AUSBITE – pink English rose – Austin | pharmaROSA® NEONATAL rooted cutting
This English rose cultivar, supplied as pharmaROSA® NEONATAL own‑root propagation material, offers a bushy, upright habit and dense dark‑green foliage that suits premium container production and wall or pergola training for exclusive shrub or short‑climbing positioning. Its very double, cup‑shaped blooms with over 40 petals deliver strong, long‑lasting fragrance and refined powder‑pink to silvery‑lilac colour transitions, aligning well with flower‑quality‑driven retail assortments and thematic rose collections. As own‑root material it supports long‑term, renewable stands with predictable structure, low replacement rates, and homogeneous batches once the typical development arc from root establishment through structural build‑up to full ornamental value has passed. Well suited to UK nursery networks requiring dependable propagation input for public‑realm, institutional, and collector‑focused rose ranges in conditions where cold‑hardy, winter‑resilient crops are consistently required, it integrates easily into 5–7 L premium lines and can underpin private‑label English rose offers for discerning wholesale and retail partners across Britain.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium English shrub 5–7 L – Bush-trained, 3–5 cane shrubs in 5–7 L pots emphasising dense foliage, flower form and fragrance for high-end benches – target audience/channel: retail/reseller garden centres.
- Short-climbing wall series – Trained on low trellises or wall-grids from 5–7 L bases, sold as wall, fence or pergola units with clear height potential – target audience/channel: landscape-oriented nurseries and project suppliers.
- Fragrance collection feature pot – Selected, strongly scented plants grouped under a fragrance banner, highlighting long-lasting rose perfume in premium containers – target audience/channel: specialist fragrance and rose retailers.
- Display garden supply pack – Uniform batches for show and thematic gardens, delivered bush-trained for rapid establishment and coherent colour presentation – target audience/channel: municipalities, public gardens and institutional buyers via wholesalers.
- Large specimen patio containers – Upsized from 5–7 L into 40–50+ L decorative tubs as long-term own-root specimens with stable ornamental value – target audience/channel: landscape contractors and high-end retail projects.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Registered as AUSbite, marketed as Ausbite English Rose AUSbite, with Spirit of Freedom as the ARS exhibition name; classified within the English Rose Collection as a shrub and short climbing rose. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by David C. H. Austin (UK, 1998) from an unknown seedling × ‘Auscot’; introduced after 2004 by David Austin Roses Ltd., with Canadian PBR registration filed in 2004. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Bushy, upright plants typically reach 120–180 cm in height and 100–160 cm spread, carry dense, slightly glossy dark-green foliage, and are densely thorned; spent blooms require manual removal due to weak self-cleaning. |
| Flower morphology |
Very double, cup-shaped, cluster-flowering blooms with over 40 petals; medium-sized flowers (approximately 1.5–2.75 in) provide good repeat flowering with an especially abundant second flush on well-managed plants. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Powder-pink buds with a purplish veil open to creamy, shell-pink inner petals, then fade through pastel and silvery-lilac pink tones; outer petal edges can lighten towards beige, with overall medium colour retention under garden conditions. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Produces a strong, long-lasting, rich classic rose scent; the densely filled, very double blooms concentrate fragrance, giving high sensory impact in close-view plantings, containers and dedicated fragrance-themed garden sections. |
| Hip characteristics |
Hip set is generally scant because of the very double flowers; when present, hips are bottle-shaped, orange-red (RHS 40A), around 12–18 mm in diameter, and offer minor ornamental interest rather than a primary display feature. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated H7 with approximate hardiness to –26 to –23 °C (USDA 5b, Swedish zone 4); has moderate resistance to black spot, powdery mildew and rust, and tolerates heat reasonably well if watering is maintained during extended dry periods. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Best used on walls, fences, pergolas, pillars, beds and as specimens; suits premium container production with medium maintenance needs, including regular deadheading and occasional pest and disease control; supplied bush-trained with 3–5 strong canes. |
AUSBITE – pink English rose – Austin combines fragrant, double blooms, flexible shrub or short-climbing use and long-lived, predictable own-root performance; please contact us to coordinate propagation volumes and delivery timings for your programmes.
