Rose England's Rose

‘Ludlow Castle’ is a compact, repeat-flowering English shrub rose distinguished by full, rounded flowers that open in soft creamy yellow and gradually fade towards warm ivory. Its blooms are relatively modest in diameter but exceptionally full, appearing in generous clusters above a bushy plant with attractive, semi-glossy foliage. A fresh Tea-rose fragrance, recurrent flowering and resistance to the main foliar diseases give the cultivar practical as well as ornamental value. It is especially well suited to intimate borders, cottage gardens, courtyard plantings and small groups where its porcelain-like flowers can be appreciated at close range.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The cultivar represents a particularly compact interpretation of the English Rose ideal. It forms a comparatively contained, bushy plant, approximately 1 m tall, with flowers arranged in rounded clusters. Its visual character depends less upon the scale of an individual bloom than upon the accumulation of numerous very full, softly coloured flowers. Each bloom is built from a remarkably high number of petals, giving it a perfectly rounded, almost confectionery form while still retaining the cupped outline associated with old garden roses.

Within the broader range of English shrubs, ‘Ludlow Castle’ is distinctive for combining small-to-medium flowers with an exceptionally dense petal structure, compact growth and sizeable clusters. This makes it different from large-flowered yellow English Roses intended to provide a dramatic specimen shrub or climber. ‘Ludlow Castle’ has a quieter, more intimate ornamental presence: the massed flowering resembles a cluster of small ivory rosettes rather than a display of isolated exhibition blooms.

Although the cultivar is no longer among the most widely promoted David Austin introductions, it remains relevant for gardens in which restricted space, recurrent bloom and pale colouring are desirable. Its flowers associate easily with violet, blue, white, soft pink and silver-leaved plants. At the same time, the unusually detailed patent description gives the cultivar continuing importance to rosarians attempting to distinguish authentic ‘Ludlow Castle’ plants from the later, deep-pink rose sold under the name ‘England’s Rose’.

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Ludlow Castle' is provided with color descriptions using terminology of the The Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, except where common terms of color definition are employed. Phenotypic expression may vary with environmental, cultural and climatic conditions, as well as differences in conditions of light and soil.

FLOWERING

‘Ludlow Castle’ is a repeat-flowering shrub, established plants should give a main early-summer flush followed by renewed flowering in cycles, provided that spent clusters are removed and the plant receives adequate nutrition and watering.

The first flush is likely to produce the fullest and most unified display, with several buds opening together in rounded clusters. Later flowering may be more intermittent, particularly during drought, extreme heat or nutrient stress, but the cultivar’s cluster-bearing habit helps even a moderate number of flowering shoots create a generous effect.

The flowering effect is soft, young blossoms contain a creamy-yellow or pale apricot warmth, while older flowers become ivory or almost white. Consequently, a flowering cluster may display several related shades at once: deeper cream in newly opened centres, warm ivory in mature flowers and near-white outer petals in ageing blooms. This gradual fading gives the shrub depth and prevents a mass planting from appearing uniformly flat.

Regular deadheading is particularly useful because the petals were formally observed to remain attached and dry on the plant rather than falling cleanly. Removing entire spent clusters above a strong outward-facing leaf improves appearance and helps direct energy towards new flowering shoots.

Flower bud:

The flower bud is broad at its base and pointed towards the tip, measuring approximately 1.9 - 2.5 cm (¾–1 in) in length and in diameter as the petals begin to unfurl. When the sepals first divide, the visible flower is a clear light yellow (RHS Group 11B). As the bud opens to approximately one-quarter, the outer and upper petal surfaces become paler, while the central and basal areas retain somewhat stronger yellow colouring. The colour transition goes through light yellow (Group 8D) on the upper portion of a petal, the middle portion is light yellow (Group 8C) with a base spot of medium yellow (Group 8B). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are light yellow (Group 8D) and medium yellow (Group 12B) in veins and the lower sides of the petals are light yellow orange (Group 19B). At half-opening, warm yellow-orange or pale apricot tones may be noticeable on the petal reverses.

