Rose Mary Delany

‘Mary Delany’, formerly known as ‘Mortimer Sackler’, is a modern English Climbing Rose distinguished by its soft warm-pink, cup-shaped blooms with subtle salmon tones, an Old Rose fragrance with fruity notes, and a nearly prickless, vigorous growth habit. This rose is adaptable, repeat-blooming, and well-suited to various garden uses, combining historic rose charm with modern resilience.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

FLOWERING

The rose variety ‘Mary Delany’ 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.

The blooms of ‘Mary Delany’ are medium-sized, about 7 - 9 cm in diameter when fully open, and very full. They start from elongated and pointed buds of a deeper pink or raspberry pink before opening. The half-open flowers have a loose, cupped form with a somewhat informal arrangement of petals, Austin describes them as “loosely double”. Each bloom starts as a warm medium pink? warm pink or bright pink at the center, paling toward the outer petals to a very soft pink blush. The color may have salmon undertones in certain light, although overall it’s classed as a light pink rose. As the blooms mature, they reveal golden yellow stamens at the center, especially once fully open and semi-flat. Blooms are typically borne in small clusters of up to 3 - 7 flowers, creating a pleasing spray effect.

Spent blooms drop petals cleanly and can form small, red rose-hips if not deadheaded (not a prominent feature, but fruit are noted as red and ornamental. The inflorescence type is often a spray (multi-flower cluster) rather than solitary blooms, aligning with its partial ancestry from cluster-flowering roses. When in heavy bloom, the clusters create a soft “cloud” of pink; the blooms tend to nod slightly on slender stems (especially after rain), which allows one to admire their beauty and inhale their perfume from below - a charming trait on arches or pergolas.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of ‘Mary Delany’ is pleasant, with Old Rose character with hints of fruit, of light to moderate intensity. Many observers detect a fruity nuance, often likened to citrus or sweet myrrh, underlying the classic rose scent - likely inherited from its parent ‘Lilian Austin’ (which had a fruity scent) and other Austin lineage. The fragrance is most noticeable in the morning and on warm, still days. It is not overpowering, but enough to be appreciable when one is near the blooms. While not the strongest-scented English Rose, ‘Mary Delany’ provides a noticeably elegant perfume in the garden, enhancing its appeal as a climber around seating areas or doorways.

PLANT

Rose variety ‘Mary Delany’ is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub or Climbing Roses collection. Taxonomically, it is a complex modern hybrid, it falls into the category of shrubs or short climbers.. In practice, it is often trained as a climbing rose on supports, but can also freestand as a large shrub in warmer climates.

This rose is deciduous and exhibits a bushy, upright growth habit with long, slender canes. Young canes are purplish, later maturing to green. Unlike many climbers, its canes have very few prickles. The canes of this rose variety are flexible and can be trained easily. The mature and well established plant of this rose variety when trained as a climber are about 350 - 400 cm (11' 5" - 13' 1") tall and are about 100 - 120 cm (3' 3" - 4') wide, making it a medium climber. When grown as a shrub (unsupported), it may reach about 150 - 180 cm (5' - 6') in height in heavy prune regimes.

‘Mary Delany’ has gained prominence for its exceptional garden performance and ease of growth, symbolizing the astonishing combination of beauty and resilience sought in modern roses. It is considered one of the most striking and better-performing English roses with vigorous shrub form, abundant light pink blooms, and notable fragrance. Importantly, it has been recognized in formal trials and by horticultural authorities. In an era emphasizing sustainable gardening, ‘Mary Delany’ exemplifies breeding progress towards disease-resistant, low-maintenance roses.

As a climber, ‘Mary Delany’ will not cling by itself - it needs tying and support. Provide a trellis, arbor, pillar, or fence for it to climb. Begin training in the first year - as the canes grow, tie them loosely to the support with strips of stretchy material. Aim to fan out the main canes horizontally or at a 45° angle; this encourages more laterals and blooms along their length. This encourages the plant to put out more flowering laterals, and train the canes as horizontally as possible. Due to its low thorn count, handling the canes is easier – but still wear gloves to avoid any small prickles. For a wall, you can use vine eyes and wires spaced about 50 cm apart vertically; tie new shoots along these wires. For an arch or pergola, spiral the canes around or tie them over the top. By the second or third year, the rose will have long canes of about 250 - 370 cm (8 - 12 ft); arrange the oldest 2–3 canes as permanent framework, and allow younger shoots to fill in. Because ‘Mary Delany’ has relatively supple canes, it can even be trained in a small spiral or as an espalier on a fence. Check ties yearly to avoid girdling the stems, loosening as needed.

In the landscape, ‘Mary Delany’ is versatile. It works beautifully trained on arches, trellises, or house walls (with support), contributing a romantic “old rose” look with its nodding pink blooms and rich scent. It can also be grown as a free-standing shrub given hard pruning, or even as a large pillar rose. Its nearly prickless canes invite planting near walkways or in children’s gardens where thorny roses would be problematic. The soft pink color combines well with blue or purple clematis, which can be co-trained. Underplanting with lavender or nepeta can create a classic English garden vignette, also helping deter aphids.

Foliage:

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose. The foliage is dark green in colour and semi-glossy. Each compound leaf typically has 5 to 7 leaflets, including the terminal leaflet, with an oval shape. They are typically smaller than on many hybrid teas, giving an “airy” effect to the plant. The foliage emerges with a bronzy or purplish tint when young, new shoots are purplish, then turns deep green. Notably, the foliage is often highlighted for its healthy appearance indicating high resistance to common foliar diseases.

