English Style Roses For Canadian Gardens
(Other than David Austins!)
The English style rose was made famous by the pioneering work of David Austin in England who, since the 1950s, worked to combine the beauty and romance of the cupped, multi-petaled forms and fragrance of old roses with the characteristics and performance of modern roses including a wider colour range, repeat-flowering, and disease resistance. While David Austin is the most famous breeder of English style roses, he is not the only one. Other breeders such as Kordes from Germany, Meilland from France, Weeks from the USA, and our own Brad Jalbert from Canada have bred amazing English style roses with incredible forms, colours, and fragrance that very much deserve to rub shoulders with David Austin roses in your garden!
You need only look at the beautiful photographs and to grow and smell your first English style rose to understand that these, like David Austins, are also something special in the rose world. They will quickly grow into magnificent shrubs and climbers that will transform your garden with their old world charm, fragrance, and performance.
And sometimes other breeders offer colours and forms that you can’t find from David Austin. For instance, David Austin didn’t like true red as a colour for his roses but Kordes offers the magnificent climber Florentina as well as the unique lavender coloured Quicksilver, a shade you also won’t find from David Austin. Kordes also offers the extremely heat tolerant Sunbelt series with peach Crazy Love and lavender Plum Perfect and the dwarf Veranda Cream and Veranda Lavender perfect for container growing.
From Meilland you get one of the most popular of all English style climbers: Eden often also referred to as Eden Rose and Eden Climber. It has beautiful bicolour white and pink flowers and is one of our best sellers of all time. Its siblings are Eden Red, another true red, as well as a gorgeous pink in Eden Pretty in Pink, and pure white in Eden White. Sweet Mademoiselle with its deep pink outer petals and apricot pink centres will wow anyone who loves David Austin’s Boscobel. Princesse Charlene de Monaco, Moonlight Romantica, and Yves Piaget are also stunners. And these are just some of Kordes’ many English style offerings.
Weeks Roses offers the glowing pink All Dressed Up and the very unique State of Grace with apricot gold centres and pink outer petals. Brad Jalbert has bred the amazing and distinctive peachy orange tones of Double Ambre and Peach Glory and the delicate pale pink Dylan Rose which might not be exactly in the English style but its lovely ruffles will delight anyone who loves these romantic old world forms. Brad’s roses will also perform remarkably in our West Coast climate and other cool summer climates offering great disease resistance and health.
Characteristics of English Roses:
- Form: English style roses tend to grow as shapely shrubs with a bushy mounding or arching growth habit. The climbers are strong and vigorous usually with flowering down to the base.
- Flowers: A wide range of colours with unique, cupped, old fashioned, multi-petaled, and often quartered blooms that change in colour beautifully as they age.
- Fragrance: Renowned for their strong and diverse fragrances including old rose, tea, myrrh, fruit, and musk.
- Repeat-flowering: Cultivars will repeat flower providing a long season of interest.
- Design Potential: Highly versatile for different garden styles and uses including mixed flower beds, traditional rose borders, fragrant hedges, large pots and containers, for the cutting garden, and for large landscape plantings.
- Health: All of these breeders also focus on vigour and garden performance with great disease resistance.
As with all roses, English style cultivars prefer full to part sun for best flowering and overall performance. Some are tolerant of and will bloom reasonably in part shade which could describe a location with 3-4 hours of sun per day, a spot with dappled light throughout the day, or a position against a north wall that is open above with bright reflected light. Tolerance of part shade is noted in each of their descriptions below. Roses also prefer rich soils with added compost and fertilizer and ample deep waterings, especially during summer dry spells.
English style roses are usually rated as hardy to zones 4 or 5, depending on the cultivar. For tricks on how to grow these roses in colder zones than their official rating, read our article on “How to Grow David Austin Roses in Zone 3”.
At Phoenix Perennials we offer one of Canada’s largest selections of David Austin and other English style roses each year for Canadian gardeners. We launch online pre-ordering as part of our Great Rose Pre-Order every fall or winter for the following spring with options for gardeners in Richmond, Greater Vancouver and beyond in British Columbia to pick-up your roses as potted plants at our Richmond, BC nursery or for bare root mail order shipping across Canada from March to early April as weather warms up in your region. You can also shop for roses in person at Phoenix Perennials through the spring, summer and fall.
