to give rise to a neatly mounded shrub which will live quite happily in any sort of border, hedge, container and all in soil and levels of sunlight.
Princess Anne®
(Auskitchen)
Named for: Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal
So deep pink are Princess Anne’s youngest flowers that there borderline red, though with age sees them fade to pure, rich pink. Her petals may be narrow but they’re remarkably substantial, held in large, fragrant clusters. Princness Anne is known too for her reliable health, forming foliage as succulent as its heads, and being quite happy planted in any degree of sunlight, soil or setting.
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A Guide to English Rose FragrancesRoses are a sight to behold in their apricot, pink, yellow or ivory glory, and a delight to breathe in too should you choose a variety with a forward fragrance. Without fragrance, the world would be emptier than we might first think.Read more43 days ago -
Get to know Bring Me Sunshine®A charming variety with deeply cupped rosette blooms in a rich sunset orange-yellow that softens to a delicate apricot hue, excluding a medium-strong Myrrh fragrance. This versatile rose is available as both a shrub and climbing rose, making it perfect for various garden settings.Read more57 days ago -
Spotlight on Princess Anne®Princess Anne® (Auskitchen) is a striking English shrub rose bred by David Austin, known for its vibrant and enduring blooms.Read more63 days ago -
Get to Know - Gabriel Oak®With its exquisite deep pink, many-petalled rosette blooms and delightful, fruity fragrance, Gabriel Oak® is a captivating English Shrub Rose that infuses any garden with timeless elegance. The vibrant, deep pink flowers contrast beautifully with their lush green foliage, creating a striking visual display that commands attention.Read more63 days ago
