David Austin Rose
Rosa (English Rose) — various David Austin cultivars
📖 About this plant
David Austin English Roses are a revolutionary class of roses bred to combine the exquisite, cup-shaped flowers and rich fragrance of old-fashioned heritage roses with the repeat-blooming habit and disease resistance of modern roses. With over 200 cultivars released, they encompass a remarkable range of colors (pink, peach, yellow, apricot, white, red, lavender), forms, and fragrances (myrrh, tea, fruity, musk). Among the most beloved garden roses worldwide.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun (6+ hrs)
Every 2-3 days
Moderate (40-60%)
10-28°C
Rich, well-draining loamy soil (pH 6.0-6.5); heavy soils improved with compost, sand, and organic matter; mulch well to retain moisture
Balanced rose fertilizer (10-10-10) every 4-6 weeks during growing season; additional potassium (sulphate of potash) in late summer to harden wood for winter
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Developed in England by David C.H. Austin OBE (1926-2018) at his nursery in Albrighton, Shropshire — first introduced in 1961 with the cultivar 'Constance Spry'
- 📏 Max height
- 90-150 cm (3-5 ft for shrub types; climbers reach 300+ cm); varies by cultivar
- 📐 Spread
- 90-150 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring - Fall
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Pink, Peach, Yellow
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic — David Austin roses are bred from Rosa gallica, Rosa damascena, Rosa moschata, and Rosa wichuraiana parentage. All produce edible petals and hips rich in Vitamin C. Thorns are the primary physical hazard. Safe for pets with the exception of potential GI upset from leaf ingestion.
- 🌱 Propagation
- Softwood cuttings in early summer with bottom heat and rooting hormone; grafting onto rootstock is the commercial method; some varieties available own-root
🛡️ Health & Safety
Non-toxic — David Austin roses are bred from Rosa gallica, Rosa damascena, Rosa moschata, and Rosa wichuraiana parentage. All produce edible petals and hips rich in Vitamin C. Thorns are the primary physical hazard. Safe for pets with the exception of potential GI upset from leaf ingestion.
Common issues
- Black spot in wet, humid summers (though most modern cultivars are bred for resistance), Powdery mildew in crowded plantings, Aphids on new growth and buds, Japanese beetles on flowers, Dieback from winter cold damage, Crown gall at the graft union, Reduced flowering in excessive shade
💡 Care tips
- English roses bred for old-fashioned fragrance and modern repeat bloom,More disease-resistant than many hybrid tea roses,Requires rich well-drained soil and consistent watering,Plant where you can enjoy the incredible fragrance up close