Prickles:

The prickles are few and far between. Where present, they are small, fine, and mostly on older wood; young flowering laterals are often almost completely smooth. This near-thornlessness is a distinguishing trait, rare among climbing roses of this color class - it makes pruning and training much easier (no heavy gloves required) and allows planting near walkways or doorframes with minimal hazard.

Disease resistance:

Among other things, the rose variety ‘Mary Delany’ is considered to have high tolerance to common rose diseases. In no-spray trials, it has shown strong resistance especially to black spot (Diplocarpon rosae) and powdery mildew (Podosphaera pannosa). Gardeners around the globe report clean foliage even in humid summers, with only minimal blackspot late in the season if any, although of course it is not entirely immune, meaning that in severe blackspot regions some spotting can occur by autumn. But relative to most English Roses, it stands out as very disease-tolerant. It also shows good resistance to rose rust (Phragmidium mucronatum).

Rose ‘Mary Delany’ handles heat and sun reasonably well for an English Rose - its blooms are somewhat heat-sensitive - paler and quicker to fade in very high temperatures, but the plant itself tolerates warm summers given adequate water. In hot climates, partial afternoon shade can help preserve flower color. The cultivar is noted to tolerate partial shade: it blooms in 4 - 6 hours of sun, making it suitable for east-facing or lightly shaded exposures. Additionally, it is adaptable to various soil types (from clay to sandy loam), including moderately alkaline soils.

Regarding cold hardiness, it is rated to about -20 °C or colder. The RHS assigns it Hardiness rating H6 (hardy in all of UK and northern Europe, approx. -20 °C), which corresponds to USDA zones 5–9. It should be noted that in extreme cold, it may experience cane die-back, but regrowth from the base is vigorous in spring.

Given its robust nature, ‘Mary Delany’ often does not require chemical interventions. Gardeners can follow integrated pest management (IPM): tolerate minor pest presence and let natural predators handle aphids, for example. If fungus appears, remove affected leaves and ensure the environment (sun, airflow) is optimized. Use of organic sprays like neem oil can be a last resort.

The cultivar’s current name commemorates Mary Delany (née Granville, 1700–1788), a noted English artist, amateur botanist, and writer. Mary Delany is famed for her intricate botanical collage art (“paper mosaiks”), depicting flowers with remarkable accuracy. David Austin Roses announced in 2022 that the rose would be given this new trade designation, explicitly to honor Delany’s legacy and likely to provide a more wholesome association for marketing. The choice is fitting: an 18th-century figure passionate about flowers lends an aura of heritage and refinement to the rose. The renaming is widely seen as positive, aligning the rose with an admired historical woman known for botanical pursuits.

Notably this rose was named ‘Mortimer Sackler’. From its introduction in 2002 until 2022, this rose was marketed under the name ‘Mortimer Sackler’. Dr. Mortimer Sackler (1916–2010) was an American-British psychiatrist and philanthropist, co-owner of Purdue Pharma (associated with OxyContin). The rose’s naming in his honor occurred through a charity auction: the Sackler family paid to name the new cultivar after Mortimer Sackler, as a philanthropic gesture. This practice of auctioning rose names for charity is not uncommon and reflects the significant donations often involved. At the time, Mortimer Sackler’s name was associated with major donations to art and educational institutions. However, by the late 2010s, the Sackler name became embroiled in controversy due to the opioid crisis and legal actions against Purdue Pharma. Many institutions removed the Sackler name from buildings and programs. In light of this, David Austin Roses followed suit: in 2022 they formally changed the trade name of ‘Ausorts’ from ‘Mortimer Sackler’ to ‘Mary Delany’. This decision was publicly well-received, severing the rose’s connection to a now-problematic namesake.

English Climbing Rose

Notably, it has earned an RHS Award of Garden Merit (2012) for exceptional disease resistance and garden performance.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

‘Ausorts ’ / 'Mary Delany' was hybridized by David C. H. Austin in the late 1990s at Austin’s breeding program in Albrighton. This rose variety originated by crossing the English rose variety "Lilian Austin" with the unnamed rose seedling.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

The ‘Ausorts’ / 'Mary Delany' may be distinguished from its seed parent "Lilian Austin" by the following combination of characteristics:

 Lilian Austin is a pink-blend shrub rose known for its loose semi-double blooms, sweet fruity fragrance and a strong repeat-blooming habit.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

Within David Austin’s range, ‘Ausorts’ / 'Mary Delany' shares some similarities with other light pink climbing English Roses but also clear differences. It is often compared to "The Generous Gardener", another pale pink climber from Austin. Both roses are nearly thornless and tall 370 - 460 cm (12 - 15 ft); however, "The Generous Gardener" has larger, very pale blush-pink rosette blooms with a stronger musk fragrance, whereas ‘Ausorts’ / 'Mary Delany' has slightly deeper pink, looser blooms and stays more cluster-flowered.

Another peer is "St Swithun", a pink climbing rose St Swithun’s flowers are larger, very full and quartered, with more prickles on canes, while ‘Ausorts’ / 'Mary Delany' offers a lighter, more airy display on smoother canes.

"James Galway" is a deeper pink climber that is vigorous and healthy but notably thornier than ‘Ausorts’ / 'Mary Delany'. The distinct edge of ‘Ausorts’ / 'Mary Delany' is its combination of near-prickless, repeating clusters, and proven disease resistance. Few climbers have all these traits combined. It provides the charm of old roses (quartered form, fragrance) in a climbing habit that is easier to manage and healthier than many heritage climbing roses.

USDA 5