If the Great Rose Pre-Order is currently running, you’ll find it in our Pre-Order Area. To be the first to know about the launch of the Great Rose Pre-Order and to receive articles on roses, subscribe to our Rose Alert.
Have fun perusing the many cultivars of non-Austin English style roses that we carry and selecting the perfect plants for your garden. Not all will be available each year but we’ll have most of them! (And to explore our David Austin selection, read our article on David Austin Roses for Canadian Gardens.)
English Style Roses by Kordes, Meilland, Weeks, and Jalbert
David Austin is the most famous breeder of English style roses but other top international breeders also produce roses in the English style. These roses are just as beautiful, fragrant, and disease resistant as David Austins. Also, some cultivars offer colours and habits not found in the David Austin cultivars. These roses are all magnificent.
Florentina - Climber
Brad says this is the best red climber on the market. ‘Florentina’ is a very robust climber with old-fashioned, cupped, bright-red flowers in clusters with a moderate scent bred by Kordes. If you love the classic shape of David Austin roses but want a true red, this is the rose for you. This climber blooms over a long season with disease resistant, dark green, glossy foliage. Compact in size, but a terrific impact on any fence or wall. 7 ft.
Bordeaux - Shrub
Bordeaux is a stunning English style, compact shrub rose from Kordes Roses with wine red double flowers. Plants are extremely floriferous with good repeat bloom and great heat and disease resistance. The fragrance is light. Zones 4-9. Great for containers and small spaces. 3×2.5ft.
Eden Red - Climber
Rosa ‘Eden Red’ is a popular Meilland climbing rose with dark red blooms and light fragrance. Part of the Eden Climber series, ‘Eden Red’ features rich, dark red, cupped blooms averaging 100-110 petals in each flower. These English style roses will enchant anyone who loves David Austin roses. Like its popular sister Eden, this climbing rose can reach 12 feet high. Plant it on a wall, arbour, pergola, or fence. Meilland roses are bred in France and trusted by gardeners around the world for their health, vigour, floriferousness and disease resistance.
Celestial Night - Floribunda
Celestial Night has unique plum purply red tones to its old-fashioned, quartered, English-style blooms. Moderately fragrant with repeat to continuous bloom. Excellent disease resistance. Extra hardy and a strong landscape rose. Zones 4-9. 4-5×3-4ft.
Yves Piaget - Shrub
Rosa ‘Yves Piaget’ is a popular reblooming Meilland rose with deep pink blooms and a strong fragrance. Its large blooms are packed with 80 petals in a cupped and ruffled English style like a David Austin rose. This romantic rose is popular as a cut flower for its unique ruffled petals. Meilland roses are bred in France and are trusted by gardeners for their health, vigour, disease resistance, and reblooming nature.
Sweet Mademoiselle - Hybrid Tea
Sweet Mademoiselle has very fragrant flowers with a strong, sweet perfume. The flowers are large, fully, double, and English style with colours that can change with the temperatures when they open. In warm temperatures they are a lighter salmon pink. In cooler temperatures they are a deeper, vibrant pink with deep salmony centres. If you love David Austin’s Boscobel, you will love Sweet Mademoiselle. Excellent disease resistance. Zones 5-9. 5x3ft.
All Dressed Up - Shrub
Rosa ‘All Dressed Up’ is a Weeks shrub rose bearing fully double mid pink blooms with a fresh apple fragrance. The petals are held in a romantic cupped shape with inner ruffles in the English style like a David Austin Rose. It also offers glossy green foliage and can grow up to 6 feet high. A must have in any rose collectors garden, this rose is a healthy, repeat blooming and disease-resistant shrub.
Dee-Lish - Hybrid Tea
Dee-Lish is classed as a hybrid tea rose. The flower buds begin to open with the classic, elegant shape of a hybrid tea but as the flowers age they become more cupped with a full, ruffled centre like and English style roses. The flowers begin deep, rich pink lightening towards mid pink but are considered “non-fading” as they do not lighten any further. The fragrance is strong with notes of verbena and citrus. Zones 5-9. 6.5x3ft.
