New English roses for 2014 - By David Austin Roses

This year we are pleased to be introducing three new English Roses for the 2014/15 season. Our new varieties are ‘Olivia Rose Austin’, a great all-rounder that combines beauty and fragrance with superb health and ‘The Lady of the Lake’, which is only the fourth repeat flowering rambler to be added to our English Rose collection. We are particularly excited about our third new rose, ‘The Poet’s Wife’, as it is the first yellow rose we have introduced for over 10 years.

David Austin still has an unwavering passion for developing the English Roses and is continually striving to recapture the essence and beauty of the rose. For the past 15 years he has also concentrated on improving the health of his roses and, we are pleased to say, the English Roses have made great strides forward in this area without compromising his original vision.

THE POET’S WIFE (David Austin 2014, Auswhisper)

(English Old Rose Hybrid)

This rose fits in well with our English Old Rose Hybrids, even though it has a little of the Leander group in its genetic make-up. This shows up in its rather shiny foliage. 

It is a superb rose with flowers of an unfading, strong yellow. Their formation is most pleasing, having a neat outer ring of petals enclosing an informal group of petals within. The growth is low and naturally rounded, making it an ideal rose for a position towards the front of the border. There is a rich fragrance with strong lemon tints at first, becoming sweeter and stronger with age.

OLIVIA ROSE AUSTIN (David Austin 2014, Ausmixture)

(English Leander Hybrid)

We have named this rose after the daughter of David Austin Junior, so it has to be something rather special! It is, in fact, possibly the best rose that we have introduced to date. 

Its flowers are of beautiful Old Rose formation, commencing as prettily cupped buds and gradually opening to become shallowly cupped rosettes of three and a half inches across; being attractive at all stages. The colour is a lovely soft shade of pink and it has a strong, pleasing fragrance with distinct fruity tints. The growth is vigorous and it repeat flowers well. The foliage is of typical shiny Leander type. It is also one of the most disease-resistant of all the roses we know.

THE LADY OF THE LAKE (David Austin 2014, Ausherbert)

(English Rambler)

When a rose breeder introduces a new climbing or rambling rose, it is always difficult to say just what height it is going to achieve as it takes some time for it to reach its full potential. However, ‘The Lady of the Lake’ promises to grow to a considerable height, perhaps 10 or 12ft or more, with long and slender flexible stems, bearing sprays of pretty, semi-double flowers each about two inches across. These are of a lovely, delicate blush pink colour and are of open formation, exposing a nice boss of golden stamens. They are held in attractive sprays. This rose repeat flowers regularly throughout the summer.

The ‘Lady of the Lake’ is the name of the ruler of Avalon in the Arthurian legend. She also plays a pivotal role in Sir Walter Scott’s famous poem of the same name.