Rosa Dame Judi Dench - Hybrid Musk Rose

The English rose Dame Judy Dench is one of David Austin's creations, presented at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2017. This relaxed-looking shrub rose has a plentiful flowering on its arching branches with a thousand apricot shades in large informal clusters whose light fragrance is like tea roses. Vigorous, healthy, and reliable, this variety also has good resistance to rain and wind. It will work well in a border near the house, or even in a small hedge.

This bush produces long gracefully arched thorny branches with excellent floribundancy. At maturity, it has a generous and flexible habit and reaches about 1.25 metres (4 feet) in all directions. The foliage is not quite disease-resistant and has a beautiful vibrant green colour that enhances the peachy flowers. Vigorous and fast-growing, Dame Judy Dench blooms abundantly and reblooms regularly from summer to frost, with a light but delightful fragrance of tea rose with fresh notes of cucumber and kiwi. It develops pointed and almost red flower buds gathered in generous clusters. Its 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5in) wide roses are quite flat, very double, composed of 40 wavy petals around a small central bud. The heart of the flower is a fairly deep apricot, while the periphery is a lighter, more pinkish colour. In this variety, the flowers fade beautifully, and the petals fall like rain at the foot of the plant.

The relaxed appearance of the rose Dame Judi Dench hides a robust constitution, ensuring longevity in the garden. This slightly languid habit proves to be an advantage when integrating it into natural-inspired borders, as it gives it a lot of flexibility and versatility. With the typical charm of English roses, it stands out with an assertive colour that will match well with all the white flowers in the garden. For contrast, it can be paired with small blue flowers like perennial flax, bellflowers, and geraniums, or even with so-called blue roses (Sissi, Charles de Gaulle, Claude Brasseur, Roman Waltz). This variety is perfect for romantic spots in the garden. You can also plant it in front of taller shrubs or roses, use it to fill the base of a tree, or even above a low wall.

English Hybrid Musk Rose,  obtained by David Austin in 2017.

This rose is dedicated to Judi Dench, a great British actress who is famous for her role as 'M', the unyielding partner of James Bond on screen.