When we picture allotments, most of us think of tidy rows of beans and brassicas, the glint of fruit cages, and perhaps a weathered shed with a kettle always warm. Roses are seldom part of that picture. Yet they deserve a place in such spaces, bringing scent, colour and gentle structure in ways that support both the eye and the ecosystem.

The Gertrude Jekyll^® rose is known and loved for its rich, classic fragrance and those beautifully shaped old-fashioned blooms. Though it began in England, gardeners in very different parts of the world have welcomed it into their gardens with equal affection. To celebrate this special rose, we reached out to growers in Japan, Italy and the United States to hear how Gertrude Jekyll^® grows and blooms in their own climates and garden styles.

In the quiet town of Woodbury, Connecticut, sits the Old Glebe House Museum, an 18th-century parsonage with a remarkable story to tell. Within its grounds lies something truly special: one of only three gardens in the United States designed by the legendary British plants woman, Gertrude Jekyll. It is also the only one fully realised according to her original plan.

Gertrude Jekyll. For many today, the name belongs to a rose - rich pink, deeply fragrant, always dependable. But long before it was attached to one of David Austin’s finest creations, it belonged to a woman whose influence shaped the English garden itself. She was not flamboyant, not loud, but she left an imprint that endures quietly in the folds of herbaceous borders and the soft haze of summer blooms.

It’s something that catches gardeners out time and again. A rose you’ve grown before, chosen for its particular shade, opens in a colour that seems unfamiliar. Maybe it’s paler. Maybe there’s a flush of pink where there wasn’t one before. Maybe the whole bloom looks like it belongs to another plant altogether.

Few roses are held in such regard as Gertrude Jekyll^® (Ausbord). Valued for its rich, mid-pink blooms and one of the strongest Old Rose fragrances in cultivation, it has become a familiar name among gardeners. Yet it is not only the scent that secures its place. This is a rose with structure, presence and the ability to draw planting together. It offers more than a single season’s beauty. It gives shape to the garden and settles easily among other plants, whether used in formal arrangements or in looser, more naturalistic schemes.

Growing a rose in a pot brings beauty right to the doorstep. Whether nestled against a garden bench, standing proudly on a sun-drenched terrace or softening the edge of a courtyard, container roses offer a graceful solution for smaller spaces. With the right care, they will flourish for many years to come.

There are roses one grows for colour, for form, for habit. And then there are those chosen simply for how they make the air feel. Rosa Gertrude Jekyll^® (Ausbord) is one of the latter. Not merely scented, but steeped in scent. Fragrance is its character, its memory, its presence in the garden long after the blooms are gone.

If you grow roses, you’ve likely heard about blackspot, that pesky fungal troublemaker that loves to spoil even the most beautiful bushes. It’s one of the most common problems gardeners face, and while it doesn’t kill your roses outright, it can really take the wind out of their sails if left unchecked.

This rose is not fussy. It grows well in many conditions but does best with at least four hours of sunlight a day. It tolerates some shade and suits almost any garden aspect, whether north, south, east or west, so long as the soil allows roots to breathe and does not stay soggy. To support healthy growth, mixing in some compost or well-rotted manure at planting helps enrich the soil and improve its texture.

As the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival drew to a close recently, reflections linger on days steeped in sunshine, heavy with scent, and warmed not only by the blazing summer heat but also by the shared joy of gardening.

In May 2025, Rosa Gertrude Jekyll^® (Ausbord) was named the “World’s Favourite Rose” by the World Federation of Rose Societies, a distinction awarded through a global vote involving rose lovers from 40 countries. This accolade celebrates a rose that has quietly yet firmly held a place in the hearts of gardeners for almost forty years.

From the kitchen window of Bowling Green House, the view is quiet but alive. Beyond the old glass panes, a narrow canal runs still beneath the branches of the weeping ash, its surface shifting with light and the soft wake of ducks. Native reeds and waterlilies fringe the banks, creating a scene that feels more discovered than designed. David C. H. Austin had it dug after admiring something similar in a friend’s garden. Here, it became the garden’s steady centre, a reflective ribbon running through the planting, anchoring moments of calm.