AUSmas – yellow English rose – Austin
As a rooted own-root cutting, AUSmas offers a romantic English Rose profile tailored to premium container production, combining medium-vigour upright growth with controlled height for 5–7 L formats and bush-trained, 3–5 cane structure. Its very double rosette blooms and strong, long-lasting old-rose fragrance underpin an exclusive finished product for retail and reseller ranges, while the remontant, abundant flowering supports reliable, repeat display in nursery and garden-centre contexts. With H7 hardiness and USDA 5b performance, it fits UK nursery networks that must cope with colder regions and exposed sites, offering dependable winter hardiness for stock beds and collection plantings. Own-root production supports long-term renewal and homogeneous stands suitable for thematic English Rose collections, where cultivar identity and continuity are critical. The year-on-year development arc—from root consolidation in year one, structural framework in year two and full ornamental expression from year three—aligns well with premium crop scheduling and multi-season planning for wholesale partners.
Usage options
Finished-product ideas
- Premium 5–7 L English Rose shrub – own-root, bush-trained AUSmas with 3–5 framework canes in 5–7 L pots, emphasising strong fragrance and romantic rosette blooms as an exclusive English Rose SKU – target audience/channel: retail / reseller.
- Fragrance collection feature plant – highlighted, award-backed fragrance hero in coordinated premium container runs, integrating remontant flowering and scent into a curated “scented roses” bench – target audience/channel: garden-centre chains.
- Landscape specimen in 40–50 L – step-up from 5–7 L to 40–50 L final containers for instant-effect golden-yellow specimens in parks and representative plantings, using own-root resilience for long-term framework stability – target audience/channel: landscape contractors.
- Romantic arch and fence set – paired premium shrubs selected for upright habit and cane strength, sold as “arch/fence” solutions where customers train canes post-planting, leveraging remontant flowering for extended display – target audience/channel: design-led retailers.
- Collection-grade English Rose stock plant – own-root AUSmas plants maintained in nursery beds or large containers as long-term mother stock, supporting cultivar maintenance and small-scale cut-flower or show-garden use – target audience/channel: specialist rose nurseries.
Technical cultivar profile
| Parameter |
Data |
| Name and registration |
Registered as AUSmas, marketed as Ausmas English Rose AUSmas and known in commerce as the English Rose ‘Graham Thomas’, belonging to the English Rose Collection, shrub / garden ornamental category. |
| Origin and breeding |
Bred by David Charles Henshaw Austin in the United Kingdom from ‘Charles Austin’ × (‘Iceberg’ × unnamed seedling), introduced and registered in 1983 by David Austin Roses Ltd for international distribution. |
| Awards and recognition |
Holder of Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit and World Federation of Rose Societies Hall of Fame “World’s Favourite Rose”, plus the Henry Edland Medal fragrance award, underlining proven garden and scent performance. |
| Growth and structural characteristics |
Upright shrub reaching about 130–180 cm in height and 100–150 cm spread, with medium-density, medium green foliage and moderate prickliness; growth habit supports shrub, specimen and informal training uses in premium production. |
| Flower morphology |
Large 2.75–3.95 inch blooms of very double, rosette form borne in clusters; remontant flowering with a notably abundant second flush, providing extended display suitable for decorative shrub and premium container use. |
| Colour data and phenology |
Rich golden-yellow flowers, ARS LP, RHS 65C outer and 65D inner; deep golden centres fading through sunny yellow to buttery yellow, with colour lightening further in strong sun but retaining a warm, romantic appearance in bloom. |
| Fragrance and aroma |
Strong, long-lasting fragrance of old-rose, damask character; decorative rather than pollinator-oriented, as the strongly double structure encloses the stamens and offers limited nectar and pollen access to visiting insects. |
| Hip characteristics |
Produces rose hips only sparsely; where present, hips are spherical, golden-yellow, approximately 12–18 mm in diameter, adding occasional seasonal interest without significantly impacting ornamental flower production. |
| Resistance and winter hardiness |
Rated H7 with approximate hardiness down to -26 to -23 °C, USDA zone 5b and Swedish zone 4; disease tolerance moderate for powdery mildew, black spot and rust, with medium maintenance and occasional plant protection advised. |
| Horticultural recommendations |
Suited for flower beds, parks, specimen use, fences, arches and limited cut use; requires regular watering under heat, medium maintenance, bush training with 3–5 strong canes, and is best marketed via premium container routes. |
AUSmas offers award-recognised fragrance, remontant golden-yellow flowering and cold-tolerant, own-root reliability that together support predictable, long-lived premium crops; we would be pleased to discuss scheduling and capacity for your programmes.
