Born on a farm in Albrighton, England, situated in the West Midlands, David Austin As a teenager in the 1940s, he was already fascinated by roses. When he received the book Old Garden Roses from his sister for his 21st birthday, A.EWhen he became interested in Bunyard, he decided to turn his interest into action. Modern hybrid, repeat-flowering tea roses were becoming increasingly popular at the time, while Austin wasn't impressed with their qualities. In his opinion, modern roses lacked sufficient fragrance. David preferred the scent and colors (primarily white, blush, pink, and soft red) of antique rose varieties and English roses and came up with the idea of ​​creating a completely new variety: a rose with the beauty and fragrance of old roses and the advantages and strong qualities of modern roses. Over the following decades, he perfected this idea in hundreds of beautiful rose varieties that combine the fragrance and charm of old roses with the resilience and long bloom time of modern roses. Thus it all began for the English rose grower, and the English rose was born.

With the idea of ​​crossing old roses with modern roses, David Austin started with Gallica roses (Rosa Belle Isis) and modern floribunda roses (Rosa Dainty Maid). Gallica roses are descended from Rosa gallica, and floribunda means profusely flowering. Among the seedlings were vigorous, short-flowering shrub roses with large pink flowers and a strong, sweet fragrance. Austin showed the new cultivar to his friend and legendary horticulturist, Graham Thomas, who then showed the English rose to the renowned Hillings Nursery. Impressed by its beauty, fragrance, and robust qualities, they decided to cultivate the English rose. An English rose often has a delightful fragrance. These wonderfully fragrant flowers sometimes have very double blooms and sometimes bushy growth. People also know the English rose for its vigorous growth.

When Austin introduced the light pink, beautifully double English rose Constance Spry in 1963, it marked his breakthrough. At a time when landscape architects and gardeners were ignoring antique roses, the presentation of this myrrh-scented English rose attracted so much attention that it sparked a new trend. Austin's innovative rose varieties were embraced by the community and quickly defined the new face of English gardens. The English rose thus has a rich history.

In the decades that followed, Austin continued to perfect his "new old roses." There are now approximately 200 of them in the register, and his roses are cultivated under license by growers worldwide. Some varieties are so exceptional that they take ten years to perfect, and as many as 120,000 are cultivated before Austin releases them for sale. An English rose is perfect for every garden!

Rose lovers from around the world visit his rose garden in Albrighton annually, which, under the creative direction of his wife Pat, presents a beautiful display of his roses combined with other plants and sculptures. Austin has received several awards throughout his life, including the Victoria Medal of Honour in 2003. All our English roses are delivered directly from the rose nursery.

David Austin's English Roses are notable for their beautiful names such as Constance Spry, a Shropshire Lad, Rhapsody in Blue or L.DBraithwaite. Austin liked to name the roses after important people who had remained faithful to the beauty of old roses.

Constance Spry is a prime example. The English landscape architect shared her love of roses with garden lovers in the postwar years. A lover of literature, Austin also liked to name his roses after writers who inspired him.

Sometimes he named an English rose after important Shakespearean characters, others after the surrounding British landscape, castles, royalty, and notables. So the beauty goes beyond the English rose.

If you want to plant an English rose in front of your house and don't have a front garden, removing a few paving stones is an easy solution. Some cities encourage the creation of facade gardens. Keep in mind that the rose grows deep, so make sure you dig a sufficiently deep hole with good soil.

Allow the climbing rose to grow vigorously for the first two years and fertilize it with (organic) fertilizer in spring before flowering. Cut off spent flowers and, when pruning, create a nice structure with a few large main branches. Cut back the shoots in winter to about ten centimeters from the main branch. This ensures that the English rose blooms for a long time and has a wonderfully strong fragrance.

For over forty years, Belle Epoque has specialized in the most beautiful climbing roses. English roses by David Austin, but also many other renowned European brands such as the French Meilland and German CorpsWith us, you can buy the most beautiful English roses for your garden. We have large-flowered roses with fragrant blooms, soft pink flowers, cup-shaped flowers, and old historic roses.

Order your English roses or David Austin roses from Belle Epoque. We ship to all European countries, but often to the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany. Buy English roses directly from the nursery now.