English roses: the most popular & beautiful varieties

Sabine
Sabine
Sabine
Sabine

I am currently studying agricultural and food economics. As a keen hobby gardener, plants take up most of my free time. A few years ago, I got especially interested in herbs, which is why I completed my studies to become a certified herbalist in 2018.

Favourite fruit: apples, cherries
Favourite vegetables: potatoes, fennel

English roses add a nostalgic charm to the garden. Here, we present 15 of the most beautiful classic varieties of English roses.

the shropshire lad englisch rose
The English rose ‘A Shropshire Lad’ echoes the collection of poems by A. E. Housman [Photo: Sokol Nina/ Shutterstock.com]

English roses, with their unusual names, belong to the premier class of roses (Rosa). In 1961, English rose breeder David Austin succeeded in breeding the first English rose, which combined the characteristics of old roses and modern rose varieties. Since then, new beautiful varieties from the David Austin House have been presented every year. The study of these old varieties of roses can quickly become a real hobby, you can often trace the pedigrees of each variety back to its beginnings. We have therefore summarised the most important information about David Austin roses in this article.

Below we will explain how English roses differ from other classes of roses. We also present the most beautiful varieties of English roses and tell you where you can buy the most beautiful specimens.

English roses: origin and properties

English roses are cross-breeds of various old roses, modern tea hybrids and floribunda roses. Briton David C. H. Austin, who died in 2018, bred his famous English roses from the 1960s. In doing so, he wanted to combine the qualities of beautiful, fragrant Old Roses with those of modern tea hybrids and floribunda roses, which are known for their remontage (second flowering in late summer) and wide range of colours. He was inspired by a book on Old Roses by British gardener George Bunyard and by rose grower James Baker, who was a friend of his father. His first major breeding success was with the ‘Constance Spry’ variety in 1961. Unfortunately, the ability to rebloom was not passed on and so it only flowered once. Austin did not achieve worldwide fame until 20 years later with the ‘Graham Thomas’ and ‘Mary Rose’ varieties.

The cupped or rosette-shaped flowers of English Roses are very similar to those of Old Roses. They are composed of numerous small petals and exude a delicate fragrance. English roses are also characterised by a natural shrubby growth with beautiful, bushy foliage. Smaller varieties are wonderful as bedding roses, but climbing roses can reach heights of up to 450 centimetres. Incidentally, Austin also counted the ‘Gruss an Aachen’ variety by German breeder Philipp Geduldig as an English Rose, due to its characteristics.

cream coloured english roses
The German cultivar ‘Gruß an Aachen’ from 1909 fulfils all the requirements of an English rose [Photo: Katarzyna Mazurowska/ Shutterstock.com]

The most beautiful varieties of English roses

There are a total of over 30,000 different rose varieties worldwide. Sometimes it is not so easy to keep track of all the different kinds. For your inspiration, we’d like to present a small selection of the most beautiful varieties of English roses below.

