Rose 'The Poet's Wife' (David Austin Shrub Rose)
A breathtaking shrub rose from the world-renowned David Austin collection. A true masterpiece of rose breeding, this English rose combines timeless beauty with exceptional fragrance and robust performance. Its soft golden-yellow blooms, coupled with a tea-like, citrusy fragrance, create an unforgettable presence in any garden. Named in honor of the inspiration behind poetry and the power of love, 'The Poet's Wife' offers not only stunning visual appeal but also a rich sensory experience.
Key Features:
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Flower Colour: The blooms of 'The Poet's Wife' are a soft butter-yellow when they first open, gradually deepening into a rich golden shade as they mature. This warm and welcoming colour pairs beautifully with any garden style, offering a touch of old-world charm and grace.
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Flower Form: Each bloom opens in a cupped, rosette-like shape, densely packed with petals that create a full, rounded flower. The petals are velvety and have a soft, graceful appearance, giving the rose a delicate, romantic feel.
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Fragrance: One of the defining characteristics of this rose is its intoxicating fragrance. The scent is rich, tea-like, with delicate hints of myrrh and citrus, evoking a sense of classic elegance and sophistication. Its fragrance is both uplifting and soothing, making it a delightful addition to any garden or floral arrangement.
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Plant Size & Habit: 'The Poet's Wife' is a well-behaved shrub rose that typically reaches 90-120cm (3 to 4 feet) tall with an eventual spread of 60-90cm (2-3 feet). It forms a rounded, bushy shape, which makes it a perfect choice as a focal point, as part of a border, or planted in a container. Its compact yet full growth habit ensures it performs well in a variety of garden spaces.
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Flowering Period: This rose blooms repeatedly throughout the season, from early summer to autumn. With each flush of flowers, it produces an abundance of full blooms, adding a continual burst of colour and fragrance to your garden.
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Foliage: The dark green, glossy leaves of 'The Poet's Wife' create a stunning contrast against the soft yellow flowers. The foliage is not only attractive but also healthy and disease-resistant, making this rose easier to care for compared to some other varieties.
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Hardiness & Growing Conditions: RHS hardiness rating H6, meaning it is very hardy down to winter temperatures of -20 to -15ºC.
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Disease Resistance: As with most David Austin roses, 'The Poet's Wife' has been bred with improved disease resistance. It has a strong resistance to common rose problems such as black spot and powdery mildew, making it a low-maintenance option for gardeners.
Ideal Uses:
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Garden Design: Whether planted as a stand-alone specimen or grouped in a border, 'The Poet's Wife' adds a romantic, classic touch to any garden. Its vibrant blooms create a focal point in the landscape, and its rich fragrance enhances the overall garden atmosphere.
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Companion Planting: The warm yellow tones of this rose work wonderfully when paired with other soft pastels or bolder colours like deep reds and purples. It's especially beautiful when planted alongside other David Austin roses, such as 'The Generous Gardener' or 'Gertrude Jekyll'.
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Cut Flowers: 'The Poet's Wife' is also a superb choice for cut flower arrangements. The long-lasting blooms, combined with their fragrance, make for an exquisite bouquet that adds elegance to any setting.
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Containers & Small Gardens: Its compact size makes this rose ideal for containers, patios, or small gardens. You can easily position it on a balcony or terrace, where it will provide colour and fragrance throughout the growing season.
Care Instructions:
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Watering: Roses prefer deep, infrequent watering. Ensure the soil is consistently moist, but avoid over-watering or letting the plant sit in water. Water the plant at its base to keep the foliage dry and reduce the risk of fungal diseases.
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Pruning: To maintain a healthy, bushy shape and encourage vigorous blooming, prune 'The Poet's Wife' in late winter (February or March). Remove any dead or damaged wood and lightly shape the plant. Regular deadheading of spent flowers will encourage new blooms and maintain a tidy appearance.
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Fertilising: To promote strong growth and abundant blooms, apply a balanced rose fertilizer in early spring and again after the first flush of flowers. A slow-release fertiliser can also be used to provide nutrients throughout the growing season.
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Mulching: Mulch around the base of the plant to help retain moisture, prevent weeds, and keep the root system cool in summer. Mulching also helps protect the roots from winter frost in colder climates.
Why Choose Rose 'The Poet's Wife'?
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Aesthetic Beauty: With its soft golden-yellow blooms and elegant, fragrant flowers, 'The Poet's Wife' brings warmth and sophistication to any garden. Its gentle, rosette-like blossoms make it one of the most charming roses in the David Austin collection.
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Fragrance: The tea-like, citrus-scented fragrance is one of the rose's standout qualities, making it an excellent choice for those who seek both beauty and scent in their garden.
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Low Maintenance: Bred for resilience and disease resistance, 'The Poet's Wife' requires less upkeep than many other varieties, allowing gardeners to enjoy its beauty without the constant attention.
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Versatile: Whether used in large landscapes, as part of a mixed flower bed, or in pots, this rose fits seamlessly into any garden design, adding a touch of romance and timeless appeal.
Summary
Rose 'The Poet's Wife' is a remarkable variety that encapsulates the beauty, fragrance, and reliability that David Austin roses are known for. Its golden blooms and tea-scented fragrance make it a perfect choice for any rose lover looking to add charm and elegance to their outdoor space. With minimal care and maximum visual impact, this rose will be a treasured addition to your garden for 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:
- Different types of roses and what they each mean
- Guide to climbing roses
- Guide to floribunda roses
- Guide to hybrid tea roses
- How to plant a climbing rose
- How to grow hybrid tea roses
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
Pot Size
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.
Aftercare
