The Alexandra Rose

class: David Austin Rose
breeding: Austin, 1992
photographed by Daphne Filiberti in her garden

'The Alexandra Rose' is an exquisite rose with Alba qualities and delicate shadings. The rose is charming in bouquets and is a true gem in the garden. 'The Alexandra Rose' can tolerate some shade and disease does not pose a real threat. I have planted the rose with my Alba Roses. Long pointed buds with long, fine sepals open into a display of roses that are a pleasant reminder of the Albas, which bloom for a comparatively short season. The roses are a clear coppery-pink that fades quickly to a melange of pastel-rose colors. The rose is single, and light, coming in small clusters. The center is a pale yellow crowned by an elegant circle of airy stamens. Foliage is a majestic Alba with blue tints, seven leaflets are present. The rose is a free-standing shrub of about 6 feet in my garden. Clair Martin has suggested self-pegging the rose, and it could make a nice pillar rose.