Shrub · Rosaceae
David Austin Rose
Rosa
The charm and scent of an old rose, with flowers that keep coming back from late spring all the way to frost.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
USDA 4–9
4–10 ft · 1.2–3 m
Overview
If you have ever wished for a rose that looks like it stepped out of a cottage garden, the David Austin English rose is a lovely place to begin. It blends the deep cupped and rosette blooms and sweet perfume of old garden roses with the repeat flowering and wider colors of newer ones. David Austin spent decades in England bringing these together, and you end up with a shrub that feels antique yet blooms over and over rather than just once.
Most of these roses are sturdy deciduous shrubs that settle in around 4 and 10 feet (1.2 to 3 m) tall, and a few will happily reach up a wall or fence like a gentle climber. Given full sun and reasonable soil, they cope well in many climates across USDA zones 4 to 9. The blooms arrive in waves from late spring until that first frost, so you have months of flowers to enjoy.
They do appreciate a touch more care than the toughest landscape roses, but none of it is difficult, and small mistakes are easy to recover from. A little breathing room, a morning drink at the base, and one yearly prune keep the usual fungal troubles at bay. Do those few kind things and you are rewarded with months of fragrant bloom from a plant that truly earns its spot.
Care
The short version: give them full sun and rich, well-drained soil, a deep morning drink once or twice a week, a balanced feed across the season, and one confident prune in late winter, and your roses will reward you with healthy, repeat blooms.
Light
These roses are happiest in full sun, ideally 6 or more hours a day, which helps them bloom freely and stay healthy. A little partial sun is fine, but in real shade you tend to see weaker growth, fewer flowers, and a lot more black spot and mildew, so brighter is kinder.
Water
Give a deep drink at the base 1 to 2 times a week instead of frequent sips, and the roots will learn to reach down where it counts. Water in the morning and try to keep it off the leaves, because damp foliage is what lets black spot and powdery mildew settle in.
Soil
They love fertile, humus-rich, well-drained loam, so work in plenty of compost before planting and they will thank you. A gently acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5 suits them nicely, and soil that drains freely keeps those roots from sitting in water.
Temperature
There is good news here, because these roses are both cold-hardy and heat-tolerant, coping with roughly -20°F to 95°F (-29°C to 35°C) across zones 4 to 9. That generous range is a big part of why English roses feel at home in so many gardens.
Humidity
Outdoors the humidity is simply whatever your weather brings, so there is no number you need to chase. What truly helps is good airflow, since crowded, damp leaves are exactly the conditions the common fungal diseases enjoy.
Feeding
Offer a balanced granular rose fertilizer like 10-10-10 or 8-8-8, beginning in spring once the first leaves unfurl. Feed again after each flush of blooms, then ease off about six weeks before your first frost so you are not coaxing tender new shoots out into the cold.
Pruning
Prune in late winter to early spring, and try not to be timid: shorten last season's growth by about a third, take out any dead or unhealthy stems, and remove a few of the oldest canes right at the base to wake up fresh growth. Keep snipping off spent blooms through the season and the plant happily keeps flowering.
Repotting
Most English roses live in the garden and are rarely repotted, so this is one less thing to fuss over. If you grow one in a pot, move it up a size when roots circle inside or peek through the drainage holes, water rushes straight through, or growth seems to stall.
Size & spacing
Expect each plant to reach 4 to 10 feet (1.2 to 3 m) tall and spread 3 to 4 feet (91 to 122 cm) wide. Give every shrub that much elbow room so air can drift through it freely, which makes disease far less likely to take hold.
When to plant
Roses like to go into the ground while they are resting and the soil is easy to work. Aim for early spring or fall, and simply avoid ground that is frozen, soggy, or bone-dry from drought. Plant then and the roots get comfortable before the shrub has to support leaves and flowers, after which it blooms in waves 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
Most rose troubles announce themselves on the leaves, and the common three are far gentler to prevent than to cure, so there is no need to feel anxious. Once you learn to spot the early hints, you can step in calmly before anything spreads. Find what matches below, then act while a little effort still goes a long way.
Clusters of red shoots, dense thorns, and warped flowers
Bunched red shoots in a witches-broom, oddly crowded thorns, and misshapen buds point to rose rosette disease, a virus carried by tiny eriophyid mites. This one is hard news, because there is no cure once a plant has it. Bag the foliage before you dig, then remove and destroy the whole plant with its roots, and clear away any wild multiflora rose nearby that gives the mites a home.
