Rose Lochinvar

‘Lochinvar’ is a compact English shrub rose valued for its small, many-petalled blush-pink rosettes, its thorny, bushy growth, and its distinct kinship of character with Scottish or Burnet-type roses. In the garden it behaves as a modest, romantic shrub, architectural English rose, making it especially useful for the front of borders, low hedging, cottage planting, and intimate rose collections. Its flowers are very full, loosely arranged, fragrant, and produced over a long season. A refined, repeat-flowering English shrub with a wild-rose inheritance of texture, small foliage, prickliness, and natural charm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Instead of large, heavy cups or broad rosettes on a vigorous shrub, ‘Lochinvar’ offers a finer-textured plant with small leaves, thorny stems, and flowers that suggest the delicacy of old Scottish roses while repeating more generously than the once-flowering species and hybrids that inspired it. Within a rose collection, ‘Lochinvar’ is most relevant for gardeners who appreciate subtlety: pale colour, Old rose fragrance, small rosettes, and a plant that carries some of the ruggedness associated with Scottish roses. Its value is in refined repetition, soft blush tones, and the contrast between gentle flowers and a prickly, wild-influenced shrub.

FLOWERING

Rose ‘Lochinvar’ is generally a repeat-flowering rose. It flowers almost continually through summer and autumn. This rose is capable of repeat flowering and may give a long season in favourable conditions, but it should not be expected to behave with the unbroken abundance of the most floriferous modern shrub roses in every garden. In temperate climates with good light, regular deadheading, moisture-retentive soil, and balanced feeding, the first flush should be the most ornamental, producing clusters of small blush rosettes over the compact shrub. Later bloom cycles are likely to be lighter but valuable, especially because the plant’s scale allows even a modest number of flowers to appear significant. In cooler climates, the repeat may be delayed or reduced after the early-summer flush, while in mild maritime gardens the flowering season may extend more continuously into autumn.

Flower bud:

The buds are small to medium sized, pink-toned when the petals start to unfurl, buds appropriate to a compact, small-flowered shrub, developing into fresh blush-pink rosettes. The sepals have medium green colour with purplish tint towards the edges and lanceolate shape, there are 3 normally appendaged sepals and 2 unappendaged sepals with garish hairy edges. The peduncle is medium sized, strong and has medium green colour, it is rather densely covered in small prickles and glandular hairs, especially in the lower portion of the peduncle. The receptacle is small, chalice shaped, has smooth surface and medium green colour.

Bloom:

The blooms of ‘Lochinvar’ are very charming, small to medium sized, the average diameter of the open flower is about 4 cm (1.5 in), although David Austin Roses places it in the “medium” bloom-size category. The flowers are from very double to full in quantity of petals. They are a fresh blush pink to light pink in colour, opening in small clusters and forming little rosettes with loosely arranged petals. The colour appears very soft and atmospheric: not the saturated pink of a modern bedding rose, nor the pearly white of a pale Alba, but a gentle blush that suits cottage borders, mixed perennial planting, and romantic low hedges. The rosette form gives the flower an old-fashioned density, yet the petals are not as tightly quartered or rigid. This form prevents the small flowers from looking congested and gives the shrub a natural, almost species-derived grace. Blooms appear on the plant singly or in small clusters 2 to 5 flowers together on a strong flowering stems.

Petals:

The petals arrangement is loose rather than geometrically formal, producing a small rosette with a soft, layered form. The petals have soft and silky texture, the petals usually age from fresh blush pink toward paler pink, especially under strong sun or warm weather, and the bloom colour may vary with growing conditions. Because the blooms are rather small and full, wet weather may sometimes reduce the perfection of opening. Deadheading after each flush is advisable, not only for neatness but also because removal of spent flowers supports the repeat blooming.

Fragrance:

The fragrance is medium-strong, of an Old Rose character. This scent profile places ‘Lochinvar’ among English shrubs grown for close enjoyment. Its flowers are small, so the fragrance is best appreciated when the shrub is planted near a path, seating area, low wall, or front border where the blooms can be reached easily. In cool, still weather the scent may be more noticeable; in hot, dry, or windy conditions it may seem lighter.

PLANT

Rose variety ‘Lochinvar’ is classified horticulturally as a Shrub rose, and it is part of the English Shrub Roses collection. It is deciduous, compact, bushy, thorny, and suitable for full sun or partial shade. The mature and well-established plant typically reach the ultimate size of about 90 cm by 90 cm (3 ft × 3 ft) in height and width, while sometimes, especially in colder climates it tends to remain smaller, up to about 70 cm (28 in) in height and width. This variation is not unusual for shrub roses, whose mature size depends strongly on climate, pruning, rootstock, soil fertility, and the length of the growing season.

