The English Old Rose Hybrid Roses

While David Austin’s English Roses have many characteristics, the group known as the Old Rose Hybrids favor the Old Roses in habit. Here are some favorite named roses and their characteristics.

‘Darcy Bussell’ – New for 2008. A short, shrubby rose perfect for the front of a bed or border or planted in a large container the Darcy Bussell has deep, mauve crimson flowers. Rosette roses with a sweet, fruity fragrance are only moderate in size but are free flowering on the shrub throughout the growing season. This would make a great addition to a perennial fragrance garden.

‘Eglantyne’ – Introduced in 1994 this light pink rose is still one of the most popular English Roses and has rosette flowers that are scented in a sweet Old Rose fragrance. The Eglantyne rose bush is a medium sized shrub with upright growth.

‘Falstaff’ – The Falstaff rose was introduced in 1999 and is still one of the nicest crimson English Roses as red can be a difficult color to breed in roses and still keep good form and growth. A bushy rose, Falstaff will serve as a small climber or perform well in a mixed border with lovely foliage and full, upright growth. Deep to mauve-crimson roses are shallow cup-shaped and scented with Old Rose fragrance.

‘Jude the Obscure’ – This English Rose is a soft yellow color that still retains Old Rose characteristics such as large flowers, strong fragrance and strong bushy growth. The fragrance of this English Rose is that of fruit and the shrub is rather short making it excellent for the front of borders.

‘Mary Rose’ – Mary Rose is an English Rose that has actually been the parent of two other English Rose varieties as well in the form of sports that have developed. Mary Rose is a medium sized shrub with flowers that are a pure pink color and have a honey-scented Old Rose fragrance. One sport named ‘Redouté’ has light pink roses with a pale, clear color and the other sport currently in production is ‘Winchester Cathedral’ with pure white roses.

‘Mary Magdalene’ – Another Old Rose Hybrid rose that has more modern coloration, the Mary Magdalene rose has a soft apricot and pink colored flower with a tea fragrance. Long, arching branches in a more open Old Rose growth habit, The English Roses suggests that this rose will appreciate a little extra feeding through the growing season.

‘The Herbalist’ – One of the few semi-double varieties in the English Old Rose Hybrid Group, this rose bush grows in a low, bushy habit that is great for a mixed, perennial border. ‘The Herbalist’ has bright pink flowers with a light fragrance and repeat flowers very well.

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