Rose Queen Nefertiti

‘Queen Nefertiti’ is an early David Austin English Shrub rose valued for a particularly changeable, antique-looking range of warm colours. Its rounded dark red buds open into very full rosettes of buff yellow, apricot and soft peach-pink, so that the same plant can appear markedly different from one flush to the next. The shrub is usually compact enough for the front or middle of a mixed border, yet its flowers retain the layered, loosely old-fashioned character expected of an English Rose. It is a useful rose for gardeners who prefer subtle, complex colour to a uniform modern tone and who are prepared to grow a retired cultivar for its individuality.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

‘Queen Nefertiti’ represents an early compact, many-petalled English shrub rose in which the Old rose effect lies less in strict quartering than in the bloom’s cupped, informal, rosette-like construction and its unusually varying colouring. Its greatest distinction is its unstable and nuanced palette. The buds may be saturated red to reddish brown; the opening flowers can be buff, primrose yellow or warm apricot, occasionally marked by red streaking or residual blush; and mature blooms often acquire peach-pink tones. Cool weather, the age of the bloom, rootstock, soil conditions and strong sunlight all appear to influence the balance of these shades. This is therefore not a rose for gardeners seeking a perfectly uniform yellow shrub. Its appeal lies precisely in the unpredictable transition between warm ochre, apricot, tea-rose buff and soft pink.

Its status as a retired or replaced Austin cultivar should not be confused with botanical inferiority. Roses are commonly withdrawn from commercial catalogues when newer cultivars offer more uniform colour, stronger fragrance, improved disease resistance, greater vigour, or simply a clearer place in a changing collection. ‘Queen Nefertiti’ remains relevant because few compact English Shrubs combine such dark, dramatic buds with mature flowers of soft buff-apricot and peach. It is especially attractive in historical, romantic and painterly planting schemes, where its changing tones can link cream, yellow, apricot, muted copper and pink-flowered companions.

FLOWERING

‘Queen Nefertiti’ is a repeat-flowering rose. Flowers are borne in successive flushes through the growing season. The first display is typically the fullest, as with many repeat-flowering English Shrub roses, but compared to latest introductions this rose is more free-flowering and capable of repeating well after deadheading of faded flowers.

Flower bud:

The unopened buds of ‘Queen Nefertiti’ are rounded, with a notably dark red, red-brown or wine-red colouring that can seem surprising on a rose whose open flowers are cheerful buff yellow and apricot. As the bud swells, this dark pigmentation may remain on the outer petals or break into streaks and blushes, creating a transitional phase of unusual richness. The opening is usually gradual, first revealing a warm buff or apricot interior and then relaxing into a rounded, informal rosette. The buds are borne on stems adequate for cutting, although the cultivar is primarily valued as a garden shrub rather than as a formal exhibition rose. A gentle, slower opening in cool weather tends to preserve the contrast between the red outer guard petals and the warmer inner petals for longer.

Bloom:

The flowers are very full, usually having more than 40 petals, large and are commonly about 8 - 10 cm (3–4 in) in diameter, though size naturally varies with season and plant maturity. The initial form is cupped, with petals gathered around a soft centre. As the flower expands it becomes more relaxed, often developing an informal rosette. The fully open flowers have delicate and old-fashioned character: the flower may look folded, ruffled or lightly disordered in a way that suits cottage-garden and mixed-border planting.

Colour is the central feature of the rose variety ‘Queen Nefertiti’. Opening flowers may be pale yellow, deep buff, honey-apricot or apricot blended with pink. Some blooms show red marks or streaks derived from the intensely coloured bud; others are more evenly buff or cream-apricot. With age, the colour commonly shifts toward peach or peach-pink, and hot sunlight can encourage pink flushing or a paler, more bleached appearance. Consequently, it is possible to see flowers in several stages of colour on the same bush: dark buds, apricot cups, pale buff rosettes and ageing peach-pink blooms. Such variation and inconsistency of the colour should be regarded as the cultivar’s defining ornamental trait.

The clusters are generally medium sized, of 3 to 5 blooms together. At a distance, the shrub creates a soft warm impression rather than a sharply defined block of colour. In a border, the rose benefits from neighbours that do not compete with its complexity. Blue and violet perennials, silver foliage, cream-flowered companions, soft mauve geraniums, pale salvia, catmint and restrained grasses can all provide contrast without making the bloom’s warm shades appear discordant. Deep crimson companions are less forgiving, because the red buds may make the planting seem visually heavier than expected.

Petals:

The petals are numerous, softly textured and relatively broad, producing a full, layered flower. Their margins may appear lightly undulated as the bloom opens, particularly when the flower assumes its informal rosette phase. The outer petals often carry the greatest evidence of the bud’s red pigmentation, while the inner petals open in warmer buff, yellow or apricot shades. This difference between outer and inner petals is especially attractive in half-open flowers.