Due to the form of the plant and girth habit it is highly recommended for mixed borders, rose hedges, and partial shade, and gives all soil types as acceptable under ordinary garden conditions. The plant’s character is low, dense, and textural. In a mixed border, it can be placed near hardy geraniums, nepeta, salvias, small campanulas, or silver-leaved perennials, where its blush-pink flowers and small foliage will not be overwhelmed. As a low hedge, it offers a pleasing combination of softness and defensive prickliness. In containers, it may be grown where winter protection and regular watering can be provided, although its prickly growth makes placement important.

Pruning should follow normal shrub rose practice. In late winter or early spring, remove dead, weak, diseased, crossing, or congested shoots, then shorten the remaining framework to maintain a compact, airy shrub. In colder climates, winter dieback may require somewhat harder pruning. In warmer climates, where canes survive better, a lighter reduction and thinning may preserve a fuller shrub. Throughout the flowering season, spent blooms should be removed to encourage further flowering and preserve the neatness of the plant.

Foliage:

The foliage of the rose variety ‘Lochinvar’ is small and of a normal quantity. The young foliage has dark green colour strongly suffused with dark purple red, especially towards the leaflets edges and matures later to dark green. The foliage is leathery and semi-glossy, and appear to be smaller than those of many modern English shrub roses, but contrast very well with the soft colour of the flowers against dark green and purple mix of the young leaves, making the flowers stand out even more, help the small rosettes remain visually proportionate: large foliage would make the flowers look slight, but the finer leaf scale supports the whole composition.

Leaflets:

The number of the leaflets on the normal leaves in the middle of the flowering stem is normally 5 with variations from 3 to 7, including the terminal leaflet. The leaflets are small, with ovate shape, semi-glossy, the edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and large. The prominent feature of the leaflets of this rose is dark purple-red edges especially noticable and decorative on the young leaves, but even when the leaflets mature they still tend to keep this thin purple red tint on the edges.

Wood:

The plant of this rose form a compact, branching, bushy framework with very prickly branches. The shrub architecture is therefore low, twiggy, and well branched, with enough density to make the plant useful for low hedging. It is likely to produce a more informal outline than stiff modern bedding roses, and its value increases when it is allowed to keep some natural fullness rather than being pruned into a rigid mound. The young wood has medium green colour suffused with purple red which matures to medium to dark green colour, the bark is smooth.

Prickles:

The main canes and the laterals from the main canes of the rose variety ‘Lochinvar’ have a substantial amount of prickles. The prickles vary in size, they have straight, narrow pyramidal shape, the young prickles are medium green colour and transition to red purple towards the tips and later they mature to brown red. One thing is for sure - gloves should be worn when pruning, deadheading, planting, or tying the plant. Such armature reinforces the rose’s value as a low barrier or informal hedge, particularly where a small defensive shrub is desired. However, it also means ‘Lochinvar’ should not be placed where children, pets, or passers-by will brush against it constantly.

Small prickles:

There is also a moderate quantity of small prickles present on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose. They are similar in shape and colour as the larger prickles, but much smaller in size.

Disease resistance and stress tolerance:

The disease resistance of the ‘Lochinvar’ is rather on the moderate side, the plants of this rose show some susceptibility to black spot, rust, powdery mildew, dieback, replant disease, flower balling, and honey fungus in climates and growing conditions favourable for those pathogens; however this should not automatically be considered as this rose is especially disease-prone. What it means is that it should be grown with the same disease-prevention principles used for other English shrub roses: open spacing, morning sun where possible, avoidance of overhead irrigation in humid climates, removal of fallen leaves in autumn, and organic mulch applied without burying the crown. In climates with severe black spot pressure, it may need closer observation than the most modern disease-selected shrub roses. Powdery mildew risk is reduced by steady soil moisture and good air movement; rust is best managed by hygiene and avoiding stressed, overcrowded growth.

Its terms of cold tolerance, the RHS gives ‘Lochinvar’ a hardiness rating of H6, corresponding to hardiness in all of the UK and northern Europe, with a minimum-temperature range of about -20°C to -15°C (-4°F to 5°F). This corresponds to approximately USDA zones 6 through 9. Rose ‘Lochinvar’ is suitable for temperate and moderately cold gardens, though in continental climates colder than USDA zone 6 it should be planted deeply, mulched well, and protected from frosts and desiccating winter winds. In hot climates, pale blush flowers of this rose tend to fade more quickly, and repeat bloom may depend on irrigation and relief from extreme afternoon heat.

