Rose Redouté

Among the paler English shrub roses of the early David Austin period, ‘Redouté’ stands out as a soft pink sport of the celebrated ‘Mary Rose’, retaining that cultivar’s generous repeat flowering and Old rose charm while shifting the palette to a finer, cooler, more porcelain shade. Its flowers are medium-sized, very full, and sweetly fragrant, opening from neat buds into cupped, then flatter rosettes that give the plant a tender, painterly presence in the border. The shrub itself is bushy, twiggy, and well furnished with leathery foliage, making it useful not only as a collector’s Austin but also as an ornamental garden rose of real practical merit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The breeder’s patent is clear that the plant ‘Redouté’ arose as a spontaneous mutation of ‘Mary Rose’ and differs from that parent essentially in flower color, while retaining its Old-fashioned floral display, recurrent bloom, and characteristic foliage. That single genetic shift is what gives the rose its identity. Instead of the clear mid pink of ‘Mary Rose’, ‘Redouté’ presents a paler, softer, more luminous pink that often seems almost shell-like at first opening and fades toward blush-white as the flower ages.

Within the broader history of English Roses, that matters more than it may first appear. David Austin’s whole project was to recover the fragrance, petal fullness, and romantic form of old roses while restoring repeat flowering and garden usefulness, and by 1969 he had begun to define this new class explicitly as “English Roses”. ‘Redouté’ belongs to the phase when that breeding philosophy had fully matured: the shrubs were no longer experimental curiosities, but established garden plants with recognizable family traits, and sports of the best cultivars were being evaluated seriously rather than dismissed as novelties.

It remains relevant in modern gardens precisely because it offers refinement without fragility of character. Available descriptions consistently portray it as a useful, repeat-flowering shrub with good branching and a pleasing bush form, rather than a rose that is magnificent only in a brief flush or only under exhibition treatment. Where many pale pink roses strive for a cool, ethereal beauty at the expense of vigor, ‘Redouté’ appears to keep much of Mary Rose’s workmanlike flowering habit. That combination of romance and reliability is the reason it still deserves notice in serious rose collections.

FLOWERING

Rose variety ‘Redouté’ has a repeat flowering habit. When well established the plant repeatedly produces new flushes of flowers, continuing to bloom from early summer into autumn, and this continuity is one of its chief virtues.

Flower bud:

The flower buds are short, slightly pointed ovoid shaped, of about 2 to 2.5 cm long (roughly 0.8 to 1 in) when the petals begin to unfurl. At sepal split the bud is deeper and warmer in tone than the open flower, then quickly pales as the bloom expands. The sepals are yellow-green, smooth and softly downy, with three lightly appendaged sepals and two unappendaged sepals; the receptacle is small and goblet-shaped, and the peduncle averages about 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 in), glandular, stiff, and erect, with a bronzy-green tint.

Bloom:

The open flower is generally medium-sized, about 7 to 7.5 cm (roughly 2.75 to 3 in) in diameter, though warmer-climate they become larger, which likely reflects seasonal and regional variation rather than contradiction. Flowers are borne singly or in small, somewhat irregular clusters, most often one to six per stem; the flowering stems are strong.

The open flowers have an open cupped form and then relax outward slightly as the flower fully opens, the outer petals curling back so that the flower often settles into a flatter rosette. The center is quartered, with petaloids mixed among the reproductive parts, and the overall effect belongs entirely to the old-rose aesthetic. The blooms are very full, beautifully formed.

The flowers of ‘Redouté’ have pale pink colour with the outer petals slightly lighter than inner ones and the petal bases paling toward white with a yellow tip at the base. As the bloom ages, the pink softens further and may fade almost to white over several days. This shifting coloration is part of the charm: unlike a flat, opaque pink, ‘Redouté’ gives a more translucent impression, particularly in cool weather or subdued light, and reads as one of the more delicate pastel sports in the Austin canon. Generally the blooms of ‘Redouté’ have essentially the same expressive form of the parent ‘Mary Rose’ translated into a softer register.

Petals:

The number of the petals on the flowers is about 97 under normal growing conditions. The petals are thin and soft in texture, slightly notched, with the outer petals broader and rounder while the inner petals are narrower and somewhat more cupped. Their tips are a little recurved, contributing to the flower’s changing silhouette as it ages. This is not a stiff-petalled rose; its beauty depends on suppleness and layered softness.

The petals of this rose last for about roughly 3 to 4 days on the plant and about 3 days as a cut flower. Outer petals tend to fall more cleanly, while inner petals may hang and dry. That suggests a rose grown primarily for landscape and border effect rather than for long vase life. In prolonged wet weather, and especially in exposed sites, very full flowers of this type tend to spoil under prolonged rainy days.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of ‘Redouté’ is moderate to strong, sweet, and heavy, with a prominent Old Rose character and sometimes with the honey and almond notes, familiar from ‘Mary Rose’. It is not one of the fiercest perfume roses in the Austin range, yet neither is it negligible; in still weather it should be counted a fragrant garden shrub.

