Rose Comte de Champagne

'Comte de Champagne' is a distinctive and elegant English rose that brings light, warmth, and fragrance to the garden. Its medium to large blooms open from soft yellow buds into perfect, open cups of pale apricot yellow, fading almost to porcelain tones on the outer petals while revealing a rich “mop” of deep golden stamens at the center. This natural color progression creates a beautiful range of hues on the bush at one time, giving it a luminous, ever-changing presence. The fragrance is deliciously honeyed with Musk notes, enhancing its old-rose charm. With its free-flowering, healthy habit and gently spreading yet bushy growth, it makes a graceful focal point or a refined addition to mixed borders.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

FLOWERING

The rose variety 'Comte de Champagne' has a very good repeat flowering habit. It blooms profusely in flushes with short breaks from summer until frosts. The number of blooms per plant of this rose during the growing season is profuse, but there are too many to count.

The flower buds of 'Comte de Champagne' are medium-sized, have an ovoid shape with pointed tip, when the sepals first divide, the bud color is light apricot to yellowish and occasionally exhibit a reddish flush on the outer sepals. When half open, the lower sides of the petals are light apricot or light yellow fading to cream closer to the edges.

Flowers of this rose are medium-sized, the average diameter of the open flowers is about 7 cm (2.75") when fully open. The shape of the flowers at first is almost globular, deeply cupped; when they fully open they form a perfect cup, with just outer petals reflex slightly and reveal a central boss of stamens of deep golden-yellow, highly visible and attractive to bees.This feature is not merely aesthetic but serves a significant ecological function by providing accessible pollen to various pollinators. The flowers are semi-double, have about 16 - 20 petals per flower, the petals have silky and very soft texture.

The flowering of the rose variety 'Comte de Champagne' is also known for its high degree of color variability, a phenomenon often referred to as shading or fading in horticultural literature. They typically start from golden-apricot colour slowly aging to pale primrose yellow, and finally to a porcelain white or soft greyish-cream. As the season progresses and the nights become colder, the flowers of this rose tend to display more of the pure apricot colours, while yellowish shades are substituted with more cream-grayish shades. Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers of this rose variety.

The petals of this rose variety have good self-cleaning quality, they normally drop off cleanly from the plants. Under normal climate conditions the petals last fairly short, on the plant they last for about 3 - 5 days, as a cut flower their lastingness had not been tested. If not deadheaded timely, the subsequent flowers produce showy, and bright red, decorative hips formed until autumn which persist into the winter.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Comte de Champagne' is medium, with prominent Musk character and honey tones.

PLANT

The rose variety 'Comte de Champagne' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character of this rose is moderately vigorous with an upright but spreading habit, filling out the space right to the ground. The mature and well-established plants of this rose variety in optimal conditions reach an ultimate height of 120 - 140 cm (4’ - 4' 7") and a spread of approximately 120 - 140 cm (4' to 4' 7").

While David Austin Roses identifies this variety as suitable for shady areas, it is still suggested that full sunlight is necessary for optimal bloom production and disease prevention. In partial shade, the plant may become more leggy and less resistant to fungal pathogens.

Rose 'Comte de Champagne' remains a highly valued variety for both professional landscape designers and home gardeners seeking a variety that balances historical charm with modern reliability. Its primary strengths lie in its exceptional color dynamism, its high pollinator value, and its robust, bushy growth habit. However, growers should be mindful of its tendency to fade rapidly in extreme heat. For best results, 'Comte de Champagne' should be sited in a position with full sun and excellent air circulation, in nutrient-rich soil that is consistently moist. Its historical connection to the Maison Taittinger and the Crusader legends of Provins adds a layer of narrative richness that makes it a centerpiece variety in any "Old rose" or "Ecological" rose garden.

Foliage:

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 5 to 7, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is medium sized and semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is small and single.

The colour of the foliage when mature is medium green, and new growth and foliage is heavily flushed with burgundy-red, particularly early in the season and before each subsequent flowering flush. Unlike many hybrid roses that offer little fall interest, 'Comte de Champagne' foliage can turn a "brick red" in autumn.

Prickles:

There is a normal quantity of prickles present on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety. The prickles are sharp, and primarily brick-red in colour, adding an interesting visual and tactile dimension to the landscape.

Small prickles:

Under normal growing conditions the small prickles are not present on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety.

Disease resistance:

The variety is generally resistant to Black Spot (Diplocarpon rosae), downey mildew (Peronospora species) and rust (Phragmidium mucronatum), but may show susceptibility under high-pressure conditions or in crowded borders with poor air circulation. In colder climates and in regions with high humidity it can be affected with powdery mildew (Podosphaera pannosa).

In terms of pest resistance as most roses it is susceptible to rose aphids, leaf-rolling sawflies, and leaf-cutter bees. The open form of the flower makes the reproductive organs particularly accessible to both beneficial pollinators and certain pests like the Japanese beetle.

This rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 6 (UK H6 rating Standard) and requires winter protection in more colder climates. For rosarians in colder climates (Zones 4 - 5), winter protection (mounding or wrapping) is strongly advised to prevent cane dieback.

In 2001, Claude Taittinger, then Director of Maison Taittinger, commissioned David Austin to select a rose variety that would serve as a living companion to the house’s prestigious Comtes de Champagne cuvée. The name commemorates Thibaut IV (1201 - 1253), the Count of Champagne and Brie, known as le Chansonnier (the Songwriter), who was a celebrated poet and figure of the Seventh Crusade.

Historical accounts and local legends in Provins, France, suggest that Thibaut IV introduced Rosa gallica ‘Officinalis’ (the Apothecary’s Rose) to Europe upon his return from Damascus in 1250. While botanical evidence regarding the exact introduction of R. gallica is subject to scholarly debate, the cultural resonance of this legend remains a cornerstone of the identity of 'Ausufo' / 'Comte de Champagne', which seeks to replicate the open, simple beauty of these ancient varieties while providing modern repeat-flowering capabilities.

'Coniston' is a secondary trade name, occasionally used in specific UK/EU markets.

English Shrub Roses

Australia - Certificate of Merit, Australian National Rose Trials, 2006.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety 'Ausufo' / 'Comte de Champagne' originated by David Austin by crossing the unnamed rose seedling with the English shrub rose variety 'Austamora' / 'Tamora'.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

The choice of 'Tamora' as a pollen parent is significant. 'Tamora' is a compact, highly fragrant English rose with distinct apricot tones and a similar density of prickles. It is known for its intense myrrh scent and strong repeat-flowering habit. The genetic contribution of 'Tamora' is evident in 'Ausufo' / 'Comte de Champagne's color palette, thorniness, and plant profile.

USDA 6