Rose Alnwick Castle

Rose variety with exceptionally attractive and strong rounded shrub form. Its flowers are deeply cupped and incurved when just opened, gradually unfurling to reveal attractively folded petals with a bright yellow filaments in the center. The color is soft pink and tends to have lilac shades in colder weather. The fragrance add to the charm of this rose, it has strong Old rose character with a hint of a raspberry.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

FLOWER
Rose variety ‘The Alnwick Rose’ has recurrent blooming habit, flowers from summer until the frosts. The number of blooms per plant during the growing season is profuse, they are simply too many to count.

Flower bud:
The flower bud is medium sized; the form is globular. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is bright pink. When half opened, the colour becomes much lighter deep pink, with slightly darker reverse side of the petals.

Sepals are regularly arranged. The sepals are medium sized, they have subulate shape, the margin is slightly canescent and the surface texture on the upper surface is pubescent and on the lower surface is smooth. The color of the upper surface of the sepals is greyed-green and the lower surface is medium green. There are 3 normally appendaged sepals and 2 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacles have medium green colour. The shape of the receptacle is campanulate and the surface texture is smooth.

The peduncle is long and strong. The surface of the peduncle is smooth and the colour is medium green colour, often suffused with brown red tint.

Bloom:
The flowers are medium sized, average open diameter is about 9 cm (3.5 inches). They are very full and borne singly or in small clusters of 5-10 blooms. The flowers upon opening have a deep cupped shape. As the flower fully opens the flower form persists, becomes more open.

Upon opening the flowers have soft pink colour, with slightly darker shade of pink on the reverse side. As flower ages the colour becomes lighter, almost light pink, often with lilac undertones before the end.

The flowers last on a plant about 3 to 4 days under normal growing conditions. The lasting qualities of ‘The Alnwick Rose’ have not been tested yet.

Petals:
Petals have smooth and satiny texture. The surface of the petals is smooth; they have an obovate shape with notched margin and are slightly incurved. The base is pointed, and the apex has a slightly emarginate shape.

Fragrance:
‘The Alnwick Rose’ has a very rich fragrance with medium to strong Old rose character, and a hint of raspberry.

PLANT
The rose variety ‘The Alnwick Rose’ classified as a Shrub rose and part of David Austin’s English Rose collection. The growth is strong and vigorous. This rose forms from medium to large plants, with very upright, bushy, and rounded shape of the bush, which is perfect for planting as a hedge. The mature and well-established plant reaches the height from 120 to 150 cm (3ft – 4ft) and the width varies from 90 to 120 cm (3ft – 4ft).

Foliage:
There is a normal quantity of leaves on this variety. The number of leaflets on a normal mid-stem leaves is 5, including terminal leaflet. The leaves are large and have semi-glossy appearance. The new foliage on the upper side is yellowish green with red-purple around the margin; the lower side is yellow green with red tinge. The mature foliage has green colour on the upper side and greyed-green colour on the lower side.

Leaflets:
The leaflets have oval shape with obtuse base shape and cuspidate apex. The leaflet texture is leathery, edges are serrated, the type of serrations is single and medium.

Wood:
The new wood has medium green colour with purple reddish tint and smooth bark. The old wood is gray-green, the bark is smooth with some rough patches.

Prickles:
There are normal quantity of prickles on the main canes from base. The number of prickles on the laterals from main canes are few. The prickles are hooked downward. The colour when young are brown purple and the colour when mature is dark brown.

Disease resistance:
The variety showed good disease resistance to blackspot, botrytis and rust. In colder and wet climates somewhat susceptible to mildew. Pest resistance has not been tested.

The variety is suitable for growing in a garden, suitable for growing in climate zones similar to USDA 5 and warmer without winter protection, in colder climates requires winter protection.

Unfortunately we do not have information about the origin of the name of this rose.

English Shrub Rose

Named for the Duchess of Northumberland, who has created one of the most impressive large gardens of our time at Alnwick Castle, which includes a magnificent display of English Roses.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY
The rose variety ‘Ausgrab’ / ‘The Alnwick Rose’ was originated by David Austin by crossing the an unnamed, unpatented seedling with the variety ‘Ausgold’ / ‘Golden Celebration’.

USDA zone 5 and warmer