The Rose 'Baroness Rothschild' is a classic Hybrid Perpetual rose that has captivated gardeners since its introduction in 1868. This elegant shrub rose produces stunning, cup-shaped blooms in the most exquisite shade of shell pink, making it a timeless addition to any garden. Despite its aristocratic name, this rose is wonderfully accessible for everyday gardeners, combining old-world charm with a relatively manageable growing habit.
The blooms of 'Baroness Rothschild' are truly spectacular. Each flower measures approximately 10-12 cm across and displays a perfectly symmetrical, cupped form that opens from plump, pointed buds. The petals are a delicate silvery-pink with deeper rose-pink tones towards the centre, creating a sophisticated two-toned effect. The flowers are fully double with around 40 petals, arranged in a classic quartered pattern that reveals a button eye when fully open.
The fragrance is moderate but delightful—a sweet, classic rose scent that's most pronounced in the morning. These substantial blooms are excellent for cutting and make long-lasting additions to indoor arrangements.
This rose is classified as a Hybrid Perpetual, which means it offers repeat flowering throughout the season. Expect a spectacular flush of blooms in early summer (typically June), followed by intermittent flowering through summer and often a generous second flush in autumn. Deadheading spent blooms encourages continued flowering.
'Baroness Rothschild' forms an upright, vigorous shrub that typically reaches 1.2-1.5 metres in height with a spread of approximately 1 metre. The growth is sturdy and well-branched, with strong stems that hold the blooms upright—a real advantage as the large flowers can weigh down weaker stems in other varieties. The foliage is dark green, semi-glossy, and creates an attractive backdrop for the pale blooms.
This rose is reliably hardy in UK conditions, tolerating winter temperatures down to -15°C. It performs well throughout Britain and similar temperate climates, thriving in the cool summers that can challenge some modern roses. The robust constitution inherited from its Hybrid Perpetual heritage makes it suitable for gardeners in exposed or challenging locations.
Sunlight: Plant in full sun for optimal flowering—at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. The rose will tolerate partial shade but may produce fewer blooms.
Soil: 'Baroness Rothschild' prefers rich, moisture-retentive soil with good drainage. Heavy clay soils should be improved with organic matter, whilst sandy soils benefit from generous additions of compost or well-rotted manure. Aim for a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0).
Water: Keep soil consistently moist, especially during dry spells and whilst the plant is establishing. Water deeply at the base rather than overhead to minimise fungal diseases.
Spacing: Allow at least 75-90 cm between plants to ensure good air circulation.
Planting: The best times to plant are during the dormant season—late autumn through early spring for bare-root roses, though container-grown plants can be planted year-round if kept well watered. Dig a generous hole, incorporate plenty of organic matter, and ensure the graft union sits just below soil level.
Feeding: Feed in early spring with a balanced rose fertiliser, then again after the first flush of flowers to encourage repeat blooming. A spring mulch of well-rotted manure or compost provides slow-release nutrients whilst suppressing weeds.
Pruning: Prune in late winter or early spring (February-March) before new growth begins. Remove dead, damaged, or crossing stems, then reduce the remaining healthy stems by about one-third to one-half, cutting to outward-facing buds. This encourages an open, vase-shaped structure with good air circulation.
Mulching: Apply a 5-7 cm layer of organic mulch around the base each spring, keeping it away from the stems to prevent rot.
Like many Hybrid Perpetuals, 'Baroness Rothschild' has moderate disease resistance. It can be susceptible to blackspot, particularly in humid conditions or if planted too closely. Powdery mildew may also occur in dry conditions with poor air circulation. Good garden hygiene—removing fallen leaves, ensuring adequate spacing, and avoiding overhead watering—significantly reduces disease problems. In wet seasons, a preventative fungicide spray may be beneficial.
This versatile rose excels in various garden settings:
Mixed borders: The upright habit and pale blooms combine beautifully with purple-leaved plants, lavender, catmint, or hardy geraniums
Rose borders: Makes an excellent companion to other old roses or can hold its own amongst modern varieties
Cottage gardens: The romantic, old-fashioned blooms suit informal planting schemes perfectly
Formal gardens: The symmetrical flowers and upright growth work well in more structured designs
Cutting gardens: The long stems and lasting blooms make this an excellent cut flower
'Baroness Rothschild' pairs beautifully with:
Purple salvias or catmint (Nepeta) for colour contrast
Lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis) to soften the base
Lavender for complementary fragrance and colour
Tall bearded irises for early season interest
Silver-leaved artemisia or stachys for textural contrast
This historic rose offers everyday gardeners the perfect combination of beauty and heritage. The stunning, exhibition-quality blooms rival any modern rose, whilst the robust growth and repeat flowering make it practical for real gardens. It's particularly suited to gardeners who appreciate the romance of old roses but want reliable performance without excessive coddling. The strong stems mean you won't find your precious blooms face-down in the mud after a rain shower—a common frustration with some heritage varieties.
Whether you're creating a cottage garden, seeking the perfect pink rose for cutting, or simply want a touch of Victorian elegance, 'Baroness Rothschild' delivers season after season. With basic care and attention, this distinguished rose will reward you with breathtaking blooms for many years to come.
Reasons to Buy Roses from Jacksons Nurseries
(1) ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot
Buy with confidence from the only online rose grower rated ‘Excellent’ 4.9* on Trustpilot. We have been a trusted supplier of roses for 3 generations. We take pride in growing our own roses in the field before potting them up, allowing for meticulous quality control to sale.

(2) Best Prices Guaranteed – Direct from the Grower
Save £££s by buying direct from a grower you can trust. We’ve already price checked all of our roses against competitors so you don’t have to. We are so confident we offer the best value, if you find a rose of the same type and grade elsewhere, we’ll beat it by 10%.

