A Message from Our Rose Experts: Honouring Our Classics, Championing the Future
You have likely arrived here from a product page carrying a special note from our rose experts. The varieties that feature this message are the cherished classics we wish to discuss. First and foremost, we want to say that your appreciation for these roses is shared by all of us here. They hold a special place in horticultural history, and their unique charm is undeniable.
Our Unwavering Commitment: Your Garden's Success
While we celebrate our past, our primary mission has always been to provide you with roses that will not only survive, but truly thrive in your garden. A modern garden faces modern challenges, from changing climate patterns to new strains of disease. Our core promise to you is that a rose from our collection represents the very best in health, reliability, and garden performance available today.
For this reason, we must be transparent: the classic roses that carry the cautionary message on their product page do not offer the same level of disease resistance or the vigorous repeat-flowering found in our more modern introductions.
We Love These Roses, Too
We understand the deep connection many gardeners have with these classic varieties. For many, they evoke cherished memories or represent a specific beauty that is hard to replicate. We agree. Each one was, in its time, the pinnacle of rose breeding, celebrated for its unique character, colour, or fragrance.
Our decision to re-introduce a small number of them is born from a desire to honour this heritage and to serve the passionate gardeners who understand their history.
Our Guarantee of Authenticity
If you intend to buy one of these classic varieties, we strongly recommend buying these roses directly from us. Purchasing these particular varieties directly ensures you receive a genuine David Austin rose, grown and supplied to our high standards, true to the correct variety, and fully covered by our 5-Year Guarantee.
We are also best-placed to give honest and practical advice on the limitations of these varieties and the extra care required.
The Science of a Superior Rose: Our Rigorous Trialling Process
Our confidence in our 'Gold Standard' varieties comes from one of the most rigorous testing programs in the world. It’s a process of constant improvement that never stops.
- Before Introduction: Every new rose we consider for launch undergoes years of intensive trials in our fields. We test them for everything: disease resistance, flower form, continuity of bloom, fragrance, health, and overall vigour. We are uncompromising in our standards, and only a tiny fraction of the thousands of seedlings trialled will ever be deemed worthy of introduction.
- After Introduction: Our work doesn’t stop at launch. We continue to monitor all our varieties, including our established classics, to see how they adapt to changing conditions. This ongoing assessment ensures that the roses we champion continue to meet our ever-improving standards for garden performance. It is through this long-term observation that we can identify which varieties remain robust and which are beginning to be surpassed by newer, more resilient cultivars.
A Transparent Choice for Your Garden
By making a limited quantity of these classic roses available, we are giving you a transparent choice for your garden.
- For the Classic Collector: If you are an experienced gardener who understands the specific needs of a classic rose and are prepared to manage its shortcomings for the reward of its unique beauty, then we are delighted to give you this opportunity to grow a piece of our shared history.
- For the Modern Gardener: If you desire a garden filled with abundant, healthy, and trouble-free roses that you can plant with absolute confidence, we encourage you to explore our Top Performing Roses collection. These varieties are the stunning result of decades of dedicated breeding and will reward you with exceptional performance.
Whatever you choose, we are here to support your love of gardening and to continue our founder's mission: to breed and grow the most beautiful and healthy roses in the world.
With our very best wishes for your garden,
David Austin® Roses
These roses were retired because, over time, they no longer met the higher standards we set for health, disease resistance, and overall garden performance compared with our newer introductions. While still beautiful, they can be more prone to disease and require extra care to thrive.
Our reintroduced roses are grown in very small numbers and are only available as bare root plants during the bare root season (Autumn/Winter). They often sell out quickly. Once sold out, we would expect them to return in the next bare root season, subject to crop availability. The best way to check for stock is to visit our website at the start of the season. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer pre-orders, waiting lists, or email notifications for these varieties.
These older varieties can be more prone to disease, and there is a possibility it could spread if spores are already present in your garden. Good garden care can make a big difference. We suggest:
- Watering your roses at the base only, to prevent wet leaves becoming a perfect place for diseases to thrive
- Planting your roses with enough space to allow good airflow
- Feed your roses with balanced, slow-release fertiliser to encourage strong growth, including foliar feeds, liquid seaweed or rose tonics
- Keeping the area tidy, removing fallen leaves and debris.
- Cleaning tools between plants to reduce the risk of spreading disease.
- Mulch in spring to help suppress fungal spores in the soil.
At the moment, these roses are available to UK customers only. We do have plans to make them available to our European customers in the future. Please keep an eye on our website at the start of the bare root season (Autumn/Winter), as this is when any available stock will be released.
Please visit our Contact us page for more ways to reach our team.
