Roses
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Our wide range of roses includes climbers, ramblers, floribunda, hybrid tea, patio, shrub and standards and we have a particularly good selection of repeat flowering scented shrub roses. Our stock includes a good selection of Bentley West and Paul Chessum. Unfortunately, David Austen has withdrawn all of their roses from general sale and are only propagating and distributing them themselves. This means we shall be missing a few old stalwarts in the shrub section, but there are thousands of roses out there to choose from and we are working hard to make sure we have a good selection for you.
We buy all our roses bare root in November and put them in large pots in our special rich compost mix so we know they will get off to a good start. To see the list of roses that we have in stock at the beginning of the season, please see the list below; this does not, however, guarantee availability. If you are looking for something particular, do ask – we might be able to help. Call us on 01225 862 392 or email us.
Generally, we keep in stock roses which make the perfect gift for silver, golden, ruby anniversary gifts or any special occasion. See our list here.
Welcome to our Roses list. The guide to colours, size, scents etc is approximate.
Location: Our rose bushes may be found on the standing-out ground to your left as you approach the main glass house
Downside Nurseries Rose List as at 01 April 2021
Please remember that the list below is correct as at 01 April,but not all of these plants may be available on the day of your visit
If you’d like to download this page, please click here
Key to “Notes” Column
| Note | Description |
| C | Continuous |
| H | Suitable for hedging |
| NW | Grows on North wall |
| P | Tolerates poor soil |
| R | Repeat flowering |
| S | Summer flowering |
| Sh | Tolerates shade |
| T | Suitable to grow in to a tree |
Climbers And Ramblers
Climbing v Rambling:
Climbing roses form a frame and you prune back to the frame each year;
Ramblers scramble over a fence or pergola and you prune by taking out whole old stems, leaving the new growth to take over.
| Variety Name | Colour | Height | Scent | Notes |
| Alibaba AGM | Red/peach/salmon | 3.0m | good | R |
| Compassion | Pink shaded apricot | 2.4m | Strong | R |
| Crimson Cascade | Dark velvet red | 3.0m | Good | R |
| Dancing Queen AGM | Bright Pink | 3.0m | Good | R |
| Danse du Feu | Red | 3.7m | Light | R NW |
| Dizzy Heights | Glowing scarlet | 3.0m | Good | R |
| Emily Grey Rambler | Soft yellow | 5.5m | Good | R |
| Excelsa Rambler | Magenta | 4.5m | Slight | R |
| Felicite et Perpetue Rambler | Creamy pink | 6.0m | Delicate | NW P S T |
| Francoise Juranville Rambler | Coral pink | 6.0m | Delicate | NW P R |
| Gardener’s Glory | Golden yellow | 3.0m | Sweet | R |
| Golden Showers | Yellow,relatively thornless | 2.4m | Good | NW P R |
| Handel | Creamy white edged crimson | 3.0m | slighty | R |
| Iceberg | White,relatively thornless | 3.0m | Slight | NW P R |
| Madame Alfred Carriere | White | 6.0m | Good | R |
| Maigold | Bronze yellow | 3.6m | Good | R |
| Penny Lane | Champagne blush | 4.0m | Good | R |
| Pink Perpetue | Rose pink | 3.0m | Slight | R |
| Seagull AGM Rambler | White/golden stamens | 6.0m | good | |
| Scent from Heaven (RoseoftheYear 2017) | Orange Salmon | 3.0m | Fruity | R |
| Schoolgirl | Apricot/orange | 3.0m | Good | R |
| Shot Silk | Cherry pink,gold cenre | 4.5m | Good | R |
| Zeppherine Drouhin | Carmine pink, r. thornless | 4.0m | Very | NW P R |
Floribunda Roses Flower all Season