Eden Pretty in Pink - Climber
Rosa ‘Eden Pretty In Pink’ is a popular Meilland climbing rose with deep pink blooms and light fragrance. Part of the Eden Climber series, ‘Eden Pretty in Pink’ features deep pink blooms in the English style. Like its popular sister ‘Eden’, this climbing rose can reach 12 feet high with cupped, double blooms averaging 70-80 petals in each flower. Plant it on a wall, arbour, pergola, or fence. Meilland roses are bred in France and trusted by gardeners around the world for their health, vigour, floriferousness and disease resistance.
Leonardo da Vinci - Shrub
Rosa ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ is a Meilland shrub rose with deep pink blooms and mild tea fragrance. It forms large clusters of cupped, quartered, English style flowers packed with petals. It can 4-5 feet tall and bears dark green, glossy, disease-resistant foliage. Meilland roses are bred in France and trusted by gardeners around the world for their health, vigour, floriferousness and disease resistance.
Kiss Me Kate - Climber
Kiss Me Kate is an extremely fragrant climbing rose with gorgeous, mid pink, cupped blooms. It is vigorous with dark green, excellently disease resistant foliage. The flowers have a great stem length perfect for cutting. Zones 5-9. 10 ft.
Summer Romance Parfuma - Floribunda
Summer Romance Parfuma is a beautiful floribunda rose from Kordes Roses with an English style flower. It forms beautiful ruffled cups of intensely fragrant, mid pink blooms which smell of anise, apple, rose, and spice. Blooms in flushes throughout the season. Very good disease resistance. Bushy, compact habit. Zones 5-9. 4x3ft.
Eden - Climber
One of the world’s most popular roses with an abundance of large, old-fashioned, cupped, white, light pink and carmine pink blooms with a moderate fragrance and excellent repeat bloom. Strong climber. Glossy, dark green foliage. The flower shape resembles the style of David Austin roses. 6-10 ft.
Earth Angel Parfuma - Floribunda/Short Climber
An exquisite old-fashioned, English style, peony-type rose with white cups holding a multitude of delicate pink petals. Incredible fragrance of sweet rose, citrus, and raspberry. Very healthy with outstanding, clean, disease resistant foliage. Train as a short climber to 6 feet or prune to maintain as a bush. Very few thorns. Bred by Kordes.
Cinderella Fairy Tale - Shrub
Cinderella Fairy Tale is an elegant English style rose from Kordes Roses with old-fashioned, cupped and ruffled flowers in delicate pink with lighter outer petals. Very cold hardy and easy to grow with a strong fragrance. Zones 4-9. 4-5×3-4ft.
Princesse Charlene de Monaco - Hybrid Tea
Princesse Charlene de Monaco is an absolute stunner. The heavily ruffled cupped flowers are shell pink with light apricot interiors. The flowers are also very fragrant with a lovely sweet, perfume overlaid with fresh fruit. Zones 5-9. 5.5-2-3ft.
Bliss Parfuma - Shrub
Bliss Parfuma is a gorgeous English style, compact shrub rose from Kordes Roses with peach pink buds opening to cupped, heavily ruffled flowers with peach pink centres and creamy white edges. Over time the flowers lighten to palest pink and white. Blooms in flushes throughout the season with exceptional disease resistance. Light fragrance. Zones 5-9. Great for containers and small spaces. 3x2ft.
Colette - Climber
Rosa ‘Colette’ is a Meilland climbing rose with romantic pink and apricot blooms with a strong tea fragrance. The cupped flowers are packed with 140 petals in the English style. If you love David Austin roses, you will love this one. It can grow up to 10 feet high with lush, dense foliage. Plant it on a wall, arbour, pergola, or fence. Meilland roses are bred in France and trusted by gardeners around the world for their health, vigour, floriferousness and disease resistance.
