Rose English Elegance

'English Elegance' lives up to its name with soft, glowing colors and airy, arching growth. The flowers are large, loosely double, and often described as delightfully informal. They open wide from round red-yellow buds, displaying a swirling mass of petals that vary in tone from salmon and copper to pink, blush, and gold. Outer petals tend to be softer in tones, creating a complex, ever-changing color palette as the blooms age. The overall effect evokes an autumn sunset, with an abundance of warm, mellow tones. Nearly thornless, the plant benefits greatly from attentive care: regular feeding, deep watering, mulching, and deadheading are key to keeping it healthy and maximizing repeat bloom. Spent flowers tend to linger on the bush, so removing them promptly is essential for a tidy appearance and continued flowering.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'English Elegance' is provided with color descriptions using terminology of the "Methuen Handbook of Colour" published by Eyre Methuen Ltd. (1963), 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

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

Flower bud:

Buds of 'English Elegance' rose variety are medium sized, about 2.5 - 3.0 cm long and 1 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is ovoid with elongated cuspidate apex and flattened base. When half open, the upper and reverse sides of the petals are viridine green (Group 29A5) at the base transitioning to pale yellow (Group 2A3) and pastel yellow (Group 2A4) with rose pink (Group 12A3) tinge. Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back.

The sepals have a length of about 2.0 - 2.5 cm. The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is leathery, somewhat puckered on the upper surface and smooth, densely tomentose on the lower surface. The colour on the upper surface is greyish green (Group 29D7) with rose pink / pastel pink (Group 11A4) blush in the middle and at the base with cherry / berry red (Group 10B8) tip. The lower surface is greyish green (Group 29D6) with brownish red tipped glandular hairs (Group 10C8). The inner margins are tomentose and the outer margins are tipped with glandular hairs.

The receptacle is greyish green (Group 29D7), goblet shaped, sparsely tomentose and has a slightly rough surface. The size of the receptacle is medium, they are about 1 cm long and about 1 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium, averaging to about 4.0 - 5.0 cm in length, has glandular hairs on a surface. The colour of the peduncle is greyish green (Group 1C6) with a faint red tint (Group 11A6). The peduncle has few medium dense berry red (Group 10B8) tipped glandular hairs.

Bloom:

The flowers are medium, the average diameter of the open flower is about 7.0 - 9.0 cm. When first open, the flower form is old-fashioned, a flat base with a convex top, the flower form persists until the end. Flowers are full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 40 on average. They are born in small clusters, most often 5 blooms together.

When first open the the upper sides of the petals on the very outer petals is yellow (Group 3A4 - 3A6) at base orange white (Group 6A2) at the top; the inner petals on the upper surface is yellow (Group 3A6) at the base is pastel red (Group 8A4 - 8A5)at the top. The reverse side of the outer petals is yellow (Group 3A6) at the base, yellowish white (Group 2A2) at centre and reddish white / pinkish white (Group 9A2) at top edge; while the inner petals on the reverse is light yellow (Group 3A5) at the base, pastel red (Group 7A5) and reddish orange (Group 7A6) top edge.

When fully open the color of the flowers characteristically varies in gradual shadings and in ranges from outer to inner petals, from side to side of the petal surfaces and with age of the flower. Ranges of petal coloration are typified by the following list of extremes of ranges. The upper side of the petals are yellow (Group 3A4 - 3A6) at base, the most of the petal surface varies from pale orange (Group 6A3) to pale red (Group 9A3). The reverse sides of the petals are pastel yellow (Group 3A4) and light yellow (Group 3A5) at the base, while most of the petal colour is pinkish white (Group 7A2).

When finishing blooming the flowers on the upper side of the outer petals is pale / yellowish white (Group 2A2) at the base transitioning to the pinkish white (Group 7A2) on the rest of the petal’s surface; the inner petals on the upper surface are pale / yellowish white (Group 2A2) at the base transitioning to the pastel pink (Group 11A4) on the rest of the petal’s surface. The reverse sides of the outer petals at the base are pale yellow (Group 3A4) and orange white (Group 6A2) on the remaining surface of the petals; the inner petals on the reverse sides are pale yellow (Group 2A3) and pale red / Venetian pink (Group 10A3) on the remaining portion of the petals.

Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers of this rose variety.

Petals:

The texture of the petals is slightly grainy and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is roughly oval with flattened bi or tri-lobed top, the inner petals have elongated ovoid shape with retuse apex.

The petals of this rose variety have moderately good self-cleaning quality, they tend to hang on and dry on plants, therefore the regular deadheading is highly recommended for this rose variety.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'English Elegance' is medium, sweet and pleasing, of a musk character.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 70 on average per flower.

The anthers have yellowish orange colour (Group 4A8) maturing to dark brown.

The colour of the filaments is vivid yellow (Group 3A8).

The number of pistils is 70 on average.

The colour of the styles is light green (Group 30A5), they are twisted in shape.

Stigma are yellowish orange in colour (Group 4A8).

The hips of this rose variety have not been observed yet.

PLANT

The rose variety 'English Elegance' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is powerful and vigorous, forming tall, strong, upright plants. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 140 - 210 cm and the width of about 140 - 210 cm. While the blooms may seem disorganized to some, their natural charm is undeniable, especially when seen en masse against the backdrop of mixed borders. ‘English Elegance’ grows into a tall, arching shrub that can be trained as a short climber over a wall or fence, or allowed to cascade gracefully through neighboring plants in the border. Its growth is elegant but somewhat sparse, with long stems that may require support or gentle pegging to maintain form and encourage blooming.With proper care and placement, it offers a refined, painterly presence in the 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 and occasionally to 7, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is medium sized.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is greyish green / bracken green (Group 29E7) with violet brown / maroon (Group 11F8) shading especially on mid rib and margin; while the lower side is greyish green (Group 29D6) with violet brown / maroon (Group 11F8) capillaries especially towards margins. The mature foliage on the upper side is dark green (Group 28F8) and on the lower side is greyish green (Group 29E5).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium, the shape of the leaflets is oval, the shape of the leaflet tip is cuspidate and the base shape is rounded. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery-tough, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is dentate.

The petiole on the upper surface has greyish green / peacock green colour (Group 27D7) and has red (Group 10B7) tipped glandular hairs and on the lower surface petiole is greyish yellow (Group 1B4) and has few prickles of reddish brown colour (Group 8E8), about 1-2 per node, and sparse high red (Group 10A8) tipped glandular hairs tinge. The petiole is about 6.5 - 8.8 cm long and sturdy.

The stipules are 1.5 - 2.1 cm long, 5-7 mm wide, the angle of wingtips to petiole is variable, most often is about 45 degrees or less. The colour of the stipules is greyish yellow (Group 1B5), the margins are lined with pinky-red (Group 11A6) glandular hairs. The shape of the stipules is wide and somewhat clasping at base, narrowing towards wing tips.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has greyish green colour (Group 29D6) with faint rose pink tinge (Group 11A5), the bark is glabrous and smooth. The mature wood is moss green (Group 1E7) and the bark is very smooth.

Stems:

The stem pubescence is not observed on the stems of this rose variety.

Prickles:

There is a normal number of prickles present on the main canes from base and on the laterals from main canes, about 1 - 3 per node. The colour of the young prickles is brownish violet (Group 11D7) with greyish yellow (Group 1B5).

Small prickles:

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

Disease resistance:

The medium-dark foliage is attractive but can be prone to blackspot and mildew, particularly in humid or wet climates. The resistance to botrytis and rust under normal growing conditions is good. The pest resistance has not been tested yet.

Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 6 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

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausleaf’ / 'English Elegance' originated by David Austin by crossing an unnamed, unpatented seedling with an unnamed, unpatented seedling.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new rose variety with abundant and continual blooming that occurs for 5 months, taken with the perfection of the fully double flowers of an old-fashioned shape.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The objective was achieved, along with other important improvements, and this rose variety incorporated the following unique combination of characteristics:

 fully flowers of yellow and pale orange/red blend;

 abundant and continual blooming;

 old-fashioned shape of the flowers.

Asexual reproduction of this variety by budding showed that the foregoing and all other characteristics and distinctions came true to form, established and transmitted through the succeeding propagations.

USDA 6