  • ‘Abraham Darby’: Double, cup-shaped flowers in apricot to yellow-orange; flowers more often; fruity fragrance with a tart base note; shrubby growth with overhanging shoots; reaches heights of up to 200 cm; medium foliage health; easy to care for and hardy
  • ‘A Shropshire Lad’: Double, cup-shaped peach-pink flowers; blooms more often; aromatic, fruity tea-rose fragrance; upright, bushy, climbing growth; very vigorous; grows up to 250 cm tall; almost thornless; good foliage health; hardy; suitable for rose arches and pergolas
  • ‘Benjamin Britten’: Named after the English composer; double flowers in salmon pink to red; flowers more often; strong, fruity fragrance; dense, vigorous bushy growth; grows to about 120 to 150 cm tall; good foliage health; rain-resistant and heat-tolerant; hardly any care required
round and red english rose
The variety ‘Benjamin Britten’ is quite undemanding and easy to care for [Photo: Marina Rose/ Shutterstock.com]
  • ‘Charles Rennie Mackintosh’: Double, lilac-pink flowers that later turn lilac; flowers more often; pleasant fragrance; bushy growth; grows to about 100 to 150 cm tall; good foliage health; suitable for partial shade; hardy; also ideal for container planting
  • ‘Constance Spry’: Double, cup-shaped flowers in pink with a light edge; single flowering; strong fragrance of myrrh; vigorous, upright, bushy growth (up to 280 cm tall); low foliage health; hardy; suitable as a hedge plant
  • ‘Emanuel’: Also known as ‘Crocus Rose’; rosette-shaped, apricot flowers with a creamy white edge; flowers more often; light fragrance of tea roses; bushy, compact habit; reaches growth heights of up to 140 cm; excellent foliage health
two bright pink english roses
‘Constance Spry’ is named after a pioneering florist [Photo: ZayacSK/ Shutterstock.com]
  • ‘Grace’: Medium-sized, double flowers in apricot; flowers more often; intense fragrance; upright, bushy growth; grows to about 80 to 100 cm tall; high foliage health; rain-resistant flowers; easy to care for; winter protection recommended
  • ‘Graham Thomas’: Double, cup-shaped flowers of strong yellow; flowers more often; intense fragrance of tea roses; vigourous, upright, bushy habit; reaches heights of up to 200 cm; medium foliage health; heat tolerant and winter hardy
  • ‘Heritage’: Double, light pink flowers; flowers more often; intense fragrance with hints of lemon and honey; well-branched, upright, bushy habit; reaches heights of up to 150 cm; medium foliage health; easy to care for; rain-resistant flowers; hardy
soft pink english rose
Use the beautiful rose ‘Heritage’ for creating bouquets and arrangements [Photo: finallast/ Shutterstock.com]
  • ‘Jubilee Celebration: Shrub rose with double, salmon-pink flowers; flowers more often; fruity fragrance with a delicate undertone of raspberry and lemon; well-branched, upright growth; reaches heights of up to 150 cm; good foliage health; winter protection advisable
  • ‘Mary Rose’: Double, medium-sized flowers in pink from May to September; fragrance of old roses, almonds and honey; shrubby habit; reaches heights of up to 150 cm; heat- and rain-resistant; low-maintenance cultivar
  • ‘Molineux’: Medium-sized, densely double flowers in rich yellow; flowers more often; intense fragrance; upright, bushy, uniform growth; grows to about 60 to 80 cm tall; robust variety with good health; suitable for planting individually and grouping
bright yellow molineux roses
The enchanting rose ‘Molineux’ has bright yellow flowers and an intense fragrance [Photo: kidae/ Shutterstock.com]
  • ‘Sharifa Asma’: An English rose with oriental flair; double, pale pink flowers with light, whitish edges; flowers more often; fruity scent of grapes and mulberries; low, upright growth; grows to about 80 to 100 cm tall; good foliage health; easy to care for and winter hardy
  • ‘Teasing Georgia’: Named after the wife of German presenter Ulrich Meyer; double, dark yellow flowers with a light edge; blooms more often; pleasant tea rose fragrance; vigorous, broad-bushy habit; grows to 100 to 150 cm tall; easy to care for and robust
  • ‘The Pilgrim: Densely double, yellow flowers in the centre, white on the outside; flowers more often; light fragrance with a hint of myrrh; compact, bushy growth; can reach a height of up to 350 cm with trellis; medium foliage health; hardy; also suitable for containers
white and yellow pilgrim roses
The flowers of ‘The Pilgrim’ rose display two colours [Photo: Marina Rose/ Shutterstock.com]

If we have given you a taste for roses and you’d like to plant more roses in your garden, here is a dedicated article on the most beautiful varieties of bedding roses, climbing roses & more.

Tip: For beautiful blooms, roses need enough nutrients. That is why we have developed our Plantura Rose Food with three-month slow-release effect, which contains all the necessary nutrients for roses.

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