David Austin was a famed rose breeder from England who is credited with the invention of the English rose. David Austin English Roses has left a permanent mark on horticulture.
Throughout his life, David Austin was responsible for hundreds of rose cultivars.
In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the first roses bred by David Austin, as well as must-knows that are specially catered to each variety.
1. Constance Spry Rose
Constance Spry rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, before 1960.
It is a cross between a repeat flowering and a non-repeat flowering rose.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Strong Myrrh Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft – 10ft | FLOWERING: Once Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Constance Spry rose is diverse in how it can be grown. Gardeners have a choice in raising their rose bush as a climber or as a shrub.
If you do opt to raise a climbing Constance Spry, then it would behoove you to start training your rose bushes. Secure the canes of your rose bush to a climbing structure using garden tape every 12 inches.
These David Austin English roses grow up to 10 feet in width, so they can be difficult to control in small places.
Constance Spry roses flower once in early summer, with no later blooms.
2. Chianti Rose
Chianti rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1965.
| COLOR: Purple | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Strong, Old Rose Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 5ft – 8ft | FLOWERING: Once-Blooming | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Chianti rose is one of the main foundation parents of the David Austin red English roses.
The Chianti rose is a once-blooming rose, which means that it will only yield flowers for a few weeks out of the year.
Make the most out of your blooming season by giving your Chianti roses a boost of nutrients that will help encourage strong, healthy flower development.
Select a rose-specific fertilizer that has a higher content of phosphorous, which is the element that promotes flower growth.
Avoid high nitrogen levels in fertilizer. While nitrogen is great for foliage growth, it inhibits flower production.
Even if it is a once-blooming rose, it produces a massive display of fine blooms that have a powerful old rose fragrance.
3. The Knight Rose
The Knight rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1969.
| COLOR: Dark Red | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Strong Damask Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 2ft – 3ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Knight rose is particularly interesting in that it was actually discontinued by David Austin himself.
As a result, this is a fairly rare variety of English rose and is sought-after amongst English rose collectors.
Because of its low growth, it is one of the shrub roses that can be grown very well in pots.
If you are fortunate enough to find a Knight rose, you’ll certainly want to give it the best care possible to ensure full, abundant blooms.
Part of maintaining a healthy rose bush is by giving it a good prune at the beginning of the year.
Pruning not only helps increase air circulation, but it encourages your plant to develop new growth.
At the beginning of spring, start by cutting away all dead or damaged wood.
Then, you may proceed to cut back any canes that cross over each other.
Depending on how warm your climate is, you may need to trim your bushes by at least 1/3.
4. The Squire Rose
The Squire rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1977.
| COLOR: Dark Red | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Strong, Old Rose Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Squire rose produces full blooms with w powerful old rose fragrance like no other red rose.
When planting multiple of these red rose bushes at once, it is important to properly space out your rose bushes.
Spacing your plants not only increases air circulation in between plants (which is a helpful disease deterrent), but it allows the root systems to develop without the hindrance of overlapping.
We recommend spacing out your rose bushes 3 to 4 feet apart from one another.
5. Wife Of Bath Rose
Wife of Bath rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1969.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Small To Medium | FRAGRANCE: Strong, Myrrh Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
It is a short pink rose bush, that blooms in flushes throughout the season.
The Wife of Bath rose is famous for being cold hardy and winter tolerant.
These David Austin English roses are capable of withstanding USDA zones as low as 6. We highly recommend growing these roses if you live in a colder climate.
Due to its small size, you can also grow your Wife of Bath roses in containers.
Container growing has many benefits. They are easier to overwinter and can be moved around depending on the weather conditions.
If you are growing container roses, it is important to add a few scoops of perlite into your soil mixture in order to increase drainage.
6. The Prioress Rose
The Prioress rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1969.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Strong Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Prioress rose is another early variety that had been discontinued by David Austin.
It is popular amongst rose gardeners who pride themselves on collecting different rose varieties.
The Prioress rose is one of the best David Austin light pink roses, useful to brighten up dark garden corners.
It has a strong, upright growth habit.
Even though it is discontinued, we still think that Prioress roses are a delightful cultivar of roses.
They are tolerable of a wide range of soil types and pH levels.
Not to mention that their presence attracts butterflies to the garden.
Its fragrance is a mix of Tea Rose and spice.
7. Canterbury Rose
Canterbury rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1969.
| COLOR: Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Large | FRAGRANCE: Mild Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft – 5ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
The Canterbury rose has large flowers that open wide, with petals of pure pink.
It has dark green foliage that has reasonable disease resistance.
The Canterbury rose has a very slow growth rate.
It could sometimes take years for a juvenile rose bush to produce flowers.
This is recommended to the most patient gardeners who don’t mind caring for a plant long-term.
Though rest assured that the wait will be worth it- Canterbury roses are absolutely gorgeous and the blooms can grow to be rather large.
8. The Yeoman Rose
The Yeoman rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1969.
| COLOR: Orange-Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Myrrh Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 3ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
If you love the fragrance and want to have a warm, sunny spot in your garden, Yeoman rose is a perfect choice!
Because of its long canes, the Yeoman rose variety is capable of being trained as a climbing rose. (Here are another 9 great David Austin climbing roses)
Yeoman rose flowers have a very fragrant aroma, so it is recommended to place your roses in a location that has heavy traffic.
For example, placing your roses near a patio would allow you to sit and enjoy the fragrant blooms of the Yeoman rose.
9. Dame Prudence Rose
Dame Prudence rose was bred by David C. H. Austin in United Kingdom, in 1969.
| COLOR: Light Pink | BLOOM SIZE: Medium | FRAGRANCE: Mild Fragrance |
| PLANT SIZE: 4ft – 6ft | FLOWERING: Repeat Flowering | PREFERRED LOCATION: Full Sun |
Dame Prudence rose has a slight susceptibility to common rose diseases, namely fungus, and mildew.
Controlling an existing case of fungus is difficult to heal, so your best course of action is to prevent the disease from ever happening.
The disease often arises from too much moisture on your foliage, so it is important not to get your leaves wet.
Of course, rain sometimes happens and it is inescapable, but you can minimize moisture exposure by watering your plants close to the base and avoiding overhead watering.
In addition, a yearly pruning regimen is essential for increasing the amount of airflow, which is known to reduce the appearance of wet foliage.
Conclusion
David Austin sadly passed away in 2018, but his contributions to rose cultivation live on.
Thanks to his lifetime of dedication to horticulture, David Austin is responsible for hundreds of roses, some of which are the most popular varieties on the market.
Of course, every legend has to start somewhere, and even David Austin’s earliest roses still have a mark on rose gardeners today.
