Munstead Wood Rose Review | David Austin 2007
Munstead Wood rose
£24.50
Pros
- Strong fragrance
- Unique color: very deep velvety crimson
- Very healthy
- Extremely productive
- Very vigorous
- Good for cuttings
Cons
- Thorny monster!
MUNSTEAD WOOD ROSE REVIEW | THE RIGHT ROSES
‘Ausbernard’
English Shrub Rose bred by David Austin
David Austin
Bears very deep, velvety crimson blooms, with lighter coloured outer petals. They are large cups at first, becoming shallowly cupped with time. There is a strong Old Rose fragrance with fruity notes of blackberry, blueberry and damson notes. The bushy, spreading growth forms a broad shrub; the young red-bronze leaves later turn mid-green. David Austin, 2007.
The Right Roses: RightRoses.com
David Austin released Munstead Wood rose in 2007. David Austin named Munstead Wood rose after of the horticulturalist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll’s home in Surrey, England. Gertrude Jekyll is also the name of one of the most popular David Austin roses.
Munstead Wood rose is a fairy-tale-dream rose for many gardeners all over the world. If I have not been clear enough, please allow me to repeat myself. Munstead Wood rose truly is a spectacular rose in almost every sense of the word.
Talking about roses, fragrance is the first thing always coming up off the top of my head. Munstead Wood rose offers sublime perfume! Although, he is not listed as one the “Best for Fragrance” in David Austin Handbook of Roses 2019/2020, Munstead Wood rose makes all rosarians over the moon. Of course, that includes Michael Marriot who is the senior rosarian and professional rose sniffer of David Austin. Michael Marriot describes Munstead Wood as one of his 10 most fragrant English roses so far.
Munstead Wood rose possesses a charming bloom form with a unique color range: very deep velvety crimson, with lighter colored outer petals. In hotter weather, Munstead Wood may look “pinker” than his true colors (almost like Darcey Bussell, another David Austin rose). His blooms are large (3.5 – 5’’ or 9 – 12.5 cm).
One of the best traits of Munstead Wood rose is his remontancy. He is extremely productive. Munstead Wood rose blooms very young. In cases, he could reward you for your trust with beautiful blooms just after a couple of months in the ground. Even better, he keeps blooming until very late in October.
Munstead Wood rose is extremely disease resistant. Unlike Souvenir Du Dr. Jamain rose, Munstead Wood rose is almost insusceptible to blackspot. Therefore, for those who love the color of Souvenir Du Dr. Jamain rose, but don’t really like his bad disease resistability , Munstead Wood must be the right rose for you.
Munstead Wood rose can get established quite quickly. As I mentioned, he may give you the first flush of beautiful blooms just after a couple of months in the ground. For example, if you plant him in February, it is likely that he may bloom in May. Despite the ability to get established quickly, Munstead Wood tends to remain a shapely shrub, without any octopus canes like a few other David Austin rose varieties, such as Lady of Shalott rose. As a result, Munstead Wood rose is a perfect choice for container planting.
Regarding sun exposure, David Austin lists Munstead Wood as a “full sunlight” rose. Therefore, it is not surprising that he can tolerate the heat very well, even around 32 C (90 F). However, Munstead Wood rose can also tolerate some shade. He can grow equally well if you plant him in partial shade (4 – 6 hours of sun).
After all the positives, Munstead Wood has one single bad habit. He is a thorny monster. He can give you a hard time when you give him a haircut in Februarys. However, Munstead Wood is a small-medium shrub. Therefore, the magnitude of the job cannot be compared with what you would have to do with Gertrude Jekyll rose.
All in all, Munstead Wood is absolutely a fabulous rose. One of the best roses David Austin has ever released. You cannot absolutely do any wrong with Munstead Wood.
Munstead Wood rose: The details
| Height & Spread: 3.5ft x 3.5ft | Color: Deep velvety crimson | Fragrance: Strong |
| Fragrance notes: Old Rose/fruity | Flowering: Repeat flowering | Suitable for containers: Yes |
| Sun exposure: Full sunlight | Bloom size: Large (3.5 – 5’’ or 9 – 12.5 cm) | Disease resistance: Good |
Photo credit: DavidAustinRoses.com
Do you think I can plant Munstead DA next to Jubilee Royal DA rose?
Thank you Courtney for your question. Of course, at the end of the day, it is your own preference. However, in my personal opinion, I would like to plant David Austin roses of similar sizes together. Royal Jubilee is a big shrub (about 5 ft x 5 ft), while Munstead Wood is a small-medium shrub (about 3.5 ft x 3.5 ft). I am afraid that Royal Jubilee can eat up Munstead Wood if they are planted next to each other.
Hi,
How big do you think the container should be for Munstead DA rose?
Thank you Mirion for your question. DA introduced many great rose varieties suitable for planting in pots and containers. However, it would be better if you plant them in good size containers: about 18 – 24 inches (45 – 60 cm) deep and 18 – 24 inches (45 – 60) wide. Of course, the bigger, the better.
one ´gender´ question, why do you refer to some roses as she/her and to others as he/him, as with Munstead Wood?
Thank you Jorge for your question. We refer to some roses as she/her if David Austin named them after female characters. For instance, he named Claire Austin after his daughter. So, we refer to Claire Austin as she/her. Similarly, if David Austin named some roses after male characters, we would refer to them as he/him. For instance, Gabriel Oak. However, David Austin also named some roses after locations. We would still prefer to refer them as he/she, depending on their characteristics. For instance, Munstead Wood looks very beautiful, but also little bit moody to us (like Souvenir du Docteur Jamain).… Read more »
thank you so much for your keen feedback; accordingly, we should address Mary Rose as she , while Winchester Cathedral would be a he –regardless the fact that they are variations of a single kind. A bit like we thought of them as ´twins´. Then, a wood would definitely be ´he´ and the tropical forest now aflame is ´she´!!!
Still, I do not see why you consider ´moodiness’ a male attribute?
Thank you Jorge for your feedback! Have a great day.