The Most Popular English Roses

British rose breeder David Austin creates some of the most beautiful flowers in the world. Find out which roses are most in demand in American gardens.

By: Lynn Coulter

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Photo By: Image courtesy of David Austin Roses

Photo By: Courtesy of David Austin Roses

Photo By: Image courtesy of David Austin Roses

'Golden Celebration'

'Golden Celebration' (Ausgold) features giant, full-petaled flowers.

'Graham Thomas'

'Graham Thomas' (Ausmas) is a very hardy rose with a deep, rich color named for influential gardener Graham Thomas.

'Claire Austin'

'Claire Austin' (Ausprior) has a strong myrrh fragrance with touches of meadowsweet, vanilla and heliotrope. David Austin Roses calls it their "finest white rose to date." It is named for David Austin’s daughter Claire.

'Lichfield Angel'

'Lichfield Angel' (Ausrelate) is an almost pure white rose that does well in borders and has a light clove fragrance.

'Lady Emma Hamilton'

'Lady Emma Hamilton' (Ausbrother), pictured here with lavender, has a distinctive and unusual tangerine color when fully open.

'Munstead Wood'

'Munstead Wood' (Ausbernard) features deep crimson roses and an Old Rose fragrance. The hardy, medium-sized shrubs are named after famed gardener and author Gertrude Jekyll’s garden in Survey.

'Lady of Shalott'

'Lady of Shalott' (Ausnyson) is called one of the most robust and hardy roses in the David Austin collection.

'James Galway'

'James Galway' (Auscrystal) is an almost thornless rose with a warm pink color shading to a pale pink.

'Queen of Sweden'

'Queen of Sweden' (Austiger) is a soft pink rose with hints of apricot with a formal form to its blossom.

'Darcey Bussell'

'Darcey Bussell' (Ausdecorum) is named for a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet and is one of Austin's favorite red roses.

Rosa 'Brother Cadfael'

The large, clear pink flowers of ‘Brother Cadfael’ may remind you of peonies and have a rich Old Rose perfume. This rose is named for the hero of the Ellis Peters detective stories, set in Shropshire, home of the David Austin Roses nursery.

'Crown Princess Margareta'

'Crown Princess Margareta' features a strong, fruity fragrance and is named for Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden, granddaughter of Queen Victoria and an accomplished gardener.

'Charlotte'

'Charlotte' (Auspoly) has a Tea Rose fragrance and is dedicated to one of David Austin's granddaughters.

Rosa 'Lady of Megginch'

Pretty, rounded buds open to large, full, deep rose pink flowers on these medium-sized plants. It’s a vigorous bloomer that can be pruned or allowed to grow into a tall, bushy shrub. The fragrance is fruity and Old Rose, with a hint of raspberry. It’s named for the late Baroness Strange, a rose gardener who made her home in Scotland’s Megginch Castle.

'Tranquillity'

'Tranquillity' (Ausnoble) is a creamy white rose and boasts a light apple fragrance.

'Christopher Marlowe'

This short to medium-sized shrub rose opens intense, orange-red blooms that pale to salmon pink on the edges as the flowers mature. Named for an Elizabethan playwright and poet, the roses have a tea fragrance with a hint of lemon.

'Princess Alexandra of Kent'

'Princess Alexandra of Kent' (Ausmerchant) is named for Princess Alexandra, cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, and an avid gardener.

'Lady Emma Hamilton'

‘Lady Emma Hamilton’ produces dark red buds backed with splashes of orange. When the flowers fully open, they become tangerine orange inside. Their perfume is a strong, fruity mix of pear, grape, and citrus. The rose, named for Horatio Nelson’s lover, celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

'Wollerton Old Hall'

'Wollerton Old Hall' (Ausblanket) features a distinctive myrrh scent and a rounded chalice shape.

'Teasing Georgia'

Available as a climber or a medium-sized shrub, ‘Teasing Georgia’ produces deep yellow flowers that fade to pale yellow with a beautiful two-tone effect. The disease resistant bushes are named for two well-known media personalities in Germany, Ulrich and Georgia Meyer. The pleasant Tea Rose scent is medium-strong.

'Benjamin Britten'

'Benjamin Britten' (Ausencart) has a strong salmon-pink color and is named for the famous English composer, conductor and performer.

'Boscobel'

'Boscobel' (Auscousin) is very hardy and has a myrrh fragrance with notes of elderflower, pear and almond.

'Gertrude Jekyll'

Winner of the 2002 James Mason Award from the Royal National Rose Society, this rose is described as having the quintessential Old Rose fragrance and is named for a famous garden designer.

'Royal Jubilee'

Like other roses in the English Alba group, ‘Royal Jubilee’ has a light, airy, vigorous growth habit that works well in borders. The big, semi-doubled flowers are a deep, velvety pink held against glossy, grey-green foliage. These repeat-flowering shrubs grow to 5’ tall by 3’ wide and have very few thorns. There’s a note of blackcurrants in the flowers’ fruity fragrance.

'The Lark Ascending'

This rose’s light perfume changes as the flowers age, opening with Tea Rose and ending as myrrh. The shrubs grow up to 5’ tall and 3’ wide, making them a good addition to mixed perennial borders. The loosely cupped petals are a soft apricot color and have darker, golden-apricot stamens.

'Heathcliff'

'Heathcliff' produces scarlet, fully doubled flowers that open to a rosette shape.The plants grow approximately 3 ½’ tall by 3’ wide, with shiny, deep green foliage. This variety has an unusual perfume that combines a Tea Rose scent with the fragrance of Old Roses; there’s an undertone of earthy, dry cedar.

Renowned Rose Grower David Austin

Renowned Shropshire, England rose breeder David Austin pictured at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show. David Austin Roses, which was founded in the 1960s emphasizes fragrant, lush Old English roses.

The Most Popular English Roses

Related To:

Shop This Look

'Golden Celebration'

'Graham Thomas'

'Claire Austin'

'Lichfield Angel'

'Lady Emma Hamilton'

'Munstead Wood'

'Lady of Shalott'

'James Galway'

'Queen of Sweden'

'Darcey Bussell'

Rosa 'Brother Cadfael'

'Crown Princess Margareta'

'Charlotte'

Rosa 'Lady of Megginch'

'Tranquillity'

'Christopher Marlowe'

'Princess Alexandra of Kent'

'Lady Emma Hamilton'

'Wollerton Old Hall'

'Teasing Georgia'

'Benjamin Britten'

'Boscobel'

'Gertrude Jekyll'

'Royal Jubilee'

'The Lark Ascending'

'Heathcliff'

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