Rosa 'Lichfield Angel' - English Rose

The 'Lichfield Angel' English Rose, in bloom from June to October, offers the dazzling spectacle of its large, languid roses in a very soft tone swaying on a light bush. Its roses, like adorable cups of white to peach-coloured, open into rosettes of creamy apricot yellow when the sun shines, then fade to white, creating a splendid overall vision. Close to champagne, their colour smoothly transitions between the pink and yellow tones of other varieties. Its fragrance is light and slightly accentuated in warm weather, but the beauty of its flowering largely compensates for it. 

The 'Lichfield Angel' rose or 'Ausrelate', with a rather bushy habit similar to that of Tea roses, can reach a height of 1.25 m (4ft) and a width of up to 1 m (3ft). Its foliage, medium green, is healthy and disease-resistant. It produces large flowers that open into wide, flattened cups of 10 cm (4in), then bloom into deeply flared double rosettes gathered in generous clusters. Each one forms a perfect circle of large petals in a tender apricot colour, enclosing numerous smaller petals. The outer petals open, offering a rounded flower in a creamy white colour. The sun and heat flush these roses into the garden, while coolness and lack of light make them pale slightly. Their fragrance, also revealed by the warmth, reveals light notes of cloves. 

The 'Lichfield Angel' English Rose pairs well with orange or pink English roses, as well as Old Roses, in a small hedge or a bed of roses or tall perennial plants such as foxgloves, peonies, panicle phlox, or the delicate blooms of gauras and panicle gypsophila. English Roses are known to be perpetual bloomers, and their flowers are renowned for being beautiful, evenly shaped, and highly fragrant. They are also very versatile and adaptable plants. They resemble old-fashioned roses and offer large, romantic, and bohemian cup-shaped flowers in their natural habitat. Modern roses have brought brighter shades and repeat flowering. If you have enough space, English, Old, or Shrub Roses look stunning when planted in groups of three. They will grow together to form a beautiful, opulent mass that will flower even more generously.

This variety was named after the Lichfield Angel, an 8th-century panel carved in limestone recently rediscovered in Lichfield Cathedral, not far from the David Austin Nursery.

Bred by David Austin, 2006.

A rounded bush with adorable cup-shaped flowers in white to peach colour, opening into creamy apricot yellow and fading to white. The overall effect is splendid, and the tone is soft, achieving the transition between pinks and yellows. Its fragrance is light, with notes of cloves, and it has a good repeat flowering.