Reproductive parts:

The reproductive structures are present but are partly obscured by the heavy petal count and the petaloids in the center, where medium yellow anthers mixed with petaloids, yellow filaments, gold-yellow pollen, pale whitish-green styles, and greenish-white stigmas.

PLANT

Rose variety ‘Redouté’ is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The habit is bushy and vigorous, with the twiggy, well-branched structure that distinguishes a number of the more old-rose-inflected Austins.The mature and well established plants of this rose typically reach similar size as its parent, growing to about 120 - 150 cm (4 to 5 ft) in height and of about 120 - 150 cm (4 - 5 ft) wide; and in climates with more warmer winters they can reach up to 180 cm. But mostly it grows as a medium sized shrub in cool to temperate climates and a much larger, more expansive plant in warmth.

Still, ‘Redouté’ is usually best treated as a medium shrub for the middle of the border, an informal hedge, or a specimen in a small group. In warmer regions, where growth can lengthen significantly, it may be given more room and even lightly trained through a low support or against a fence. But it provides its best when formed and grown as a medium shrub forming a full, rounded scrub covered in romantic fragrant flowers.

The standard rose agriculture recommendations are sufficient for maximal performance: humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in a sunny, open position, with mulching in late winter and balanced feeding in late winter or early spring and again in early summer. In regards to pruning, as a repeat-flowering shrub rose and specifically a David Austin English rose, it belongs to the light-to-moderate winter pruning regime: in mature plants reduce the previous season’s growth by roughly one-third to one-half, remove weak or crossing stems, and take out some older wood from the center over time to maintain renewal and airflow. In milder climates this work is usually done in January or February; in colder districts the RHS recommends waiting until March, when growth is just beginning. Deadheading through the season helps sustain the recurrent display.

In garden design, this rose performs best in mixed borders, cottage gardens, informal rose beds, and mass planting. The soft colour and shape makes it easier to combine than some giant old-fashioned roses, while the pale pink color serves as a useful mediator between stronger pinks, mauves, and silvers. Because the stems are prickly and the shrub can become dense, it can also function as a modest defensive planting along a fence.

Foliage:

The foliage is one of its definitive features, the breeder described those as Portland rose-type, meaning leaves smaller and duller than the glossy foliage of many Hybrid Teas, closer in spirit to certain nineteenth-century old shrub roses. Mature foliage is yellow-green to dark green, while new growth is lighter and notably flushed red along the margins and veins. The texture is leathery, and later trade descriptions consistently emphasize dark green, often matte or only lightly lustrous foliage. On the shrub this gives a quiet, composed background to the flowers and helps prevent the plant from looking washed out despite the delicacy of the bloom color.

Leaflets:

Normal mid-stem leaves typically composed of five leaflets, including the terminal leaflet. These leaflets are pointed-oval in shape, leathery above, and edged with small double serration. The petiole rachis is green, the underside of the petiole carries one to two prickles per internode, and the stipules are medium to finely serrated, about 2 to 2.5 cm (roughly 0.8 to 1 in) long. This is all entirely in keeping with the old-shrub look of the plant.

Wood:

The wood of rose ‘Redouté’ is smooth both when young and mature. New wood has medium green colour; the old wood remains green rather than aging to a notably reddish or brown cast. More important than bark color, however, is the architectural habit: the plant forms a dense, branchy framework, repeatedly pushing new side growth and flowering stems. It continuously branches to produce new flowers, it is not a rigid cane-maker; it is a shrub-builder.

Prickles:

The larger prickles are present on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose in large quantities. They are medium sized in length, straight to slightly downward-hooked, red when young, and arranged fairly evenly around the stem. The plant is certainly armed, though not exceptionally savage by rose standards.

Small prickles:

The smaller prickles are more numerous - there are many small prickles on both the main stalks and the laterals, brown in color. While trade descriptions do not always distinguish these from the larger armature, the stems have a fine secondary roughness beyond the ordinary larger prickles, which partly explains the plant’s usefulness in barrier planting.

Disease resistance and stress tolerance:

Rose ‘Redouté’ shows good resistance to black spot and powdery mildew under normal growing conditions. The resistance to rose rust and botrytis is also good. At the same time any rose, like shrub roses generally, may still be susceptible to the ordinary rose problems, including black spot, powdery mildew, rust, dieback, and replant disease, therefore even if ‘Redouté’ appears to be a reasonably healthy older English shrub when well grown, but no rose should be considered as immune.

