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David Austin English Roses
An important segment of the garden rose story involves
David C.H. Austin (1926-2018), who, arguably, played
the most fundamental role in transforming the world
of roses. In the 1940s, when Austin was a teenager, he
started breeding shrub roses as a hobby to combine
the beauty and fragrance of Old Garden Roses with the
repeat-flowering ability and wide color range of Modern
Roses, such as hybrid teas and floribundas. In the early
1950s, this mission became his life's work, and the
cultivars he developed, along with his eldest son
David J.C. Austin, are known as English Roses.
David Austin Roses was founded 52 years ago, in 1970.
Austin's original focus was breeding shrub roses for the
garden, but in the early 1990s, he developed a breeding
program for cut English Roses. e first floristry roses
were introduced commercially in 2004 and included the
headline varieties of 'Juliet' (Ausjameson) and 'Patience'
(Auspastor), which have now been joined by new
heroines including 'Leonora' (Auswagsy) and 'Eugenie'
(Ausimage) as part of today's 16-strong collection called
David Austin Wedding & Event Roses.
What makes a cut David Austin English Rose different
from all other roses? One characteristic is that a
David Austin cut rose grows in the vase from tight
bud to charismatic bloom, showcasing her numerous
petals. is evolution mimics the same transformation
that happens in the garden. is was quite a new
phenomenon in the cut rose industry at the time, which
had previously been dominated by hybrid tea roses.