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
Those dark spots edged with yellow, followed by falling leaves, are black spot, the most common rose disease, a fungus that travels when foliage stays wet. It usually starts low and works its way up, dropping leaves as it climbs, but don't panic. Gently pick off the marked leaves, tidy up fallen debris, and water at the base in the morning so the foliage dries quickly.
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 dusty white film on the leaves and shoots is powdery mildew, which likes crowded, shady, humid corners. You may notice the young growth curling and warping as the fungus feeds, and that is your cue to help. Open the plant up with a thoughtful prune, ease back on the nitrogen that pushes soft growth, and reach for a labeled fungicide if it keeps creeping along.
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
Here is some reassurance for homes with pets and little ones: true roses are non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and the petals and hips are even good to eat. The only real concern is the thorns, which can scratch and prick, so handle the canes gently and slip on gloves before 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 your companion. The thorns are the real thing to watch, since they can scratch a curious cat or snag a paw.
Dogs Safe
A dog can chew the foliage with no risk of poisoning at all. Keep an eye on the canes instead, because the thorns scratch noses and paws, and a big mouthful of leaves might bring a passing spell of mild stomach upset.
Horses Safe
Horses graze roses with no toxic effect, and the petals and hips make a harmless little treat. Their only task is steering around the thorny stems.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can safely enjoy rose leaves, petals, and stems, and many keepers happily offer them as forage. The thorns are simply the one thing to strip off first.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep browse roses without any harm. The prickly canes are more of a nuisance to them than a real danger.
Birds Safe
Birds are not poisoned by roses, and many feed on the hips right through autumn and winter. Nothing on the plant needs to be kept away from them.
People Safe
Rose petals and hips are edible and safe to eat, with the hips a long-loved source of vitamin C. The thorns are the only hazard, so wear gloves and long sleeves whenever you prune.
Wear gloves and long sleeves when pruning or handling; thorns can scratch or puncture skin and pets.
Varieties
Over the years David Austin introduced hundreds of English roses, so there is plenty to fall for. These four are among the most beloved, and together they hint at the lovely range of color, shape, and scent the group is known for.
Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll is a vigorous favorite, carrying strongly fragrant rich pink rosettes packed with 50 to 80 petals, and you can keep it as a shrub or coax it up as a short climber.
Heritage
Heritage, which David Austin introduced in 1984, offers soft light pink cupped rosettes on stems that stay almost free of thorns, so it is a gentle one to handle.
Abraham Darby
Abraham Darby gives you big cupped blooms that drift from apricot pink to peach, along with a strong fruity scent you will notice across the garden.
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral is a white-flowered sport of the pink Mary Rose that keeps the very same generous repeat-blooming habit.
How to propagate
There are a few gentle ways to make more roses, from the careful budding nurseries trust to easier methods you can try at home. Pick the one that matches how much time and patience you feel like giving, and don't worry if your first attempt is a learning round.
GraftingDemanding
Summer (June T-budding) onto an established rootstock · One growing season
Grafting is how nearly every rose you buy comes to be, so it helps to know what is happening. A grower buds a single dormant bud onto a wild rose rootstock in summer, working in June, and the young plant fills out over the following growing season. Budding is quicker and cheaper than other graft methods, yet it takes a steady hand, so most home gardeners are glad to leave it to 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 are a friendly place to start, since they give you a plant identical to the parent and are well within reach at home. Take softwood cuttings from late spring through midsummer, or hardwood cuttings from November into February, using pieces with one to three nodes. Dip the base in rooting hormone and keep them under intermittent mist, and they root over several weeks to a few months.
LayeringModerate
Spring through summer · One growing season
Layering is the easiest route of all when a rose has a long, supple cane near the ground. Simply bend a low cane down in spring or summer and pin it to the soil so it roots while still joined to the parent. After a full growing season it has roots of its own, and you can gently cut it free.
Myths
David Austin English roses are antique heirloom roses.
They certainly look the part, but these are modern shrub roses, bred by David Austin from the 1960s onward. He paired the full many-petaled cupped and rosette flowers and rich scent of old garden roses with the repeat flowering and broader colors of modern ones, so you get that heirloom look without waiting all year for a single bloom.
Roses are poisonous to cats and dogs.
You can relax on this one, because true roses in the genus Rosa are listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. The thorns are the real worry, since they scratch and prick, not anything hiding in the petals or leaves. Just don't mix them up with so-called desert rose or moss rose, which are unrelated plants that do carry toxins.