A Rose By Any Other Name: David Austin Alternatives

Roses do well in Utah’s climate and are a plant we recommend for a variety of reasons. They are relatively easy to care for, though they do require some specific pruning techniques and preventative maintenance.

David Austin is a big name in English roses which first became well-known in the 1970s. Austin created what he termed a “new-old rose” by combining the elegance, fragrance, and beauty of old-world roses with the color range, repeat flowering, and disease resistance of modern roses. David Austin roses are known as centifolia, or cabbage roses, as each flower has hundreds of petals packed into a near sphere-shape. 

With all their charm, fragrance, elegance and beauty, there is one big challenge with Austin Roses – finding them available to purchase. 

Fortunately, other rose growers have recognized the appeal of English-style roses and have introduced their own varieties selected to be equally fragrant, disease resistant, and so similar to David Austin roses, you would be hard-pressed to find the difference. Some such alternatives are grown by Weeks Roses, who offer several varieties that are more readily available:

As much as we love David Austin roses, for English-style roses, we recommend you take a look at these other options; we’re confident you’ll be pleasantly surprised!