The name ‘Lochinvar’ comes from Sir Walter Scott’s literary world. David Austin Roses explains that Lochinvar is the young, faithful knight who appears briefly but memorably in the fifth canto of Scott’s epic poem Marmion.

No confirmed major awards, certificates, ADR trial prizes, RHS Award of Garden Merit, All-America Rose Selections award, Australian National Rose Trial award, or equivalent competition honours were gained by ‘Lochinvar’ up to this date.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausbilda’ / 'Lochinvar' originated by David C. H. Austin in the United Kingdom and introduced by David Austin Roses in 2002 under the exhibition name ‘Lochinvar’. The origin of the variety remains proprietary to the David Austin Roses and officially it is listed as the result of cross pollination of two unnamed rose seedlings of undisclosed breeding. Although the variety is carrying a horticultural resemblance to Scottish or Pimpinellifolia-influenced roses without a proper confirmed parentage data, such assumptions by some databases are rather speculatory.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

‘Ausbilda’ / 'Lochinvar' should not be confused with the large, sumptuous English roses that made Austin famous in the global nursery trade. Its scale and texture are more restrained. It belongs with the small, romantic, naturally styled roses that appeal to collectors and gardeners interested in the border between species charm and modern repeat flowering. In this respect it sits near, though not identical to, roses such as ‘Wild Edric’, another Austin shrub explicitly described as bushy, upright, thorny, and strongly fragrant, but ‘Wild Edric’ is far larger and richer in colour.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

‘Ausbilda’ / 'Lochinvar' is a small, thorny, blush-pink English shrub rose for gardeners who prize texture, fragrance, and old-rose character over large bloom size. Its best use is at close range, where the small rosettes, medium-strong Old Rose fragrance, and compact growth can be appreciated fully. It is especially suitable for low hedges, front-of-border planting, cottage gardens, collector gardens, and cool-temperate climates due to its unique combination of characteristics:

  small, very full, loosely arranged blush-pink rosettes of approximately 4 cm (1.5 in);

  medium-strong to strong Old Rose fragrance;

  prickly, compact bushy shrub growth with small dark green foliage;

  repeat-flowering character, best expressed in favourable temperate conditions.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

The closest and most instructive comparison for ‘Ausbilda’ / 'Lochinvar' is David Austin’s English shrub rose ‘Miss Alice’, introduced only a little earlier and occupying a similar horticultural scale. Both roses belong to the compact, soft-pink side of the English Rose tradition, and both are suited to intimate garden placement rather than large architectural use. Each is appropriate for the front of a mixed border, a rose bed, or a small romantic planting where the flowers can be seen and scented at close range. Both also offer an old-rose fragrance, pale colouring, and a refined, nostalgic quality that appeals to gardeners who prefer delicacy over dramatic display.

The differences, however, are substantial enough - ‘Miss Alice’ generally carries larger flowers than ‘Lochinvar’, with blooms medium to large for a compact shrub, very full, light pink, and mostly solitary. Its flowers have a more formal, quartered rosette and has a softer bedding-rose elegance. ‘Lochinvar’, by contrast, produces smaller blush-pink flowers, arranged in small clusters and formed from loosely placed petals into little rosettes. The effect of ‘Miss Alice’ is therefore more polished and individual-flowered, while the effect of ‘Lochinvar’ is lighter, more clustered, and more naturally shrubby.

In colour, the two roses also differ subtly. ‘Miss Alice’ opens soft pink and may pale toward very light pink or near-white tones as the flower ages, especially at the outer petals. ‘Lochinvar’ is fresh blush pink, giving a cooler and more Scottish-rose impression. Its colour is not as showy as that of many modern pink English roses, but it harmonizes beautifully with small foliage, grey-leaved perennials, pale blue companions, and informal cottage planting.

The plant habit provides the clearest distinction. ‘Miss Alice’ forms a neat, compact shrub, often short and suitable for bedding or the front of a mixed border. ‘Lochinvar’ is also compact, but its character is more thorny, bushy, and wild-influenced, with small leaves. Where ‘Miss Alice’ is small, refined English shrub rose, ‘Lochinvar’ looks more like a cultivated bridge between the English Rose and the old Scottish roses.

‘Miss Alice’ is probably a better choice for a compact, soft-pink English rose display with larger flowers and a neater garden outline. ‘Lochinvar’ is the more distinctive collector’s rose: smaller, prickly, more textural, more unusual, and more valuable where Scottish-rose charm, pale clustered rosettes, and a slightly wild old-rose atmosphere are desired.

USDA 6

USDA Zone 6 - hardiness guide