Shrub · Rosaceae
David Austin Rose
Rosa
Deep cupped rosettes and rich perfume on a thorny shrub that reblooms from late spring to frost.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 4–9
4–10 ft · 1.2–3 m
Overview
Look closely at a David Austin English rose and the flower is the thing that holds the eye: a deep, many-petaled cup or tightly packed rosette, the texture of old garden roses, carried on a perfume that hangs in the air. The plant pairs that antique flower form and rich scent with the repeat flowering and broad color range of modern roses. David Austin bred them in England over decades, so the petals look centuries old while the shrub flowers in wave after wave rather than once a season.
The plant itself is a vigorous deciduous shrub with woody, thorn-studded canes, most reaching 4 and 10 feet (1.2 to 3 m) tall, and a few long, pliable stems that can be led up a wall or fence as short climbers. In full sun and decent soil the canes stay clothed in green leaves across USDA zones 4 to 9. The buds open in flushes from late spring until the first frost, so fresh blooms keep replacing the spent ones for months.
Up close, the flowers are the reward for a little extra care, since the foliage on the canes is where disease tends to show first. Air around the leaves, water aimed at the base in the morning, and a yearly prune of the woody stems keep the common fungal diseases off the foliage. Tend the canes that way and the shrub answers with months of fragrant, full-petaled bloom.
Care
The short version: full sun and rich, well-drained soil, a deep base watering once or twice a week in the morning, a balanced feed through the season, and a hard late-winter prune of the woody canes keep the foliage clean and the cupped rosette blooms coming.
Light
The leaves and buds color up best in full sun, ideally 6 or more hours a day, which fills out the petals and keeps the foliage clean. A little partial sun is tolerated, but in shade the canes stretch thin and weak, the flowers thin out, and black spot and mildew mottle the leaves.
Water
Water soaks in deepest at the base 1 to 2 times a week rather than in light sprinkles, drawing the roots down through the soil. Morning watering aimed low keeps the leaf surfaces dry, and dry leaves are what hold off the black spot and powdery mildew that mark the foliage.
Soil
The roots run best through fertile, humus-rich, well-drained loam dark with compost. A slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5 suits them, and crumbly, free-draining ground keeps the fine roots from sitting in cold water.
Temperature
The woody canes endure a wide swing, from hard cold to summer heat, roughly -20°F to 95°F (-29°C to 35°C) across zones 4 to 9. That toughness in the wood is part of why these roses leaf out and bloom in so many gardens.
Humidity
Outdoor air carries whatever moisture the climate gives, so there is no level to set. What shows on the leaves is airflow, since still, damp air around crowded foliage is exactly what the fungal diseases settle into.
Feeding
A balanced granular rose fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 8-8-8 feeds the new green growth, starting in spring once the first leaves unfold. Feeding repeats after each flush of bloom, then stops about six weeks before first frost so no soft, tender shoots push out into the cold.
Pruning
Pruning of the woody canes comes in late winter to early spring: last season's growth is cut back by about a third, dead or unhealthy stems are removed, and a few of the oldest, thickest canes go to the base to draw out fresh green shoots. Snapping off the spent, browning blooms through the season keeps new buds forming.
Repotting
Most English roses root deep in open ground and are rarely repotted. A potted one moves up a size when roots circle the inside or push pale tips through the drainage holes, water runs straight through, or the new growth slows.
Size & spacing
The shrub builds to 4 to 10 feet (1.2 to 3 m) of leafy cane and spreads 3 to 4 feet (91 to 122 cm) wide. Setting each plant that far apart lets air slip between the leaves, and disease finds the drier foliage harder to settle on.
When to plant
The bare, dormant canes go into the ground before the leaves break, while the soil crumbles easily underfoot. The window is early spring or fall, never frozen, waterlogged, or drought-dry ground, so the roots take hold before the stems push out green leaves and buds. After that the buds open in flushes from late spring through frost.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: early spring or fall when soil is workable and not frozen, waterlogged, or in drought
- Harvest: late spring through frost with repeat flushes
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
The first signs of trouble show on the surface of the leaves and the tips of the new shoots, where spots, films, and distortion stand out against the green. Reading those marks closely lets you act before they spread across the foliage and up the canes. Match what you see on the leaves below, then act while it still helps.
Clusters of red shoots, dense thorns, and warped flowers
Tight bunches of thickened red shoots in a witches-broom, canes bristling with abnormally dense thorns, and buds that open misshapen are rose rosette disease, a virus carried by mites too small to see. Once the canes show it there is no cure. The foliage is bagged before the plant is dug, the whole plant and its roots are pulled and destroyed, and any wild multiflora rose nearby that hosts the mites is cleared out as well.