The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is smooth on the upper surface and smooth on the lower surface. The colour on the upper surface is medium green (Group 144A) with a reddish tinge of brown red (Group 180A). There are 3 normally appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacle is medium green (Group 144A), funnel shaped, slender and has a smooth surface. The size of the receptacle is medium, about 0.6 cm long and about 1.2 cm (¼–½ in) in diameter.

The peduncle averages about 4.8 cm (1.9 in) long and holds the developing flower erect, the surface is smooth when young, but quickly develops fine prickles. The colour of the peduncle is light green (Group 144B).The sturdy, upright support of the buds helps the clusters remain visible above the foliage.

The opening of the flower buds is gradual. The pointed bud broadens into a rounded cup, after which the outer petals begin to curve backwards while the inner petals retain their densely folded arrangement. In persistent rain, the very high petal count may make the flowers more vulnerable to delayed opening or balling than a simpler rose, although observations confirm that this happens seldomly with the flowers of this rose variety.

Bloom:

The fully developed and opened flower is medium to relatively small by English Rose standards, averaging approximately 6 cm (2¼ in) in diameter in the patent observations. It is, however, exceptionally full, with an average of about 118 petals. The combination of moderate diameter and very high petal count produces the cultivar’s characteristic tightly rounded, richly furnished appearance.

The newly opened flower is cupped and nearly circular in outline. As it expands, the outer petals reflex or curl backwards, while the central petals remain more tightly folded and quilled. The arrangement is irregular, the bloom may therefore appear as a compact old-fashioned rosette without consistently forming the button-eye in the centre, a distinct trait seen in some Bourbon, Damask Perpetual and English Rose varieties.

Flowers are normally produced in small to medium-sized clusters, with four to fourteen blooms together. Some individual flowers may occur, especially on young or lightly branched shoots, but the characteristic garden effect is cluster-flowered. The flowering stem has normal strength, short, of about 20 cm long. Because the blooms open at slightly different times, a cluster commonly contains pointed buds, rounded cups and fully expanded ivory flowers simultaneously.

The patent’s formal colour observations reveal a more complex flower than the simple description “cream” might suggest. The outer upper petals were recorded near white, the middle regions as pale yellow and the bases as a clearer yellow. During early opening, the overall tonality could show a light orange-apricot cast; after several days the flowers became much paler. The reverse of the petals is principally white or ivory, with light colouring towards the base. No stable streaking, spotting or variegation was recorded. The upper sides of the petals is white (Group 155D) on the outer portion, light yellow (Group 4D) in the middle portion and medium yellow (Group 12B) on the bottom portion. The reverse sides of the petals are white (Group 155D) with paler white at the base (Group 155A). The major color on the upper side is white (Group 155A) on the outer petals, and light yellow (Group 8D) on the inner petals. The general tonality at the end of the first day is light orange pink (Group 27A), at the end of the third day the general tonality becomes lighter, light orange pink (Group 27D). Later the colour fades to white.

The mature floral effect is consequently one of cream illuminated from within. The warmer central petals create depth, while the pale outer guard petals soften the edge of the flower. In cool or moderately cloudy weather, the yellow and apricot undertones may persist longer. Strong sunshine and high temperatures are likely to accelerate the transition towards ivory and white.

Because the flowers are very full, their reproductive organs are largely concealed, and their value to pollen-seeking insects is more limited than that of single or semi-double roses. Their principal merits are ornamental: fullness, harmonious fading, fragrance and the collective effect of the flowering clusters.

Petals:

The petals are relatively thin, smooth, soft in appearance and rounded. The outer petals have slightly quilled or rolled margins, while the petals nearer the centre become much more strongly quilled and compressed. This progressive tightening towards the centre is responsible for the flower’s exceptionally full, rounded construction. Approximately 118 petals are counted per flower under normal growing conditions, although naturally occurring variation should be expected between seasons and individual flowers. Cool weather, strong growth and the first major flush may encourage the fullest blooms, while heat or physiological stress can produce smaller flowers with fewer or less perfectly arranged petals.

The outer petals reflex as the flower opens, reducing the depth of the original cup. The central petals remain crowded and irregularly arranged rather than forming a flat, symmetrical rosette. Their pale colour also changes with age: creamy yellow and pale apricot tones become ivory, cream-white or almost pure white.