In terms of winter hardiness, the RHS rates the rose H6, which corresponds to hardiness roughly between -20 and -15°C (-4 to 5°F), while rose databases commonly place it around USDA Zones 5b through 10b. Therefore in regions with cold winters sensible protection is still advisable: in severe winters gardeners need to avoid hard autumn pruning, and mounding or mulching around the base after the plant is dormant, winter shelter is also highly advisable. In hotter climates the rose evidently remains viable and may grow substantially larger, but it does not have strong drought tolerance, therefore during prolonged dry seasons the deep watering is crucial for this rose.

The name ‘Redouté’ was given as a tribute to Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840), the great botanical painter whose name became inseparable from the rose through his celebrated Les Roses. Major cultural institutions continue to identify Redouté as one of the great botanical illustrators, famed above all for his rose studies. In this case the naming feels especially apt, because the rose itself has a distinctly painted quality: pale, layered, and refined rather than brilliant or theatrical.

In South Africa the same rose has long been sold as ‘Margaret Roberts’, a market name that Ludwig’s Roses explains as honoring the celebrated South African herbalist and plant personality Margaret Roberts.

The rose should also not be confused with the unrelated later French shrub ‘Prix P. J. Redouté’ / ‘MASpiejo’, bred by Dominique Massad in 2010.

‘Redouté’ was only mentioned in an exhibition in category Modern Shrub Rose, Milwaukee Rose Society Show, in 2000.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auspale’ / ‘Redouté’ originated as a spontaneous mutation (or sport), of the English rose variety ’Mary Rose’. Exact commercialization dates vary slightly by jurisdictional document, but the broad chronology is clear: observed by 1991, on the market by 1992, and subsequently protected in major jurisdictions through the mid-1990s.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

‘Auspale’ / ‘Redouté’ belongs to that formative, still highly characteristic period: not one of the ultra-modern disease-bred landscape shrubs, but a rose shaped by Austin’s original conviction that beauty, fragrance, and historical form still mattered. It also belongs to one of the most important internal families of Austin roses. ’Mary Rose’, its source cultivar, was one of Austin’s strongly recurrent, highly useful shrubs and became influential in both breeding and mutation history. The family resemblance is obvious in this variety: similar bush, similar floral architecture, different color expression.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auspale’ / ‘Redouté’ is one of the most elegant examples of how a sport can preserve the virtues of a famous rose while entirely altering its atmosphere. It keeps the recurrent flowering, old-fashioned fullness, and useful shrub habit of ‘Mary Rose’, but softens the color to a pale, painterly pink that feels more restrained and refined. It stands as one of the most significant color sports in the early English Rose tradition and incorporated the following unique combination of characteristics:

  a pale pink sport of ‘Mary Rose’, differing essentially in flower color while retaining the parent’s repeat-flowering character;

  medium, very full flowers, about 7 to 7.5 cm (roughly 3 in) across, opening cupped and relaxing to flatter rosettes with approximately 97 petals;

  a sweet, moderate to strong and clearly perceptible Old Rose fragrance sometimes carrying honey and almond notes;

  bushy, twiggy, vigorous shrub with leathery, Portland type foliage;

  good resistance to black spot and powdery mildew under normal growing conditions at;

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

Compared to parent ‘Mary Rose’ which bears medium-sized, rose-pink, loose-petalled flowers with an Old Rose fragrance touched by honey and almond blossom, on a well-shaped, twiggy shrub. While ‘Auspale’ / ‘Redouté’ keeps the same general architecture, repeat-flowering habit, and old-fashioned floral spirit, but translates the flower into a paler soft pink and a more faded, porcelain finish. In effect it is less hearty in color, more restrained in tone, and a little more refined in visual temperature, without ceasing to be recognizably of the same family.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

Among commercially available English shrub roses, ’Eglantyne’ is one of the closest in general sentiment, though not in lineage. Both are pale pink, strongly old-fashioned in flower form, and suited to mixed-border planting, but they differ in expression. ’Eglantyne’ produces larger, more exquisitely formal saucer-shaped blooms packed with many small petals and often a distinct central button eye; having around 130 to 140 petals and a strong Old Rose fragrance on a more compact, upright-rounded shrub. By contrast, ‘Redouté’ bears slightly smaller blooms, around 97 petals opening more cupped and then flattening into a looser rosette, with a somewhat freer, more Mary Rose-like shrub architecture. For the gardener, this means ’Eglantyne’ offers greater floral formality and stronger perfume, while ‘Redouté’ gives a softer, more relaxed border effect and the special historical interest of being a ‘Mary Rose’ sport.

USDA 5

USDA Zone 5 - hardiness guide