AUSWITH – pink English rose – Austin (pharmaROSA® ORIGINAL, own-root, 2-litre)
Bring a sense of storybook charm to your garden with AUSWITH (St. Swithun), a romantic English climbing rose that arches elegantly over arbours and pergolas to create a sheltered corner for afternoon tea. Soft, pastel pink rosettes and a strong, myrrh-like fragrance add instant cosiness, while the dense, grey-green foliage forms a reassuring screen for family spaces. This own-root shrub has a naturally regenerative character, building a stable framework that endures for many years with only moderate maintenance. You can plant the 2-litre container almost any time the ground is workable, even in exposed gardens where steady roots cope well with moist, heavy soils and brisk coastal winds. In its first season it concentrates on roots, then develops longer shoots in year two, before reaching full ornamental presence by around the third year, giving you a long-lived, reliable partner for traditional cottage-style planting.
Usage options
| Target area | Reasoning |
|---|
| Small family pergola or arbour |
AUSWITH’s tall, creeping habit is ideal for training over pergolas and arbours, quickly forming a leafy tunnel of pastel pink blooms and fragrance that transforms a modest seating area into a secluded retreat for everyday family use and romantic-cottage lovers. |
| House wall or sturdy fence |
With a height of 240–340 cm and dense foliage, this rose clothes unsightly walls or solid fences in soft colour, while its own-root stamina ensures the framework remains reliable over many years with simple tying-in and occasional pruning for busy-homeowners. |
| Traditional cottage-garden border |
The rosette flowers and gentle pink tones blend naturally with perennials and kitchen-garden planting, echoing classic English country gardens; repeat flowering keeps interest going through summer with only moderate deadheading needed for hobby-gardeners. |
| Raised bed on heavier clay soils |
Planted in a raised or improved bed, the vigorous root system anchors well and copes steadily with damp, heavier ground and the kind of breezy, rain-laden conditions often found in more exposed British gardens for coastal-gardeners. |
| Part-shade corner seating area |
This variety tolerates partial shade, so it can bring colour and scent to corners that do not receive full sun all day, helping you soften the transition between house and garden without requiring high-maintenance specialist care for urban-balcony-owners. |
| Large container (40–60 litre) on patio or terrace |
In a 40–60 litre container with a sturdy support, AUSWITH offers cottage-garden romance even where borders are scarce, while its own-root constitution allows for periodic rejuvenation pruning without losing the plant’s character for small-garden-owners. |
| Specimen feature near entrance or path |
Used as a single specimen at the recommended wider spacing, its strong fragrance and large, full blooms create a welcoming focal point that matures gracefully, rewarding modest seasonal care with dependable, long-term structure for traditional-style-families. |
| Loose flowering screen between garden areas |
Planted at hedging distance, its dense, slightly glossy foliage and arching growth provide a soft visual partition that filters views between play areas, vegetable beds and sitting spaces, while remaining manageable with simple annual pruning for time-poor-beginners. |
Styling ideas
- Cottage Arbour Walk – Train AUSWITH over a timber arbour, underplant with catmint and hardy geraniums to echo its pastel pink and grey-green foliage – ideal for romantic-cottage lovers.
- Kitchen-Garden Backdrop – Let its climbing form frame raised vegetable beds, pairing with Verbena hastata ‘White Spires’ for light, airy contrast – suited to rural kitchen-garden keepers.
- Soft Privacy Screen – Use a row along a boundary fence, weaving in Spiraea japonica ‘Dart’s Red’ at the base for layered pink tones – perfect for family gardens needing gentle screening.
- Fragrant Entrance – Plant as a specimen by the front path or gate, combining with lavender and low box to highlight its strong, myrrh-like fragrance – appealing to traditional home-owners.
- Patio Feature Pot – Grow AUSWITH in a 50-litre container with a simple obelisk, adding thyme and trailing campanula at the base – for busy urban gardeners wanting maximum charm in minimal space.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter | Data |
|---|
| Name and registration |
English Rose Collection climbing shrub; registered as AUSwith, marketed as AUSWITH – pink English rose – Austin, also known in commerce as St. Swithun. |
| Origin and breeding |
English shrub rose from David Austin Roses Ltd, United Kingdom; seedling of unknown parent crossed with ‘Mary Rose’, bred 1992, introduced and registered internationally in 1993. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Creeping, tall climbing shrub reaching around 240–340 cm high and 160–240 cm wide, with dense, slightly glossy grey-green foliage and moderate prickliness demanding firm but simple support. |
| Flower morphology |
Large, very double rosette blooms with 40+ petals, mostly solitary on stems; remontant with a notably abundant second flush, giving generous summer coverage when lightly deadheaded. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Soft pastel pink flowers, RHS 65D outer and 65C inner at opening, fading through pale pink to nearly white towards petal edges as blooms age; colour retention modest in strong sun. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, far-reaching scent with a full-bodied, myrrh-like character; primarily ornamental as the very double blooms largely conceal stamens and offer limited value to pollinating insects. |
| Hip characteristics |
Rose hips are usually sparse; when present, they are small, 9–15 mm, egg-shaped and orange-red, RHS 37B, adding a discreet seasonal detail in late season without dominating the display. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Hardy to approximately −26 to −23 °C (RHS H7; USDA 5b; Swedish Zon 4); moderate tolerance to heat and drought, and moderate resistance to powdery mildew, black spot and rust. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best on trellises, pergolas, fences or as specimen; spacing 140–220 cm; prefers regular watering, occasional pest and disease checks, and light annual pruning to manage size and flowering. |
AUSWITH offers romantic pastel blooms, strong fragrance and dependable climbing structure on a resilient own-root framework that matures gracefully over time, making it a thoughtful choice for long-term cottage-style planting.