Petal durability was not tested in a formal vase-life trial. The patent notes that the petals tend to remain attached and dry on the flower. This may preserve the visual mass of the bloom briefly, but it also means that faded clusters can become untidy if they are not removed. After rain, gentle shaking of water-laden branches and prompt removal of damaged blooms may improve the appearance of the shrub.

Fragrance:

The fragrance is formally described as a fresh Tea scent of moderate strength with fruity notes. It should therefore be regarded as perceptible and refined rather than exceptionally powerful, although the perception may vary according to climate, time of day, flower maturity and the individual observer.

Reproductive parts:

The stamens are few because so many floral organs have been transformed into petals and petaloids. The patent records medium-sized anthers of medium yellow orange colour (Group 13B) mixed among petaloids, medium yellow (Group 7A) filaments and dark yellow (Group 13A) pollen. The styles are light green (Group 149D), and the stigmas are medium yellow (Group 3C). These organs are normally hidden within the densely filled centre. Under normal conditions no hips are produced on the plants.

PLANT

‘Ludlow Castle’is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. It forms a deciduous, bushy and comparatively compact shrub. The mature and well-established plant has a height of about 105 - 120 cm (3½ - 4 ft) and the width of about 75 - 90 cm (2½ - 3 ft). Differences in climate, rootstock, pruning and soil fertility can readily explain modest variation around the size of the mature plants.

The plant is described as medium in vigour rather than exceptionally forceful. Its principal ornamental strength is a well-branched framework capable of carrying numerous clustered flowers without developing the rangy architecture of a large shrub or short climber. In a temperate garden it is best placed towards the front or middle of a mixed border, in a dedicated rose bed, along a low path or in a group of three plants for a broader massed effect. It can also be cultivated in a large container, provided that the root system is protected from severe winter freezing and supplied with regular water and nutrients. Full sun produces the strongest flowering, though a location sheltered from violent wind is preferable. A fertile, humus-rich soil with reliable drainage is ideal. Incorporating mature compost or well-rotted organic material over a wide planting area is more beneficial than placing concentrated fertilizer directly against newly planted roots.

As a repeat-flowering shrub rose, ‘Ludlow Castle’ responds well to moderate annual pruning. In late winter or early spring, remove dead, damaged, crossing and conspicuously weak shoots. Established plants can have the previous season’s growth reduced by approximately one-third to one-half, while strong lateral branches may be shortened to two or three sound buds. Older shrubs benefit from occasional renewal pruning in which one of the least productive old stems is removed at the base. Severe annual cutting is unnecessary and may reduce the graceful, naturally bushy character of the plant. In colder regions, pruning should be delayed until the danger of the most destructive freezes has passed and surviving wood can be identified accurately.

The creamy flowers are particularly effective beside blue-flowered salvias, nepeta, hardy geraniums and campanulas, or among deep violet and plum-coloured foliage. White foxgloves, pale pink roses and silver artemisias continue its restrained palette, while dark evergreen backgrounds make the ivory blooms more visible. Because the flowers are carried on comparatively short stems, they are better suited to small informal arrangements and floating bowls than to long-stemmed florist work.

Foliage:

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety, it is deciduous and abundant enough to provide a substantial background for the pale flowers.The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is 5 on average. The foliage is medium sized, about 11.5 - 15.6 cm (4½ - 6½ in) long and about 11.5 - 15 cm (4½ - 6 in) wide. Generally the foliage is dark and semi-glossy. Viewed across the whole shrub, healthy mature foliage can nevertheless appear distinctly lustrous.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 146A) overlayed with dark brown (Group 187A) especially on edges while the lower side is medium brown green (Group 139C). The mature foliage on the upper side is medium brown green (Group 137C) and on the lower side is medium brown green (Group 137C).

The leaves have sufficient scale to balance the clustered flowers without appearing coarse. Their moderately glossy texture enhances the contrast between the dark vegetative framework and the pale cream blooms. Healthy foliage is therefore an important component of the cultivar’s ornamental value, particularly between flowering flushes.

Leaflets:

A typical mature leaf bears five leaflets, although leaves elsewhere on the plant may vary in the manner common to cultivated roses. The shape of the leaflets is elliptic, the surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and small.

