Rose Redcoat

One of David Austin’s earliest creations, ‘Redcoat’ stands apart from his later, more famous English Roses. Rather than showcasing the nostalgic, cupped forms of Old Roses, this variety is a bold, vibrant statement shrub with large, single scarlet blooms, designed more for dramatic impact than delicate nuance.

FLOWERING

The rose variety ‘Redcoat’ 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 are strikingly simple yet impactful - large, single flowers with five to eight petals, measuring up to 10 cm (3.9 inches) in diameter. They open from cone-shaped scarlet buds into wide, flat blooms of vivid crimson, surrounding a small white eye at the center. From this central disc emerge prominent golden-yellow stamens, a magnet for bees and a striking visual accent.

As the flowers age, their initial scarlet glow fades to a deeper crimson, creating a layered color palette on the bush. Though the fragrance is light and musky, it adds a pleasant undertone to the visual spectacle. The flowers appear in large clusters, sometimes over 30 blooms together at once, making this one of the most prolific bloomers in Austin’s collection.

PLANT

The rose variety 'Redcoat' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. It forms a large, robust shrub, with a natural inclination toward an inverted cone shape - bushy and wide at the top, tapering near the base. In warm climates, it reaches heights of 180 - 240 cm (6 - 8 feet) and spreads around 150 - 180 cm (5 - 6 feet ), making it ideal for use as a standalone statement plant, hedge, or pillar rose. In colder climates it grows slightly lower, itching about 150 - 180 cm (5 - 6 ft).

The foliage is dark green, glossy, and covers the canes generously. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is generally 5, including the terminal leaflet. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and large. The canes themselves are prickly, with numerous thorns of varying size, and arch elegantly under the weight of heavy bloom clusters. Despite its size, the plant responds well to light shaping but tends to quickly regain height if cut back.

‘Redcoat’ is a powerful design element in any landscape. Whether used as a freestanding specimen, hedge, or planted in pairs to flank a garden entrance, it demands attention and admiration. Its upright form, dense clusters of red blooms, and bee-friendly stamens also make it a favorite for wildlife gardens, cutting beds, and mixed borders. Due to its commanding stature and vibrant color, it is best given ample space and used with considered placement to avoid crowding or overshadowing neighboring plants. Ideal for forming a tall hedge, planting as an accent shrub, boundary rose. This rose is suitable for formal cottage or Mediterranean gardens and is wildlife-friendly.

A testament to its vigorous constitution, ‘Redcoat’ thrives in hot, dry conditions and is remarkably healthy. It shows excellent resistance to most common rose diseases, including black spot, mildew, and rust, particularly in warmer zones. Its blooms are unaffected by humidity and maintain their vibrancy even under harsh sun.

Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 6 (in UK through Europe it corresponds to RHS zones H6, down to –20 °C) 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 ‘Auscoat’ / 'Redcoat' originated by David Austin by crossing female parent (seed parent) - Climbing rose ’Parade’ with the unnamed and unpatented rose seedling.

USDA 6