Rose Thomas à Becket

‘Thomas à Becket’ is a modern English Shrub Rose notable for its rich historical naming and robust garden performance. This rose exhibits an informal, wild-like growth habit with arching canes and bears medium clusters of crimson-red rosette blooms that reflex as they mature. The fragrance is strong, Old Rose with distinctive lemon zest notes. Garden trials and grower reports praise its vigor, repeat-flowering habit, and above-average resistance to common rose diseases.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

FLOWERING

This rose variety 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 flowers of ‘Thomas à Becket’ are extraordinary, both in appearance and scent. The blooms are large, about 7 - 8 cm (3 - 3.2 inches) in diameter on average and very full, with more than 63 petals per flower. They open from pointed, slightly rounded buds into shallowly cupped rosettes. In the early stage, each bloom is a cupped shape with many petals quartered informally; as the flower ages, the outer petals noticeably reflex, creating an open rosette with a reflexed, airy look. This reflexing happens relatively quickly as the bloom matures, giving a dynamic, informal appearance. The flowers are borne in medium-sized clusters of about 3 - 7 blooms on lateral stems. The blooms nod attractively on their stems under the weight of the flowers. This nodding habit is often seen in old garden roses and adds to the graceful, informal effect.

The color of the blooms is categorised broadly in the red family, but can be nuanced. They start as striking crimson-red, with inner petals of a vivid crimson or light red, the color deepens to a rich carmine-red as the flower ages or mostly this in cooler weather. Multiple observers note the difficulty in categorizing the color precisely, also describe it to be somewhere between red and pink, this rose can take on a deep pink or raspberry hue under very warm climates or at certain stages of opening. In colder climates it can become more crimson-red to deep raspberry-violet. Despite these variations, the consensus is that the blooms remain vibrant and do not fade to unattractive tones - the colour of its flowers is consistent.

The blooms of rose variety ‘Thomas à Becket’ hold their color well until the petals drop cleanly; spent flowers may develop into small oval hips if not deadheaded, as it is a fertile shrub rose, though hip production is not prominent, only few red hips can form.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of rose variety ‘Thomas à Becket’ is intense and complex, it has Old Rose character with a strong lemon zest character. In the heart of this scent is classic Damask or antique rose fragrance, it is rich, sweet and slightly spicy, strongly infused with a citrusy note.

PLANT

The rose variety ‘Thomas à Becket’ is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. This variety is a deciduous, bushy shrub rose reaching about 120 - 150 cm (4' - 5') in height and of about 90 - 120 cm (3' - 4') in width when well-established and mature. This rose forms a strong, informal shrub with a natural, slightly arching or overhanging form. Rather than the upright, rigid structure of Hybrid Tea roses, this cultivar produces a fuller, mounded bush with multiple canes that gently bow under the weight of blooms.

An asset in garden design is its relative lack of thorns - this rose has quite few prickles, and they are well-spaced, making it easier to handle and prune compared to very thorny varieties. Overall, ‘Thomas à Becket’ is a vigorous, healthy shrub that, with basic care, remains attractive throughout the growing season.

Leaflets:

The foliage is a healthy medium to dark green with a matte finish. Leaves are compound (pinnate) having 5 to 7 leaflets, including the terminal leaflet, which is typical of modern roses, and the leaflets are ovate with serrated margins. The texture of the leaves is semi-glossy and provides an attractive, non-glossy backdrop to the vivid flowers. The combination of arching habit, sparse thorns, and abundant matte foliage gives the plant a “wild rose” character, aligning with Austin’s note that it is closer in style to species roses.

The leaves are medium sized and particularly healthy and disease-free. The texture is slightly rough, not leathery thick, but substantial. The new shoots are reddish-green and harden to a matte light green bark. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and medium sized.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety ‘Thomas à Becket’ has very good disease resistance. It was bred in an era when Austin’s program placed higher emphasis on health, and it shows above-average resistance to common foliar diseases like black spot (Diplocarpon rosae), powdery mildew (Podosphaera pannosa), and rust (Phragmidium spp.), though not complete immunity. The foliage tends to remain clean through the season, especially in drier climates.

In terms of stress tolerance beyond disease, it is reported to handle heat reasonably well for an English Rose. Its blooms do not ball in wet weather and they hold up in the sun without scorching or fading excessively. The plant has shown to be winter-hardy (rated to USDA zone 5, see below) and also tolerates partial shade without much loss of bloom. Although bred in England, ‘Thomas à Becket’ has proven adaptable to various regions.

The cultivar name ‘Thomas à Becket’ is directly inspired by the historical figure Saint Thomas Becket (Thomas à Becket), the 12th-century Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Becket’s defiance against King Henry II and subsequent murder in Canterbury Cathedral made him a martyr and saint, and Canterbury Cathedral a site of pilgrimage. The rose was named in homage to this legacy and specifically to Canterbury Cathedral. The breeder revealed that the cathedral authorities requested a namesake rose. Notably, the name includes the French preposition “à”, reflecting the common historical spelling of Becket’s name (Thomas à Becket, meaning “of Becket”). Some English references omit the accent or use “Thomas a Becket” interchangeably.

English Shrub Roses

Australia - Bronze Medal, Australian National Rose Trials, 2019;

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

The precise parentage of ‘Auswinston’ / ‘Thomas à Becket’ is not published, as is common with many later of David Austin’s English Roses. Austin often kept exact crosses proprietary, especially when they involve unreleased seedlings. The parent plants are only described as “an unnamed seedling as the seed parent and an unnamed seedling as the pollen parent”, with seeds sown in January 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

As one of David Austin’s later-generation English Roses, ‘Auswinston’ / ‘Thomas à Becket’ holds significance for its departure in style from many of his earlier cultivars. Its species-like vigor and informal habit have made it notable among modern shrub roses, appealing to gardeners seeking a more organic, “wild” look without sacrificing bloom quality.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auswinston’ / ‘Thomas à Becket’ exemplifies a trend toward disease-resistant, landscape-friendly roses that still offer the fragrance and form valued in heritage varieties. In particular it has been highlighted by rosarians for its reliable garden performance.

USDA 5