Rosa Princess Alexandra of Kent - English Shrub Rose

The English rose Princess Alexandra of Kent produces particularly large flowers, with a warm pink centre, nestled in a deep cup formed of soft pink petals. Despite their size, they are charming, full of grace, beautifully arranged on a well-rounded bush. These roses emit a powerful, complex, almost unforgettable fragrance. To balance flowers and foliage, this variety is best planted in groups of three.

This bush, 1m (3ft) in height and 75cm (30in) in spread, has an upright but well-branched habit and very healthy dark green foliage. While these fully double 12cm (5in) diameter roses are particularly large, they are harmoniously constructed and their colour radiates, in a mix of bright pink and pale pink.  They are a fresh and gentle shade that does not fade in the sun, on petals thick enough not to stain after rain. The central petals, very wide and arranged in deep cups, are completely enclosed within a circle of outer petals of a softer pink shade. This variety is disease-resistant and blooms repeatedly, in successive waves, from summer until frost. The freshly opened roses initially emit a delightful fragrance of tea rose, which evolves as they mature into a scent dominated by lemon, with a hint of blackcurrant.

Rose Princess Alexandra of Kent undoubtedly possesses great elegance. It allows for beautiful associations with annual or perennial plants, in a harmonious or contrasting style, in a garden of modern and refined inspiration or, alternatively, a wilder garden. As companion plants, you can choose tall perennials (foxgloves, linarias, phlox, monkshoods) or ground-covering ones (mulleins, Cotoneaster dammeri), airy ones (gauras, gypsophila) or graphic ones (grasses), climbing plants (clematis, sweet peas) or trailing ones (purple morning glories, petunias), and thus create infinitely varied scenes and promote biodiversity. 

This rose is named after Princess Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, who is passionate about gardening.

Obtained from David Austin in 2007.