Rosa 'ROYAL JUBILEE' shrub rose (David Austin)

Royal Jubilee is a unique rose for a unique occasion. This shrub rose was introduced by David Austin in 2012 in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

The flowers are very beautiful, being large and of a deep chalice shape; the petals incurving so that we can only just see the stamens within. The colour is a deep pink. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of this rose is its growth which is typical of the English Albas; the stems being thin and wiry and showing off the flowers with the utmost elegance against typical Alba foliage. It has very few thorns. The blooms have a lovely rich fruity fragrance with hints of blackcurrant. It has excellent health, vigour and repeat-flowering qualities.

Planting instructions: Prepare a hole of size 30x30 cm. Put your rose in the way that the grafting point is 3 cm deep in the soil. Water well and cover new shoots with soil or bark mulch about 15 cm high. Roses tolerate wide range of soils but thrive in deep, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, in full sun.

Pruning: English roses don’t need hard pruning like tea hybrids. Just cut last year’s growth by one third to maximum one half in the spring (after frosts) to achieve desired shape, and strong and reliable framework. Cutting it back to 3-5 live buds is possible for re-juvenating. To support extra flowering during the season remove twigs past blossom: cut them off the first leaf with 5 leaflets. Mulch well before winter, preferably with leaf-mould.

Last update: 04-02-2015.