Rose England's Rose

“England's Rose” produces in abundance clusters of vibrant pink flowers. As they mature, the outer petals curl back, exposing a charming button-eye. The flowers bloom almost nonstop from June until the first frosts and remain unaffected by rain. THe fragrance is strong and warm, of an Old rose character, with spicy notes. Forms a very compact, yet bushy and branching plant with abundant and very healthy foliage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY
Throughout this description of the rose variety “England's Rose”, the colour references and/or values are based upon the Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society (2001) except where common terms of color definition are employed. Phenotypic expression may vary with environmental, agricultural and climatic conditions, as well as differences in conditions of light and soil.

FLOWER

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

Flower bud:

The flower buds are about 2 cm long and 1.6 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is pointed ovoid. When sepals first divide, the bud color is medium purple red (Group N57B). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are medium purple red (Group N57B) and the lower sides of the petals are red-purple (Group N57C).

The calyx is star-shaped when the flower is fully open, folded back, the length is about 7.5 cm and the diameter is about 7.5 cm as well.

The arrangement of the sepals is a regular opening to a star shape. The upper surface and the lower surface of the sepals has medium brown green colour (Group 138B) with dark purple (Group 58A). The length of the sepals is 3.3 cm and the width is about 8 mm. The shape is lanceolate with hairy edges; the upper surface texture is slightly downy and the lower surface is smooth. There is usually 1 normally appendaged sepal and there are 5 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacles are medium sized, about 8 mm long and about 7 mm in diameter, have medium brown green colour (Group 138B) with dark purple (Group 58A). The receptacles are apple shaped, and their texture is smooth.

The peduncle is short, of a normal strength, averaging to about 7 cm and about 5 mm in diameter, and has smooth surface texture. The colour of the peduncle is medium brown green (Group 138B) with dark purple (Group 58A).

Bloom:

The flowers are medium-sized, the average open diameter is about 7.5 cm. They are borne mostly in small clusters having a flat shape of 4 - 5 blooms together. The flowering stems are strong, about 7 cm long and 2.5 mm in diameter. When the flower first open the flower form is cupped. As the flower fully opens the form becomes shallow-cupped and reveals a button eye, the outer petal edges curl back. Flowers are full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 92 on average.

The colour of the upper sides is medium purple red (Group N57C) and the lower sides of the petals are medium purple red (Group N57D). The base of the petals is light yellow (Group 8D) on both sides. Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers of “England's Rose”.

The general tonality of the flowers at the end of the first day is medium purple red (Group N57C) and at the end of the third day remains the same. Thereafter color fades slightly from medium purple red (Group N57C) to medium purple red (Group N57D).

Petals:

The surface and texture of the petals is smooth and thin. The shape of the petals is deltoid, their margins are entire on some petals and some are notched. The base of the petals is obcordate and the shape of the apex is rounded with some petals that are notched. The form of the petals is incurved and their arrangement is imbricated. The petals are medium sized, with a width of the outer petals of about 3.3 cm and the length of about 3.8 cm.

There are few petaloids present on the flowers of this variety, about 7 per flower. The colour of the petaloids is the same as the colour of the petals, medium purple red (Group N57C). The length of the petaloids is about 12 mm and the width is about 3 mm. The shape of petaloids is half-moon, their margins are irregular.

The petals usually drop off cleanly before drying. The petals last on a plant fairly long, for about 5 days under normal growing conditions and their lastingness as a cut flower has not been tested yet.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of “England's Rose” is strong, warm and spicy with a classic Old Rose character.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens per flower is around 60, they have an average length of about 6 mm.

The anthers have length of about 3 mm, their colour is medium yellow orange colour (Group 15C), and they are usually regularly arranged around the styles, tucked in calyx or partly so and mixed with petaloids.

The filaments are predominately light yellow (Group 15D), the length varies within the 4 mm.

The pollen has medium yellow orange colour (Group 15C).

Number of pistils is 60 on average, they are about 4 -5 mm long.

The styles have white colour (Group 155C), their length is about 3 mm.

Stigmas are medium yellow brown (Group 163B) with red-purple (Group 60C) and are about 1-2 mm long.

The hips of this rose variety are not observed yet.

PLANT

“England's Rose” is classified as a Shrub rose from David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. It has a vigorous growth habit, but forms a compact, branching and bushy plant. When mature and well established it forms a plant of about 90 - 120 cm in height and of about 90 - 110 cm in width.

Foliage:

The quantity of the foliage on this variety is abundant, the number of leaves per flowering stem is 10 under normal growing conditions. There are usually 5 leaflets on the normal mid-stem leaf, including a terminal leaflet. The leaves are rather small, about 12 cm long and about 7 cm wide.

The new foliage on the upper surface and on the lower surface is medium green (Group 144A) tinged with medium brown (Group 176A). The old foliage is dark green (Group 139A) on the upper side and dark green (Group 137A) on the lower side.

