‘The Alnwick Rose’ from David Austin is a pink rose that is the result of breeding a yellow David Austin rose, Golden Celebration, with an unnamed seedling. Introduced in 2001, The Alnwick Rose is considered a solid addition to the David Austin catalog.
‘The Alnwick Rose’ is considered more disease resistant than many David Austin roses, and stays within a manageable size (four feet by four feet). Many early David Austin roses grew much larger in the heat of America than in their native England. Graham Thomas is a prime example of this habit.
The pink flowers are gorgeous.
Pink blooms are cupped and open a light pink, maturing to medium pink. New buds remind me of my favorite David Austin rose, Heritage.
The roses are not huge, perhaps 3″-4″ across. People disagree on the amount of fragrance produced by ‘The Alnwick Rose’, but many gardeners are huge fans. Fragrance is said to be reminiscent of raspberries.
Growth habit is bushy and foliage is relatively disease free. None of the David Austin roses have disease resistance on par with many of the greatest American-bred shrub roses of the past few decades. Carefree Beauty and Belinda’s Dream spring immediately to mind…exceptional pink roses in their own right.
Both of the afore-mentioned roses are far superior in the garden, but sometimes one is set on the old rose beauty that David Austin excels at producing. If this is the case with you, ‘The Alnwick Rose’ deserves a look.
Scientific name: Rosa x ‘The Alnwick Rose’
Common name(s): The Alnwick Rose
Rose Class: David Austin rose
Size: 4′ x 4′ tall/wide
Disease resistance: Has a reputation for pretty good disease resistance. May get blackspot and rust, but generally regarded as a decent choice for no-spray rose gardeners.
Fragrance: Merely okay to excellent. Raspberry.
Bloom period: Remontant – blooms in flushes from late spring until frost.
Winter hardiness: 6b-9
Of note: Cupped pink blooms. Moderate to decent disease resistance. Raspberry fragrance. Introduced in 2001 and still available over a decade later.