| Variety Name | Colour | Height | Scent |
| Absolutely Fabulous | Butter yellow | 75cm | Strong |
| Arthur Bell | Brightyellow | 100cm. | strong |
| Belle de Jour (Rose of the Year 2021) | Yellow/apricot | 90cm | Strong |
| Burgandy Ice | Dark plum | 90cm | Slight |
| Compassion | Satin pink | 75cm | Spicy |
| Eyes for You | Pink/burgundy eye | 90cm | Lemon |
| For Your Eyes Only (Rose of Year 2015) | Apricot/pink/orange eye | 80cm | Slight |
| Golden Wedding | Golden yellow | 90cm | Good |
| Happy Anniversary | Deep pink | 80cm | Good |
| Harry Edland | Lilac pink | 90cm | Strong |
| Hot Chocolate | Velvet smokey brown | 90cm | Good |
| Lady Marmalade ( Rose of the Year 2014) | Bright tangerine | 90cm | Good |
| Love Struck AGM (Rose of theYear 2018) | Cherry red | 95cm | Slight |
| Many Happy Returns | Pastel pink | 75cm | Good |
| Margaret Merril | White | 90cm | Good |
| Moment in Time (Rose of the Year 2012) | Ruby red | 60cm | Strong |
| Oranges and Lemons | Orange striped yellow | 90cm | Light |
| Remembrance | Scarlet | 75cm | Spicy |
| Rhapsody in Blue (rose of the Year 2003) | Purple fading to blue | 120cm | Strong |
| Scentimental | Cream striped red and pink | 90cm | Strong |
| Super Trouper | Bright orange | 90cm | Slight |
| Tickled Pink | Silvery pink | 90cm | Medium |
| Trumpeter AGM | Scarlet red | 69cm | Slight |
Ground Cover Roses Flower all Season
| Variety Name | Colour | Height | Scent | Notes |
| Kent | Pure white | 60x90cm | ||
| Surrey | Soft | 60x120cm |
Hedging Roses
| Variety Name | Colour | Height | Scent | Notes |
| Rosa rubiginosa ( R eglanteria) | Pink,decorative hips | H P R | ||
| Rosa rugosa Alba | White decorative hips | H P R | ||
| Rosa spinoissima (R pimpinellifolia) | White decorative hips | H P R |
Hybrid Tea Roses Flower all Season
| Nostalgic Roses are continuous flowering roses. At 1m they are larger than most Hybrid Teas and could easily be classed as small shrub roses,but the breeder considers them Hybrid Teas.They are strongly scented. Only recently available, they are proving very popular. |
| Variety Name | Colour | Height | Scent | Notes |
| A Whiter Shade of Pale | Very pale pink | 90cm | Strong | |
| Chicago Peace | Yellow flamed apricot/pink | 70cm | Slight | |
| Enchantress | Light pink | 100cm | Strong | Nostalgic |
| Fragrant Cloud | Coral Red | 90cm | Strong | |
| Global Beauty | Yellow | 100cm | Strong | Nostalgic |
| Ice Cream | White | 90cm | Strong | |
| Kings Ransom | Rich yellow | 90cm | Good | |
| Lavender Ice | Lavender blue | 100cm | Slight | |
| Lovely Lady | Rose pink | 60cm. | Good | |
| Loving Memory | Velvet red | 80cm | Delicate | |
| Moody Blue | Mauve blue | 100cm | Strong | |
| Nostalgia | White/cherryred | 100cm | Good | Nostalgic |
| Peace | Yellow flushed pink | 100cm | Slight | |
| Pink Martini | Medium pink | 100cm | Strong | Nostalgic |
| Rachel | Soft apricot | 100cm | Good | Nostalgic |
| Scentimental | Cream/red stripes | 75cm | Strong | |
| Silver Anniversary | Pure white | 90cm | Good | |
| Simply the Best | White | 75cm | Good | |
| Soeur Emanuelle | Pink | 90cm | Strong | |
| Special Anniversary | Magenta pink | 90cm | Strong | |
| Strike it Rich | Gold/orange | 100cm | Good | |
| Sunny Sky (Rose of the Year1916) | Creamy yellow | 120cm | Fruity | |
| Thinking of You | Crimson | 90cm | Good | |
| Twice in a Blue Moon | Silvery lilac | 90cm | Good | |
| Warm Wishes | Peachy coral | 90cm | Good | |
| Whisky Mac | Bronze/orange | 75cm | Good | |
| Wildberry | Berry with pink centre | 90cm | Good |
Shrub Roses