Moonlight in Paris - Floribunda
Moonlight in Paris is an elegant and romantic, old fashioned, compact, English style shrub rose with cupped flowers that open from pink buds into apricot tones and age to a light, buff pink, sometimes almost white, with a glow of yellow at the centres. Moderately fragrant with nice fruity and spiciness. Repeat blooming. Rich, glossy foliage. Zones 5-9. 3-4×3-4ft.
Honeymoon - Shrub
Rosa Arborose ‘Honeymoon’ is a compact Kordes climbing rose bearing fragrant, creamy white flowers with a blush of pink and yellow at the centre. The fragrance is a mix of fruity and old rose. It is a short climber to seven feet high perfect for small gardens, fences, obelisks, and trellises. Or keep it pruned to grow as a shrub. The beautiful flowers form in large clusters and are packed with petals in the English style. If you love David Austin roses, you will love this cultivar and the rest of the Arborose series. The flowers look great in the garden and as cut flowers in a vase. Kordes roses are bred in Germany and are highly sought after by rose collectors for the beauty of their flowers, their generous rebloom, and their excellent disease resistance.
Veranda Cream - Dwarf Shrub
Rosa Veranda ‘Cream’ is a compact Kordes shrub rose bearing apricot blooms with a strong fragrance. The cupped, ruffled flowers have 40 or more petals in the English style. The Veranda series offers compact plants that grow to just 2.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide perfect for containers on a patio or balcony and in small gardens or for mass plantings in larger landscapes. Kordes roses are bred in Germany and are highly sought after by rose collectors for the beauty of their flowers, their generous rebloom, and their excellent disease resistance.
State of Grace - Shrub
Rosa ‘State of Grace’ is a compact Weeks shrub rose bearing clusters of English style apricot-gold and pink blooms with a lovely fruity fragrance. The golden centres are packed with 45 petals surrounded by the lovely pink outer petals and are reminiscent of ‘Distant Drums’. It is a compact plant and can be grown in a container and in small spaces. A must-have in any rose collector’s garden, this rose is a healthy, repeat blooming, and disease resistant shrub.
Peach Glory - Shrub
Rosa ‘Peach Glory’ is a Jalbert shrub rose with orange to deep apricot blooms and a light fruity fragrance. The flowers are in the classic English style with cupped, ruffled petals reminiscent of David Austin roses. It makes an excellent cut flower with its long stems and will rebloom throughout the season. This shrub boasts deep bronze autumn foliage which is a final bonus to the season. A superb specimen with excellent disease resistance and easy care, it is a must-have garden rose. Introduced in Canada by Select Roses, Brad Jalbert’s unique roses are known to be highly disease resistant and extremely healthy.
Double Ambre - Shrub
Rosa ‘Double Ambre’ is a Jalbert shrub rose bearing glowing shades of amber orange and peach with fruity fragrance and a classic English style form reminiscent of David Austin roses. It will rebloom throughout the season on a dense shrub with glossy green foliage making it ideal for container growing. The fragrance bears notes of green apple. Introduced in Canada by Select Roses, Brad Jalbert’s unique roses are known to be highly disease resistant and extremely healthy.
Forever Amber - Shrub
Rosa ‘Forever Amber’ is a Weeks shrub rose bearing apricot blooms with a lovely English style form reminiscent of David Austin roses and strong fruity fragrance. It is an excellent compact rose for container growing or hedges with gorgeous dark green glossy foliage. A must have in any rose collector’s garden, this rose is a healthy, repeat blooming, and disease-resistant shrub.
Sunbelt Crazy Love - Shrub
Rosa Sunbelt ‘Crazy Love’ is a Kordes shrub rose bearing large, uniquely-coloured, copper and yellow blooms with a medium fragrance. The cupped English style flowers each boast 125 petals and offer romance as well as an intriguing show of colours with copper yellow centres surrounded by pale pink outer layers. The Sunbelt series offer compact shrub roses that are good in large containers, are tolerant of heat, and offer large, non-fading flowers with continuous blooming. Kordes roses are bred in Germany and are highly sought after by rose collectors for their vigour, disease resistance, and their gorgeous blooms that rebloom throughout the season.