The leaf consists of a terminal leaflet and opposed lateral pairs arranged along a petiole and rachis. The petiole has light green colour (Group 145A), has a smooth, with prickles surface texture. The petiole rachis is light green (Group 145A); its upper and lower surfaces were described as generally smooth, though small prickles may occur beneath. The stipules are approximately 1.9 cm (¾ in) long and are attached near the base of the petiole.

Their venation follows the normal pinnate and reticulate pattern of shrub roses, with a central midrib and branching lateral veins. The upper surface is firmer and more lustrous than the underside, while the overall leaflet texture is sufficiently substantial to contribute to the plant’s disease resistance.

Wood:

The canes of the rose variety 'Ludlow Castle' are upright to gently spreading, and it branches sufficiently to create a compact, bushy outline. The new wood of this rose variety has dark brown green colour (Group 146B) with dark brown purple (Group 183B) blush, the bark is smooth. The mature wood is dark brown green (Group 137B), the bark remains smooth.

Growth is described as medium rather than excessively vigorous. This makes the cultivar easier to accommodate in a modest border, although it also means that the plant should not be crowded by more aggressive shrubs or tall perennials. Good light reaching the lower framework encourages basal renewal and helps prevent the plant from becoming thin at its base. The flower-bearing laterals are short enough to keep the clusters close to the principal framework. After the first flush, deadheading to a strong leaf or outward-facing lateral encourages secondary branching. Where winter damage occurs, sound shoots arising from near the crown can rebuild the shrub, but these should not be confused with rootstock suckers on grafted plants.

Prickles:

Major prickles occur in an ordinary or moderate quantity on both the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes. They are distributed fairly evenly around the stems and have a concave or inward-curving shape. The colour of the young prickles is medium brown purple (Group 181A) while the mature prickles have dark brown colour (Group 200D). The armature is sufficient to require gloves during pruning and tying, but the cultivar is not described as exceptionally prickly.

Small prickles:

Small prickles were not observed on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose.

Disease resistance and stress tolerance:

Under the normal growing conditions in which the patent plants were observed at Albrighton, 'Ludlow Castle' was reported to resist powdery mildew, black spot and rust. But it should not be interpreted as a guarantee of immunity to rose pathogens in every climate. Disease susceptibility in roses depends strongly on local pathogen strains, rainfall, humidity, night temperature, air circulation, soil condition and plant stress. Good cultural practice remains important. Plant with enough spacing for air to move through the shrub, water the soil rather than repeatedly wetting the leaves, remove heavily infected fallen foliage and avoid allowing the root zone to alternate between drought and saturation. In regions with persistent summer rain, a preventive disease-management programme may still be necessary for exhibition-quality foliage. Where chemical treatment is undesirable, sanitation, resistant companion planting, balanced nutrition and prompt removal of diseased material offer the most practical first line of defence.

In terms of winter hardiness, it has an RHS hardiness rating of H6, indicating expected tolerance of winter temperatures approximately between –20 and –15°C (–4 to 5°F) when established in suitable soil. This makes it generally hardy throughout the United Kingdom and much of northern Europe. North American rose references commonly place it around USDA zones 6b - 9b. In climates colder than its normal range, select a sunny site protected from desiccating winter winds. Ensure excellent drainage, cease high-nitrogen feeding well before autumn and mound soil or compost around the crown after the ground begins to cool. Additional protection with dry leaves or evergreen branches can reduce repeated freeze-thaw injury. Gardeners using grafted plants in continental climates often plant the graft union several centimetres below the finished soil level, provided that local soil drainage permits it. Spring pruning should be delayed until winter injury is clearly visible.

The name ‘Ludlow Castle’ refers to Ludlow Castle, the historic medieval fortress at Ludlow in Shropshire. The association is geographically appropriate because David Austin established his rose-breeding nursery at Albrighton in the same English county.

The original commercial name was ‘England’s Rose’. The Royal National Rose Society of Great Britain sponsored this rose when it was first issued: it was intended as one of a series of branded roses to commemorate Diana, Princess of Wales. Later the name was changed to ‘Ludlow Castle’.

Sir David Austin later assigned the selling name ‘England’s Rose’ to ‘Auslounge’, a different shrub introduced around 2010. The later ‘England’s Rose’ bears rich glowing-pink flowers with a button eye and flowers with exceptional continuity.