| The term shrub rose covers quite a wide variety of types. Some of the heritage varieties flower only once in the summer but are still worth growing for their beauty and fragrance. |
| Modern shrub roses are modern hybrids which repeat flower Moss roses have mossy growth on their stems and calyces and double or semi double flowers in clusters. Portland compact are repeat flowering roses with double or semi double flowers Rosa mundi syn Rosa Galiicia Versicolour with crimson striped white flowers Rosa rubrifolia syn Rosa glauca -Grey foliage red hips and Rosa Rugosa are sturdy roses which flower repeatedly and are suitable for hedging.They have large ornamental hips. |
| Variety Name | Colour | Height | Scent | Notes |
| Felicia | Sivery pink | 1.5 x 1.5m | Strong | |
| Frau Dagmar Hastrup (Rugosa) | Pink | 1.5 x 1.5m | Strong | |
| Henri Matisse | Red, pink, white stripes | 1.0 x 1.0m | Strong | R |
| Jacqueline du Pre (Modern shrub) | Blush white | 1.3×1.0m | Musk | H P R |
| Jacques Cartier AGM (Portland) | Pink | 1.2x 0.9m | Strong | R |
| La Rose de Molinarde AGM | Deep pink | 1.4 x 1.2m | Strong | R |
| Macmillan Nurse | Whie blush pink | .0.9 x 0.9m | Medium | R |
| Madame Hardy AGM | White | 1.5×1.2m | Strong | NW |
| Moonlight | Creamy white clusters | 1.5 x 1.5m | Strong | R |
| Patricia Kent | Creamy yellow | 1.3 x 0.9m | Strong | R |
| Pretty Jessica | Warm pink | 0.9 x 0.6m | Strong | R |
| Rosa Moyesii Geranium | Geranium red red hips | 2.4×1.8m | Slight | |
| Rosa Mundi (Rosa Gallica Versicolor) | Crimson striped white | 1.2×1.0m | Medium | Sh P |
| Rosa Mutabilis | Light yellow then deep pink | 1.2×1.0m | None | R |
| Sally Holmes (Modern shrub) | Pale pink to white | 1.2×0.9m | Slight | H P R |
| Souvenir du Dr. Jamin | Plum red | 1.5×1.2m | Rich | Sh P R |
| The Fairy | Clusters of double pink flowers | .0.8x 0.9m | Apple | R |
| Westerland (Modern shrub) | Apricot blend | 1.8×1.2m | Strong | R |
| William Lobb AGM | Dusky purple | 1.8×1.5m | Good | NW |
Standard Roses Flower all Season
| Variety Name | Colour | Height | Scent | Notes |
| Crimson Sweet Dreams | Crimson | 50cm | Good | |
| Flower Power | Peach/salmon | 50cm | Spicy | |
| Happy Aniversary | Red | 75cm | Sweet | |
| Happy Golden Wedding AGM | Clear golden yellow | 75cm | Good | |
| Many Happy Returns | Blush pink | 75cm | Slight | |
| Margaret Merril | Pure white | 75cm | Strong | |
| My Dad | Deep pink | 75cm | Light | |
| Nostalgia | White/cherry red | 75cm | Good | |
| Pretty Polly | Bright pink | 50cm | Slight | |
| Trumpeter | Scarlet | 75cm | Slight | |
| Wildfire | Flame Orange | 50cm | Good | |
| You’re Beautiful | Bright Pink | 75cm | Light |
Terrace, Patio and Miniature Roses Flower all Season
| Variety Name | Colour | Height | Scent | Notes |
| Festival | Scarlet-Silver reverse | 55cm | Slight | |
| Flower Power | Peach-salmon | 45cm | Spicy | |
| Flower Power Gold | Golden Yellow | 45cm | Good | |
| Gentle Touch | Pale pink | 40cm | Slight | |
| Gloriana | Mauve pink | 200cm | Light | Climber |
| Greenall’s Glory | Siver-white/pale pink | 45cm | Good | |
| Laura Ford | Yellow/amber | 200cm | Slight | Climber |
| Love Knot | Deep red | 200cm | Slight | Climber |
| Orange Sunblaze | Orange red | 45cm | Slight | |
| Pretty Polly | Bright pink | 30cm | Slight | |
| Red Rascal | Blood Red | 45cm | Slight | |
| Ruby Anniversary | Bright red | 55cm | Delicate | |
| Sunseeker | Scarlet,yellow centre | 55cm | Slight | |
| Sweet Dream | Peach/apricot | 45cm | Good | |
| Sweet Magic | Orange and gold | 45cm | Good | |
| Sweet Memories | Creamy Yelloe | 45cm | Good | |
| Wildfire | Flame orange | 50cm | Good |