Fix:
- Bag the foliage before digging to keep mites from scattering
- Remove and destroy the entire plant including all roots
- Remove nearby wild multiflora roses that host the mites
- Do not compost infected material
Black spots ringed with yellow, and leaves dropping
Round black blotches with fringed edges, each haloed by yellowing tissue, mark black spot, the most common rose disease, a fungus that spreads while the leaf surfaces stay wet. It appears first on the low leaves and climbs the canes, and the spotted leaves yellow fully and drop. The marked leaves and the litter beneath come away, and base watering in the morning leaves the foliage dry.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infected leaves and fallen debris
- Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering
- Water at the base in the morning so foliage dries quickly
- Apply a labeled fungicide such as chlorothalonil, copper, or myclobutanil on a preventive schedule
White powdery film on leaves and twisted new growth
A pale gray-white powder dusts the upper leaf surfaces and the soft new shoots in powdery mildew, a fungus that thrives where the air sits crowded, shaded, and humid. The youngest leaves and shoot tips curl and warp as it feeds on them. A prune that opens the canopy lets light onto the leaves, less nitrogen slows the soft new growth, and a labeled fungicide checks it if it keeps coating the foliage.
Fix:
- Prune to open the canopy and improve airflow
- Remove severely affected shoots
- Avoid excess nitrogen that pushes soft growth
- Apply a labeled fungicide such as triforine, propiconazole, or myclobutanil
Toxicity
The soft parts of this plant are harmless: true roses are non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and the petals and the round hips are even edible. The hazard is hard and physical, the curved thorns that stud the canes, which scratch and puncture, so handle the woody stems with care and wear gloves when you prune.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
Roses are non-toxic to cats, so a nibbled leaf or petal will not poison one. The curved thorns on the canes are the real worry, since they can scratch a curious cat or catch a paw.
Dogs Safe
A dog can chew the soft foliage with no risk of poisoning. The thorny canes are the concern, because the prickles scratch noses and paws, and a big helping of leaves may bring a passing bout of mild stomach upset.
Horses Safe
Horses graze the leaves and petals with no toxic effect, and the round hips are a harmless treat. The thorny stems are the only thing to keep clear of.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits eat rose leaves, petals, and stems safely, and many keepers offer the soft growth as forage. The thorns are the only part to strip off first.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep browse the leaves and stems without harm. The prickly canes are more of a nuisance than a danger.
Birds Safe
Birds are not poisoned by roses, and many peck the red hips through autumn and winter. Nothing on the plant needs to be kept away from them.
People Safe
Rose petals and the round hips are edible and safe to eat, with the hips a long-standing source of vitamin C. The thorns are the only hazard, so wear gloves and long sleeves when you prune.
Wear gloves and long sleeves when pruning or handling; thorns can scratch or puncture skin and pets.
Varieties
David Austin introduced hundreds of English roses over the years, and the differences show in the petals, the color, and the stems themselves. These four are among the best known, and each one looks distinct up close in form, hue, and the thorns on its canes.
Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll is a vigorous variety whose rich pink rosettes pack 50 to 80 petals into a single strongly fragrant flower, on canes supple enough to grow as a shrub or train up as a short climber.
Heritage
Heritage, introduced by David Austin in 1984, opens soft light pink cupped rosettes along stems that stay almost free of thorns.
Abraham Darby
Abraham Darby carries big, deeply cupped blooms that shade from apricot pink to peach, with a strong fruity scent rising off the open petals.
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral is a white-flowered sport of the pink Mary Rose, its pale blooms repeating just as generously as the pink original.
How to propagate
More roses can be grown from a single bud, a cut length of stem, or a cane bent to the soil, each method working from a different piece of the plant. Which one fits depends on how much skill and patience you want to put in.
GraftingDemanding
Summer (June T-budding) onto an established rootstock · One growing season
Grafting builds nearly every rose sold, starting from a single bud. A grower slips one dormant bud under the bark of a wild rose rootstock in summer, working in June, and that bud grows out into a full plant over the following growing season. Budding is faster and cheaper than other graft methods, but it takes a steady hand at the knife, so it stays mostly with the nursery.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Softwood cuttings late spring to mid-summer; hardwood cuttings November through February · Several weeks to a few months to root
Cuttings grow a plant identical to the parent from a cut length of stem. Softwood pieces come off the green new growth from late spring through midsummer, or harder wood from November into February, each piece carrying one to three nodes. With the cut base dipped in rooting hormone and held under intermittent mist, roots form over several weeks to a few months.
LayeringModerate
Spring through summer · One growing season
Layering roots a cane while it is still joined to the plant. A long, supple stem near the ground bends down in spring or summer and pins against the soil, where the buried section grows roots. After a full growing season that rooted length carries its own roots and can be cut free.
Myths
David Austin English roses are antique heirloom roses.
The full, petal-packed flowers look every bit antique, but these are modern shrub roses, bred by David Austin from the 1960s on. He crossed the deep cupped and rosette blooms and rich scent of old garden roses with the repeat flowering and wider color range of modern ones, so the petals keep their old-rose shape while the canes flower more than once a year.
Roses are poisonous to cats and dogs.
True roses in the genus Rosa are listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, so the leaves and petals hold nothing harmful. The danger sits on the canes instead, in the thorns that scratch and puncture. So-called desert rose and moss rose are unrelated plants, and those do carry toxins.