As the bloom ages, the petal mass loosens and the colour often shifts toward peach-pink. In warm conditions the flowers may fade more quickly than in cool weather, and prolonged rain can shorten the life of very full blooms, as it can in many densely petalled English roses. For the finest floral display, it is best planted where morning sun dries dew promptly and where air movement is good, while still avoiding severe exposed wind.

The flower has useful cutting qualities for informal arrangements, especially when stems are cut at the coloured-bud or early cup stage. Mature blooms are visually rich but less architecturally durable, so they are more successful in loose, garden-style bouquets than in formal long-lasting florist work. Removing fading flowers encourages the plant to direct energy into further flowering rather than seed production.

Fragrance:

Rose variety ‘Queen Nefertiti’ is generally lightly to mildly fragrant, the aroma is rather pleasant and sweet. Fragrance perception is strongly affected by temperature, humidity, time of day and the individual observer. A flower that seems gently sweet or warm in a sheltered morning garden may appear almost unscented in bright wind or heat. Gardeners seeking a strongly perfumed apricot Austin rose should choose this cultivar for its colouring and charm, not in expectation of a strong myrrh, Damask or tea perfume.

PLANT

Rose variety ‘Queen Nefertiti’ is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of the English Shrub Roses category created by David Austin. In ordinary garden conditions it forms a compact, well branched and bushy shrub, which when well established and mature reaches the ultimate height of approximately 75 - 90 cm (2 ½ - 3 ft) and spreads to about 60 - 75 cm (2 - 2½ ft) wide, though warmer local conditions can encourage a somewhat broader plant. The habit is bushy and usually manageable, making it suitable for mixed borders, small rose beds, low informal hedges, containers of generous volume and repeated planting in groups. Three plants planted closely can create a fuller shared mass, but sufficient spacing must be retained for airflow, particularly in humid climates.

It is most effective where its flower colour can be examined at close range: beside a path, near a terrace, in a small enclosed garden, or at the front-to-middle of a border. The rose can also be used in a collector’s planting of retired English Roses, where its unusually dark buds and buff-apricot flowers create contrast with more familiar pink, white and yellow Austin cultivars. Its modest height makes it less suitable as a background screen or large specimen shrub, although several plants grouped together can create greater presence.

Choose a site with at least six hours of direct sun daily, fertile but freely drained soil, and some protection from persistent drying wind. In hotter climates, light afternoon shade can help preserve the soft buff and apricot colouring, though excessive shade will reduce bloom quantity and increase the risk of foliar disease. Deep preparation with well-rotted organic matter improves moisture retention and root development, but the planting site must never remain waterlogged. Like most roses, it performs poorly in compacted soil, chronically wet ground and locations where roses have repeatedly grown without soil renewal.

Water deeply during establishment and during prolonged drought, directing water at the root zone rather than wetting the foliage. A spring mulch of well-rotted compost or manure, kept slightly away from the stems, helps conserve soil moisture and supports even growth. Feed moderately in spring and again after the first main flowering flush where the growing season is long; avoid late nitrogen feeding in cold climates, as soft late growth is more vulnerable to winter damage.

Pruning should be done late winter or early spring, following basic recommendations for shrub roses: remove dead, diseased, damaged and crossing growth, then shorten the remaining healthy shoots by roughly one-third to one-half according to the desired size and the plant’s vigour. A light annual thinning of the oldest stems can maintain a fresh, open framework. In colder climates, delay major pruning until the worst winter weather has passed and live buds are clearly visible. During the season, deadheading promptly encourages further flushes, cutting to an outward-facing bud or strong leaf rather than merely removing the flower head.

Foliage:

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose. The foliage is medium green in colour, providing a quiet, conventional background for the changing flower colours, the leaves create a dense enough canopy to support the impression of a compact shrub. The foliage is medium sized, and the normal leaf in the middle of the stem typically has 5 leaflets, including the terminal leaflet.

Leaflets:

The leaflets are generally oval to elliptic, pointed toward the tip and the edges are serrated, the type of serration is medium sized and single. The venation and petiole structure are typical of modern shrub roses, it has leathery and semi glossy surface texture.

Wood:

The canes of this rose form a moderately vigorous, bushy framework. The young plants of rose variety ‘Queen Nefertiti’ tend to have a more dense and upright structure and later becoming softly spreading. The colour of the young wood is medium green and has smooth surface, maturing to darker green, the bark remains smooth. Hard annual cutting is possible where space is limited, but excessive pruning may reduce the plant’s natural breadth and delay the first flowers.

Prickles:

There is a normal quantity of prickles present on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety. The prickles are evenly distributed around the canes of this rose, mostly in lower parts on the main canes; the laterals tend to bear fewer prickles. The prickles have pyramidal, broad based shape tapering to the needle to the tip; they are medium sized; the young prickles are radium yellow green transitioning to purple red to the tip and when mature they become more brownish gray.

Small prickles:

There are few small prickles that can be observed on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of the rose variety ‘Queen Nefertiti’, they have the same shape and colour as the larger prickles except much smaller in size.