Leaflets:

The leaflets are small, about 4.3 cm long and about 3.2 cm wide. The shape of the leaflets is broadly oval. The base of some leaflets is rounded and of some is cordate; the is slightly acuminate. The leaflet’s surface texture is smooth, leathery, the edges are serrated; the type of serration is single and medium. The appearance of the leaflets is semi-glossy.

Petioles have medium green colour (Group 143B) with some dark purple red (Group 60A), the length is 3.5 cm on average and the width is about 1- 2 mm; the surface texture is smooth.

Petiole rachis is also medium green (Group 143B) with some dark purple red (Group 60A), the underside is with prickles.

The stipules have medium green colour (Group 143A), the length is about 2.3 cm, the surface texture is glandular and the edges are serrated..

Auricle is triangular and broad, the length is about 1 cm and the width is about 4 - 5 mm at the widest point. The colour of the auricle is medium green (Group 143A).

The vein color is the same as leaf color, dark green (Group 137A), the venation pattern is reticulate (net-veined).

Wood:

The colour of the new wood is medium brown (Group 176A), the bark is smooth. The mature wood has slightly darker medium green (Group 143A) and has a smooth bark.

Stems:

The length of the branches is usually about 45 cm, with a diameter of about 5 mm. Usually there are about 7 lateral branches per plant. The mature stem has a length of about 50 am and the diameter is 6 mm, the internode distance is about 7 cm. On the branches of this variety the stem pubescence is not present. The above measurements are all variable, depending on growing conditions in a season.

Prickles:

There is an ordinary quantity of prickles on the main canes from base, about 15 per 10 cm of the stem length. On laterals from main canes there are also normal quantities of prickles, about 15 per 10 cm of the stem length. The shape of the prickles is deep concave and some are linear, the length is about 4 mm. The colour of the young prickles is dark purple (Group 58A), the mature prickles have medium brown colour (Group 176B).

Small prickles:

There are numerous small prickles on the main canes of “England's Rose” rose variety, about 25 per 10 cm of the stem length. On the laterals from the main canes other are may small prickles, about 20 per 10 cm of the stem length.The colour of the young prickles is the same as the colour of the large prickles - dark purple (Group 58A). The mature small prickles have also medium brown colour (Group 176B) as the large prickles.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety “England's Rose” has good disease resistance to black spot, mildew and rust. Pest resistance has not been tested yet.

Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 5 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

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

English Shrub roses

Nagaoka Bronze Award, Nagaoka International Fragrant Rose Trials - Echigo Hillside, 2012;

Australia - Certificate of Merit, Australian National Rose Trials, 2016;

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

The rose variety ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” is classified as a Shrub rose, and was originated by David Austin from the cross-pollination of the two ‘unnamed’ and unpatented seedlings of Rosa hybrida.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The objective of this rose variety breeding was to grow a tough and reliable variety of rose of medium size, with flowers of deep glowing pink, that are healthy, weather-resistant, and which forms an attractive bushy shrub. The flowers are shallowly cupped at first and as they age the outer petals reflex back and reveal a button eye.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Among the features which distinguish ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” from other presently available and commercial rose varieties is the following combination of characteristics:

  the flower is particularly weather resistant, and has blooms that even in periods of continual rain do not ball and have petals that drop cleanly;

  blooms that are shallow-cupped and deep pink that open out to reveal a button eye;

  has strong fragrance that is warm and spicy with a classic Old Rose character;

Asexual reproduction of this variety by budding as performed in greenhouses at Bowling Green Lane in Albrighton, The UK showed that the foregoing and other distinguishing characteristics came true to form and established and transmitted through succeeding asexual propagations. ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” may be asexually propagated by budding.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

Rose ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” may be distinguished from its seed parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 whereas the seed parent is more disease prone, not vigorous and light pink, ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” is vigorously disease resistant and has vigorous growth with deep pink flowers.

‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” may be distinguished from its pollen parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 whereas the pollen parent is of a buff pink color and a spreading growth, ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” is a bushy shrub with a deep pink color.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

The closest commercially available cultivar to the variety ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” is English shrub rose ‘Auskitchen’ / ‘Princess Anne’, which may be distinguished by the following combination of characteristics:

 the ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” produces blooms that are generally smaller with fewer petals than ‘Auskitchen’ / ‘Princess Anne’. More particularly, the way in which the blooms are held on the plant differs. On ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” the blooms are held in small, flatter clusters of 4 to 6 blooms and on ‘Auskitchen’ / ‘Princess Anne’ they are held in larger pyramidal clusters of 10 to 14 blooms.

 In addition, ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose” grows into a larger shrub than ‘Auskitchen’ / ‘Princess Anne’ and the foliage of ‘Auskitchen’ / ‘Princess Anne’ is glossier than that of ‘Auslounge’ / “England's Rose”.

USDA 5