Rose Heritage

‘Heritage’ stands as one of David Austin’s most beloved and enduring English Roses - a rose often described as among the most beautiful ever bred by Austin himself. This rose quickly earned acclaim for its elegant cupped blooms, intoxicating perfume, and refined shrub habit, placing it alongside iconic companions like ‘Graham Thomas’ at the foundation of the English Musk roses.

FLOWERING

This rose variety has a recurrent flowering habit. Blooms in flushes with short breaks from summer until frosts, the generous repeat-flowering nature ensures that ‘Heritage’ often performs multiple full flushes, with scattered blossoms continuing well into autumn. The number of blooms per plant during the growing season is profuse, but there are too many to count.

The flowers of ‘Heritage’ are medium-sized, the average diameter of the open flowers is about 9 cm (3.5 inches). The flower form exhibits a perfectly balanced cupped and globular rosette, reminiscent of the classic Old Roses. The petals are arranged in an exquisitely sculpted swirl, often described as shell-like in appearance.

Round, coral-tinged buds unfold into gentle and romantic shades: a soft blush pink at the center, fading outward to almost ivory white or pale cream along the edges. Petals are so closely nested that the globes scarcely flatten, giving each bloom a delicate, shell-like finish that evokes the Old Alba “Maiden’s Blush”.

The flowers appear in small clusters, of 3–7, scattered freely across the bush - from the crown all the way to ground level. In the garden, spent petals shatter before they spoil, so the bush always looks pristine. Alas, this early shatter makes ‘Heritage’ a mediocre cut-flower: enjoy it where it grows.

The fragrance is outstanding - a complex, sweet, and powerful Old Rose Myrrh scent with fruity overtones of honey, lemon and carnation, making it one the best fragranced English roses.

PLANT

The rose variety ‘Heritage’ is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. Forms a graceful, bushy, rounded shrub with an upright, arching habit. In warmer climates, it can reach up to 180 cm (6 ft), while staying closer to 120 cm (4 ft in cooler zones. Mature and well-established plants have a height of about 120 - 180 cm (4’ - 6’) and the width of about 90 - 125 cm (3’ - 4’).

The stems of rose variety are long, lightly arching, and nearly thornless, lending the shrub a soft, refined character. If left unpruned, the stems often bend under the weight of flowers and bloom along their full length, creating a cascading, floriferous effect.

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The foliage is large, healthy, semi-glossy dark green with a fine texture, showing occasional bronze tints in new growth. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and medium-sized. Though typically disease resistant, it can suffer from mildew or blackspot in certain climates, especially in hot or humid conditions, so light preventative care may be needed.

‘Heritage’ prefers light, minimal pruning; harsh pruning can disturb its natural rhythm and flowering habit. It shows its best performance in cooler climates, with some shade during the hottest part of the day in warmer zones.

It looks exquisite basically anywhere: in borders, hedges, informal rose beds, or as a low climber or pillar rose in warm areas. Its thornless stems and lovely form also make it suitable for cutting, though its blooms are short-lived indoors and prone to shattering. ‘Heritage’ pairs well with perennials and other roses that offer fuller foliage coverage to complement its more open habit.

This rose variety has good resistance to most common rose diseases in dry and warmer climates, in particular it is resistant to powdery mildew (podosphaera pannosa), downey mildew (peronospora species), blackspot (diplocarpon rosae) and rust (phragmidium tuberculatum) under normal growing conditions. In colder and rainy climates it is somewhat prone to black spots and mildew. 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 ‘Ausblush’ / 'Heritage' originated by David Austin by crossing female parent (seed parent) - unnamed and unpatented seedling with the male parent (pollen parent) - an unnamed and unpatented rose seedling of the following origin: [Floribunda rose ‘Schneewittchen’ (‘Iceberg’) x English shrub rose ‘Ausbath’ / ‘Wife of Bath’].

Over time, ‘Ausblush’ / 'Heritage' has earned a reputation not just for its beauty but for its lasting impact on the development of English Roses and becoming a parent for the next generation of English roses. Its popularity endures across gardens worldwide, not despite its temperamental tendencies, but because its delicate charm and unforgettable perfume are so difficult to match.

USDA zone 5 and warmer