Rose variety ‘Ludlow Castle’ has not received an RHS Award of Garden Merit, ADR certificate, All-America Rose Selections award, Australian National Rose Trial medal or comparable national or international trial distinction up to this date.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausrace’ / 'Ludlow Castle' originated by David Austin by crossing the variety ‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’ with the rose variety ‘Ausblush’ / ‘Heritage’. The cultivar was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1995 under the denomination ‘Ausrace’ and was initially associated with the selling name ‘England’s Rose’. It was subsequently marketed as ‘Ludlow Castle’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The breeding objective was to combine old-fashioned, perfectly rounded flowers with recurrent bloom, strong bushy growth, fragrance and improved disease resistance. The selected plant was propagated asexually by budding at Albrighton, and successive generations were reported to remain stable and true to type.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

‘Ausrace’ / 'Ludlow Castle' is a compact English shrub rose which possesses a harmonious combination of very full old-fashioned rounded soft-yellow flowers fading to ivory, recurrent blooming on a bushy, disease-resistant plant that incorporated the following unique combination of characteristics:

  perfectly rounded, very full creamy-yellow flowers fading gradually to warm ivory;

  approximately 118 petals arranged within compact, cupped blooms averaging with a button-eye in the centre;

  moderate fresh Tea fragrance combined;

  a compact, bushy plant with attractive semi-glossy foliage;

  good resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust.

Rose ‘Ludlow Castle’ can be propagated vegetatively to preserve its cultivar characteristics. Suitable methods include chip budding in summer, hardwood cuttings in autumn and softwood cuttings under protection in spring or summer.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

Compared with the seed parent ‘Graham Thomas’, ‘Ludlow Castle’ has much paler flowers, a considerably denser petal arrangement and a more compact framework. ‘Graham Thomas’ is known for rich, clear yellow, medium-sized cupped flowers and a much bigger vigorous, upright shrub. Its colouring remains stronger and more saturated, while ‘Ludlow Castle’ quickly softens from cream-yellow and apricot to ivory. The flowers of ‘Ludlow Castle’ are smaller but more intricately filled, and the shrub is better adapted to the foreground of a border.

The pollen parent ‘Heritage’, by contrast, is recognized horticulturally for shell-pink, cupped flowers, graceful growth and a perfume generally interpreted as Fruity with Myrrh and Old rose nuances. ‘Ludlow Castle’ differs most obviously in its creamy-yellow colour, tighter clustered flowering, Tea fragrance and more densely quilled central petals.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

Among more readily listed English shrub roses, ‘Crocus Rose’ is one of the most similar varieties. Both cultivars bear very full flowers gathered in clusters, and both combine pale apricot, cream and ivory colouring with a light or moderate Tea fragrance. Each creates a soft, luminous effect.

‘Crocus Rose’, however, is substantially larger in both flower and plant. It forms a bushy, rounded shrub approximately 120 - 150 cm high and wide (4 -5 ft), with slightly arching stems. Its large rosette flowers are formed from about 110 petals and open palest apricot before paling towards cream on the outer petals. ‘Ludlow Castle’ is narrower and somewhat shorter, with a mature patent size of approximately 100cm in height and about 80 cm in width. Its flowers average only about 6 cm in diameter but contain approximately 118 petals, so they appear more tightly packed and perfectly rounded.

The floral character also differs. ‘Crocus Rose’ produces broad, expansive rosettes with a more open presence. ‘Ludlow Castle’ retains a compact cupped, with reflexing outer petals and heavily quilled inner petals forming a button-eye. The latter gives the impression of numerous small porcelain or ivory flowers gathered closely together, whereas ‘Crocus Rose’ reads as a larger, softer and more spreading cream-apricot shrub.

For a broad mixed border, informal hedge or substantial group, ‘Crocus Rose’ has greater scale and landscape impact. ‘Ludlow Castle’ is preferable where space is limited, where smaller flowers are valued, or where a tighter, more intricate bloom is desired near a path, terrace or low perennial planting. The two roses occupy a similar colour palette, but they are not interchangeable in expression and garden effect.

USDA 6

USDA Zone 6 - hardiness guide