Rosa Gabriel Oak - English Shrub Rose

The English rose Gabriel Oak is a very beautiful bush, opulent, disease resistant, adorned with a flowering as richly coloured as it is fragrant. Its large flat roses filled with petals, of a striking dark pink shade, fade at the edges. Their beauty is accompanied by an intense fruity fragrance. They bloom in successive waves, from June to October, on very healthy foliage. This magnificent rose gives an overall impression of wealth and abundance. Excellent in a flowerbed or as a hedge, it also offers exceptional flowers for bouquets.

This Gabriel Oak rose is a creation by the famous English rose breeder David Austin. This variety combines charm with excellent disease resistance. It will form a large bush with a rounded, curved, ample habit, measuring about 1.30 m (4ft) in all directions. Its growth is fast and vigorous, and its graceful stems are covered with abundant, dark green foliage that is disease-resistant. The young shoots are coloured reddish-purple and then coppery, and the young floral stems are often purplish. The deciduous foliage falls in autumn. On this repeat flowering bush, the beautiful buds open gradually to form a shallow cup, opening into a rosette full of petals, in quarters. The colour of the roses is a deep pink with a touch of violet, fading at the edges over the course of hours. In this rose, the flowering takes the form of  clusters of 3 to 5 flowers. Their powerful fragrance of old roses has fruity notes. It will be more noticeable in calm and warm weather.

The Gabriel Oak rose is perfect for embellishing romantic spots in the garden, accompanied by blue, white, or even mauve flowers. Pair it, for example, with annual delphiniums, hardy geraniums, or white foxgloves. It will also bring a very floral touch to perennial flowerbeds, and will thrive in a large shrub bed or even in a small flowering hedge. The delicious flowers of Eustacia Vye will be enhanced by a flame clematis with its cloud-like flowering. Roses go perfectly with catmints, bellflowers, baby's breath, and herbaceous or climbing clematis. You can also plant them in front of taller shrubs or roses, use them to fill the base of a small tree that they will adorn with charm.

Bred by David Austin in 2019.

This rose is named after the shepherd in Thomas Hardy's novel 'Far from the Madding Crowd' (1840 - 1928).