Disease resistance and stress tolerance:

The rose variety ‘Queen Nefertiti’ is reasonably healthy and floriferous for the roses of its era, but it is much less disease resistant than later English roses. In humid summers, where black spot pressure is high, ‘Queen Nefertiti’ should be grown with preventive cultural care: full sun, open spacing, mulch to reduce soil splash, water directed to the root zone, prompt removal of diseased leaves and regular clearing of fallen foliage; in some seasons spraying with fungicides might be needed if the pressure of black spot and powdery mildew is high.

During drought it needs deep irrigation, particularly while establishing and while developing flower buds. In very hot sun the flowers can become more pink, buff or faded, so a little protection from the harshest afternoon heat may improve floral quality.

This rose is recommended for growing in climates similar to USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10b. In colder regions winter protection is required: plant deeply, position the graft union below soil level where appropriate, mound the base after the soil has cooled, and mulch once the ground has frozen. Own-root plants may regenerate more readily after winter injury, although they can take longer to establish.

The commercial name ‘Queen Nefertiti’ refers to Nefertiti, the celebrated queen of ancient Egypt and wife of Akhenaten, whose name is commonly translated as “a beautiful woman has come”.

No verified formal awards, trial certificates, ADR recognition, RHS Award of Garden Merit, All-America Rose Selections award, or comparable competition distinction were gained by rose ‘Queen Nefertiti’.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausap’ / 'Queen Nefertiti' originated by David Austin in the United Kingdom and is generally dated to 1988. This rose was a cross between the seed parent English rose variety ’Lilian Austin’ with the pollen parent English shrub rose variety ’Tamora’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

‘Queen Nefertiti’ belongs to the first mature generation of David Austin's English rose selection programme, arriving after foundational roses such as ‘Lilian Austin’, ‘Tamora’, ‘Mary Rose’, ‘Heritage’ and ‘Graham Thomas’. It is not a flagship variety in the way that ‘Graham Thomas’ or ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ became, yet it illustrates an important side of the Austin breeding programme: the search for flowers whose character lies in subtle, layered colour rather than in a single clear shade. Instead, it occupies an intermediate but highly individual position: smaller and more colour-variable than ‘Lilian Austin’, less uniformly apricot and less strongly scented than ‘Tamora’, and especially notable for dark buds opening into unexpectedly pale warm flowers. The cultivar is also representative of roses whose commercial lives have changed over time. Modern rose catalogues increasingly privilege consistent colour, strong disease performance, strong perfume or clear landscape utility. ‘Queen Nefertiti’ is more nuanced. It rewards observation and suits gardeners who enjoy seasonal variation, history and the preservation of discontinued varieties.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Rose ‘Ausap’ / 'Queen Nefertiti' is a compact, repeat-flowering English Shrub rose of great charm and considerable individuality. Its principal value lies in the contrast between rounded dark red buds and very full flowers that open buff yellow and apricot before ageing toward peach-pink. The shrub is useful in smaller gardens, mixed borders and collector plantings, where its changing colours can be appreciated at close range. This rose possesses the following unique combination of characteristics:

  rounded dark red buds opening to buff yellow and apricot rosettes;

  very full, cupped to informal rosette flowers;

  mature blooms that develop peach-pink tones, often with subtle red streaking;

  compact, bushy English Shrub habit suited to borders and smaller gardens;

  repeat flowering combined with an uncommon, painterly colour sequence.

Rose ‘Queen Nefertiti’ should be propagated vegetatively to preserve its identity. POssible propagation methods include grafting by budding or grafting onto an appropriate rose rootstock; while own-root plants can be raised from healthy stem cuttings. Semi-ripe cuttings in summer or hardwood cuttings during dormancy are suitable methods for experienced propagators, provided disease-free stock is used.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

The seed parent, ‘Lilian Austin’, is a larger pink-blend English Shrub, commonly reaching about 120 cm (4 ft) high and spreading 120 - 150 cm (4 - 5 ft). Its flowers are pink blended, moderately fragrant and less colour-variable than those of ‘Queen Nefertiti’. In comparison, ‘Queen Nefertiti’ is usually distinctly smaller, more compact and warmer in colour. The inheritance from ‘Lilian Austin’ can be sensed in the soft pink ageing tones and the shrub-like rather than hybrid-tea-like growth, but ‘Queen Nefertiti’ replaces the parent’s broad pink effect with a more intricate progression from dark bud to buff-apricot flower.

The pollen parent, ‘Tamora’, is an apricot-yellow English shrub rose with very full cupped flowers and a strong myrrh fragrance. It is compact, generally 90 - 100 cm (3 - 3¼ ft) high, and is known for a clear peach apricot colour with a darker centre and paler outer petals. ‘Queen Nefertiti’ shares its many petals, compact scale, repeat flowering and warm colour family, but differs markedly in its dark red buds, variable buff and yellow colouring, red streaking and usually milder fragrance. Where ‘Tamora’ is a comparatively coherent apricot rose, ‘Queen Nefertiti’ is a more changeable blend of red, buff, apricot and peach-pink.

USDA 6

USDA Zone 6 - hardiness guide