(3) 12 Month Plants Guarantee
We offer a 12 month guarantee on every plant that you buy from us that we have classified as Fully Hardy. If a plant you've bought from us fails in the first year, we will either replace it or refund you. See our satisfaction guarantee page for more details and conditions.

(4) Third generation family-owned nursery specialising in roses
Jackson’s Nurseries is a 3rd generation family owned business which has been growing roses for over 60 years. Roses have always been our specialty, as you can see from the colourful array of blooms in the background to the old family photo below. Today, we offer over 200 different varieties of floribundas, hybrid teas, patio, shrub and David Austin roses. Our roses are initially grown in the field before being potted up for website dispatch.

(5) Grown at altitude to produce strong, healthy plants
Our North Staffordshire nursery is situated at 250 metres above sea level, producing strong, hardy plants that will thrive in your garden. Our nursery sits on clay, so you can be sure our roses can handle heavy soil too.

(6) Help & Advice and Aftercare
We are help to help you with any help and advice you need in choosing, planting and growing your roses before, during and after your purchase from us. The help and advice section of our website has extensive information, see below some examples of articles you may find useful:

How our roses are supplied through the seasons
All our roses are cultivated in an open field and are carefully dug up when the weather is optimal, typically in October or November. While other nurseries supply roses bare root, once our field-grown roses have been potted up we supply them freshly potted. This better protects the roots and helps keep them moist in transit, ensuring your roses arrive as healthy as when they left our nursery. So don’t be alarmed if the compost comes away from the roots when you remove them from the pot.

The roses can remain in their pots over the winter, as long as they are properly watered and fed, but it's best to plant them out as soon as possible. If you do plant them straight away make sure the planting mix is prepared first, hold the root close to the top of the hole as you tip the pot upside down and try to keep as much compost as possible from falling away. They will already be pruned, so no additional pruning is needed except for trimming any dead tips. Regular pruning can start in late winter, the year after planting.

Rose Types
Hybrid Tea Roses (HT)
Hybrid Tea roses are probably the most popular group of roses, available in both bush and standard form they have long flower stems and shapely blooms. Blooms are typically medium to large in size, with many petals which form a distinct central cone.
Floribunda Roses (FL)
Floribunda roses bears its flowers in clusters or trusses, with several blooms open at time in each truss. A popular choice the Floribunda rose group is unrivalled for colour, reliability and longevity as a bedding display however the flower form in generally inferior to the Hybrid Tea.
Patio Roses (PATIO)
Patio roses were introduced in the 1980’s and the group now contains several popular varieties. Generally low-growing roses that were once grouped with the Floribuna group but have now been put in their own group of compact versions. Usually growing about 50cm high they make excellent plants for patio containers or at the front of borders.
Climbing Roses (CLM)
Climbing roses as the name suggests are the perfect choice for covering a wall or screen. Often grouped together with Ramblers, Climbers tend to have stiffer stems, larger flowers but smaller trusses than Ramblers.
Rambling Roses (RAM)
Rambling roses are often grouped with Climbing Roses but the ramblers tend to have a more pliable stems that can be used to run along the soil to use as groundcover or can be used to make weeping standards.
Miniature Roses (MINI)
Miniature roses have increased in popularity in recent years due to their versatility, even grown indoors as temporary pot plants that grow to a maximum height of 40cm. An ideal choice for planting in tubs, edging beds and rockeries.
English Roses (ENG)
Often referred to as Austin or David Austin Roses, English roses are hybrids of old English roses and more modern varieties bread by David Austin to provide the best of both, mixing old rose shapes and scents with more modern colour range, compact habits and repeat flowering.

Planting Advice
Roses like a generous root space, so dig a deep hole approximately twice as wide as the current root system, preferably adding composted organic matter to the soil. Never plant into frozen soil – in winter, await a frost-free period. Carefully remove the pot and gently tease the roots apart to spread them around the hole. Position the plant so that the ‘bud point’ (the place where the shoots emerge from, where the cultivated rose was grafted onto the rootstock) is at soil level. Replace the soil, firming it down gently, then water copiously. Ideally, a general purpose fertiliser should be applied to the surrounding soil as a top dressing. We also highly recommend the use of Rose Rootgrow, which provides a friendly fungus that prevents ‘rose replant syndrome’.

Buying our Roses
Most of our roses are supplied in a 4 litre pot although this may vary slightly depending on rose variety. If the size of pot differes significatly from 4 litres then we will make this clear somewhere on the product page.
Seasonality
Our roses are grown outdoors and as such are subject to seasonal changes. As we sell potted stock throughout the year your rose may not arrive and look like you expect it to. If you are uncertain how your rose will arrive (especially if buying for a gift) then we suggest you contact us prior to making a purchase.
Freshly Potted
Each year a new batch of roses is potted up ready for the following season. Once potted (usually November/December time) they go on sale as 'Freshly Potted'. If you purchase a freshly potted rose and plant it soon after you will find that when removing the rose from the pot there will be a lot of loose soil as the roots will not have had time to grow and bind the compost.

Pruned/Cut Back
In autumn the majority of our roses have finished flowering and begin to look untidy, at this point we prune them quite hard in preparation for the following season. We continue to sell roses throughout the year, when a rose has been pruned in such a way we will identify it has being so. If you are not sure what to expect then please ask prior to making a purchase. Some garden centres/supermarkets sell stock that has been grown abroad or in poly-tunnels so they look 'picture perfect' out of season, while this is ideal for a gift they are short lived once planted.

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