David Austin roses for 2024

Our recently planted new David Austin varieties are thriving in the healthy soil of our Kalangadoo rose farm. Spring rainfall and warm days have given them an excellent growth start and we cannot wait to see them in flower.

Next year we'll release two new David Austin varieties, that we are sure you'll fall in love with.

The Ancient Mariner (Ausoutcry)

It's an impressive variety, bearing masses of large, many petalled blooms on a bushy, quite upright shrub. 

The blooms are a lovely glowing mid pink at the centre, paling towards the edges. Over time, they each reveal a cluster of golden stamens. 

Fragrance: Medium-strong myrrh  -  Size: 125cm x 125cm

The name of this rose was inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. 

Imogen (Austritch)

It bears pretty, lightly scented, pale-yellow blooms, fading almost to cream. 

The many delicately frilled petals are arranged around a button eye. It forms a sturdy, quite upright shrub with glossy foliage. 

Fragrance: Light-medium, fruity - Size: 90cm x 90cm

Named after the character in Shakespeare's Cymbeline. 

Both varieties will be available on our website from late December-January, when our 2024 New Releases' Collection will be revealed.

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The Rose Journey

How is a rose variety marketed to agents, sub-agents, grown and then made available to wholesale customers and garden nurseries - where it eventually ends up in your garden? It's a long road! 

Once the rose has been bred, the breeder needs to source agents worldwide who are willing to take on their rose and get it onto the open market. In essence, the agent in each of the countries becomes the representative of that breeder, and has the right to access that particular rose. 

Agencies can also employ sub-agencies around the country to increase their exposure to markets. The agent is responsible for collecting all the royalties and printing the pictorial tags, and distributing the budwood to various sub-agents. 

Rose names generally come from the breeder, however names can change according to the country or new marketing opportunities that are identified by the agents. 

The journey for a newly-released rose from overseas is not straightforward. New roses require many months in strict Australian quarantine arrangements – in a third party country such as South Africa - before they can be delivered to Australia and eventually the agent.

Once the rose is available to rose growers – via the rose breeder’s chosen agent – they can then start to finalise varieties and plant rootstock to fulfill the anticipated demand. 

After all, the rose grower knows their customer the best! However, it can be challenging, with fashions, trends and even endorsements by well-known media personalities all playing their part in dictating the market demand - it’s our job to anticipate what it will be.