Moonlight Romantica - Hybrid Tea
Moonlight Romantica produces gorgeous deep yellow buds highlighted with orange opening to light to mid yellow, cupped, ruffled flowers that lighten towards the outer petals and with age. It has a beautiful, strong fragrance, great vigour, and excellent disease resistance. Zones 5-9. 6.5x4ft.
Kosmos Fairytale - Shrub
Rosa ‘Kosmos Fairy Tale’ is a reblooming Kordes shrub rose with creamy ivory blooms with a yellow glow at the centres and a medium fragrance. The flowers are packed with 40 or more petals and form small clusters with ruffled petals that are often cupped like a David Austin rose. Kordes roses are bred in Germany and are highly sought after by rose collectors for their vigour, disease resistance, and their gorgeous blooms that rebloom throughout the season.
Bolero - Floribunda
Bolero is a gorgeous, compact, ivory white rose with English-style flowers bred in France by Meilland Roses. If you love David Austin roses, you’ll love Bolero. It has a fantastic, strong fragrance of old rose mixed with spice and tropical fruit. The centres of young flowers can be subtly blushed with peachy pink. Great disease resistance and gorgeous foliage. Amazing for containers and small gardens. 3-4 feet high by 2-3 feet wide.
Eden White - Climber
White Eden is the sister to Eden, one of the world’s most popular climbing roses, with the exact same growth habit, vigour, disease resistance, and repeat flowering. The difference is just in the flower colour. White Eden has old fashioned, English style, icy white flowers sometimes with a hint of pink or cream at the centres and a light fragrance. Zones 5-9. 6-10ft.
Top Cream - Shrub
Rosa ‘Top Cream’ is a Meilland shrub rose with large, old-fashioned, English style white blooms and strong fruity fragrance. Also known as ‘Camille Claudel’, its cupped, creamy white flowers are packed with 100 petals sometimes with light pink centres. For those who love the ‘Eden’ and ‘Eden White’ climbing roses, ‘Top Cream’ will offer similar gorgeous flowers. This blooms make for excellent cut flowers. Meilland roses are bred in France and trusted by gardeners around the world for their health, vigour, floriferousness and disease resistance.
Poseidon - Floribunda
Finally, a truly healthy, easy to grow and highly disease resistant rose in that beautiful lavender blue colour that gardeners love. It took the master rose breeders, Kordes of Germany, to bring us this new wonder rose. Another step forward in the quest for easy care yet beautiful roses. Test plants at Select Roses were disease free with no spraying and produced the most beautiful bouquets of roses! This is a must have rose. Strong and upright growing to around 3 feet.
Veranda Lavender - Dwarf Shrub
Rosa Veranda ‘Lavender’ is a compact Kordes shrub rose bearing lavender blooms with a light fragrance. The cupped, ruffled flowers have 40 or more petals in the English style. The Veranda series offers compact plants that grow to just 3 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide perfect for containers on a patio or balcony and in small gardens or for mass plantings in larger landscapes. Kordes roses are bred in Germany and are highly sought after by rose collectors for the beauty of their flowers, their generous rebloom, and their excellent disease resistance.
Quicksilver - Climber
Quicksilver is a stunning, lightly fragrant, climbing rose with old-fashioned, lavender, English style flowers from lavender-pink buds blooming throughout the summer and fall. Keep in mind that lavender roses can bloom more pink in hot weather and more lavender in cool weather. Very good disease resistance. From Kordes Roses of Germany. Zones 5-9. 7x4ft.
Sunbelt Plum Perfect - Floribunda
‘Plum Perfect’ offers luscious deep plum purple buds opening to ruffly lavender flowers that are full and multi-petaled in the English Style. It is lightly fragrant with hints of raspberry and blackberry. The foliage is healthy and shiny performing well in heat, humidity, and our West Coast climate. Zones 5-9. 3-4×2-3 ft.
Lavender Crush - Climber
A gorgeous lavender climbing rose, the petals with lighter reverses, blooming early on young plants and growing to 6-8 feet tall. The flowers have a strong, lemony fragrance and the attractive bluish foliage is very clean and disease resistant. Flowers can be lavender-pink in hot summer climates but bloom lavender like the photo in our cool West Coast summers. Lucky us!
