Photo of David Austin
In the early 1960s, David Austin revolutionized the rose world with a completely new group of roses, his ‘English Roses’. His roses are a triumph of hybridisation. They possess the great flower shape, form and rich fragrance qualities of old-fashioned roses while incorporating the long flowering characteristics of modern hybrid teas and floribundas, with none of the drawbacks associated with either class. These superb roses have duly become internationally famous for their beauty of flowers, their magic colours and their rich intoxicating scents.
Sadly, he died in 2018, aged 92, but his great legacy remains in all our gardens for us to continually admire, appreciate and enjoy forever more.
All my rose choices were all introduced over 30 or more years ago. Their selection is based on my experience in my own garden and countless other gardens where I have been privileged to work in. Thus, they have stood the test of time and have remained just as universally popular since their first introduction.
So these are my top five picks. All importantly, they are all renowned for their repeat flowering throughout the entire seasons of spring, summer and autumn.
HERITAGE
Introduced: 1984.
Parentage: Iceberg x Wife of Bath.
Growth: Height 1.5m – 2.25m x width 1m x 1.5m.
Flowers: Plump pink buds open to cupped blooms of shell-like delicacy in the most perfect of soft pinks, the outer petals pass almost to white as the flowers mature.
Fragrance: They have a lovely bitter-sweet scent, a rich honey with overtones of carnations and fruit on a wonderful myrrh background. The scent of myrrh is found in many David Austin roses.
Disease Resistance: The strong sturdy plant has clean stems with only a few thorns and the dark green foliage has great disease resistance.
Cut Flowers: Very good.
I have a dear friend in Moree who in her back garden has planted Heritage en masse, five deep and nine wide, a glorious sight and a combined fragrance that could only be found in heaven. This magic then extends into the house as big vases of the fabulous fragrant cut flowers are festooned in every room. In design matters, it is brave in execution and brilliant in realisation. Truly memorable.
JUDE THE OBSCURE
Name: Named after the title of a novel by Thomas Hardy.
Introduction: 1995.
Parentage: Abraham Darby x Windrush.
Growth: Height 1.6m – 2.5m x width 1.4m – 2m.
Flowers: Apricot buds open to large fully double cupped blooms, the palest of apricots with a cream centre and pale almost white outer petals. Its subtleness in colouring is a pure delight.
Fragrance: An intense fruity scent, with a mix of lychee, magnolia, guava and sweet white wine. The scent is truly divine and for me, one of the best fragrances of any rose, just dynamite in its perfume.
Disease Resistance: The foliage is semi-glossy dark green and very disease resistant.
Cut Flowers: Good.
I have a long, mixed hedge of Jude intermingled with the coppery orange of Pat Austins with another hedge of the crisp white flowering of icebergs in front. I simply love it
ABRAHAM DARBY
Name: It was named after one of the great founders of the Industrial Revolution.
Introduction: 1985.
Parentage: Floribunda Yellow Cushion x modern climber Aloha.
Growth: Height 1.25m – 1.75m x width 1.25m – 1.75m.
Flowers: The beautifully large cupped flowers are filled with lightly ruffled petals of a coppery apricot and mid pink in colour, with the outer petals turning more towards a blend of soft pink and apricot and fading to a coral pink as they mature.
Fragrance: A very strong perfume with fruity tones, its marvellous scent even greater than the blooms, and that is saying something. Just exquisite.
Disease Resistance: Foliage plentiful and shiny. The olive green leaves are rated above average for disease resistance.
Cut Flowers: The blooms are borne singly in small clusters on long stems perfect for cutting.
I have about three specimens in my garden, but boy I wish I had room for a good long hedge. A great and unforgettable rose
GERTRUDE JEKYLL
Name: Named after the famous groundbreaking garden designer and author, (1843-1932).
Introduced: 1986.
Parentage: Wife of Bath x Portland rose Comte de Chambord
Growth: Height 2.25m – 2.75m x Width 2.25m – 2.75m.
Flowers: Flowers begins as dainty small buds then open to large perfect scrolled shaped flowers of a bright and most glorious rich hot pinks.
Fragrance: A true powerhouse of perfume and for me right up there as the best, probably none better. In recent experiments carried out for the extraction of essential oils for perfume, this rose was found to be the best and superior to any other rose. Its scent is intoxicating. and its perfume may well carry you away to a state of utter bliss. Love it too bits.
Disease Resistance: Very good.
Cut Flowers: Excellent.
I have seven specimens scattered throughout my garden, all positioned next to paths or staircases so I can always enjoy their magnificent perfume. I love it because it just does not shut up flowering. In addition, it was the first David Austin I ever planted which began my true love affair and succeeding collection of his roses.
PAT AUSTIN
Name: It was named after David Austin’s wife, so it must be great.
Introduced: 1995.
Parentage: Graham Thomas x Abraham Darby.
Growth: Height 1.2m – 2m x Width 1m – 1.2m.
Flowers: Once you have seen this flower there is no going back. You will be totally addicted. The blooms are deeply cupped and seem to possess every shade of orange imaginable, from bright coppery orange, through to apricot, peach and tangerine, with the back of the petals a rich yellow, then the overall flower maturing into salmon with lovely tints of soft pink. Glorious in appearance, yet so perfectly subtle in its colouring. Just superb. Pure dynamite in any garden.
Fragrance: It is said it has a good tea fragrance but sadly for me, absolutely nothing, a total zilch. This is the only DA rose I recommend without a great fragrance, but the true magnificence of the blooms for me, overrides this deficiency.
Disease Resistance: The foliage is a star in itself with rich coppery plum purple, a stunning complement to the orange tones of the flowers. It is highly disease resistant.
Cut Flowers: Good
A great example of Pat Austin plantings can be found at the Bird Walker’s Garden at Black Mountain. A large circular garden bed is home to about a dozen of the rose, with the blue flowering and grey foliage of massed planted catmint billowing around their feet. A perfect complement to the purple foliage and orange toned flowers. Just stunning.
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It would be great, if you have your own Top Five David Austin Roses to continue the conversation and provide your own Top Five David Austin picks on my Facebook page, ‘Ned McDowell Gardens’.
My ‘Coming Very Soon’ rose blogs will include posts on
‘Understanding and Identifying Rose Fragrances,’
‘Easy Steps of Rose Pruning,’
‘How to Grow Great Roses’
‘My Top five Climbers,’
‘My Top five Floribundas,’
‘My Top Five Hybrid Teas,’
And individual posts on particular roses which are so great they deserve their own blog, for example, Madame Alfred Carriere.
Happy gardening and have fun in your own search for the perfect David Austin rose or ten.
Regards Ned McDowell.