Princess Alexandra of Kent Rose Review | David Austin 2007
Princess Alexandra of Kent Rose
£24.50
Pros
- Strong fragrance
- Large bloom size: (3.5 – 5’’ or 9 – 12.5 cm)
- Blooms last VERY WELL
- Tolerance of shade
- Tolerance of heat
- Very vigorous
- Best for pots and containers
Cons
- Only "good" (not "excellent") disease resistance
- Color can change
- Blooms can nod when young
- A wide rose
- Her thorns are sharp
PRINCESS ALEXANDRA OF KENT ROSE REVIEW | THE RIGHT ROSES
‘Ausmerchant’
English Shrub Rose bred by David Austin
David Austin
The unusually large, bright pink flowers are full-petalled and deeply cupped. In spite of their size, they are never clumsy, being held nicely poised on a well-rounded shrub. There is a strong and delicious fresh Tea fragrance, which changes to lemon, eventually taking on hints of blackcurrants. Named for Princess Alexandra – a keen gardener. David Austin, 2007.
The Right Roses: RightRoses.com
David Austin introduced Princess Alexandra of Kent rose for the UK in 2007. He named this rose after Princess Alexandra (born 25 December 1936, Belgrave Square, London), a cousin to Queen Elizabeth II (born 21 April 1926, Mayfair, London).
To the team at The Right Roses, Princess Alexandra of Kent is absolutely a perfect name for this incredible David Austin rose. Princess Alexandra of Kent rose has everything of which all gardeners dream: fragrance, shade tolerance, large blooms, … You just name it. She represents the pure perfection as much as the Princess she shares the name with.
“She represents the pure perfection as much as the Princess she shares the name with“.
The Right Roses | RightRoses.com
Princess Alexandra of Kent rose: The pros
- Fragrance Award – Glasgow 2009
- Most Fragrant Award – Desert Rose Society Show, California
- Best for fragrance
- Best for pots & containers
Princess Alexandra of Kent rose has five main strengths:
First, she is one of the most fragrant David Austin roses to date. She is just heavenly scented. David Austin ranked her along side other absolutely best for fragrance such as Gertrude Jekyll or Gabriel Oak, in his 2019/2020 Handbook of Roses. If you decide to go with her, please note that it would take her about 3 years in your garden before her fragrance strength becomes truly strong. In the first couple of years, her scent is hardly detectable.
Second, Princess Alexandra of Kent rose produces very large blooms (3.5 – 5’’ or 9 – 12.5 cm). Probably her bloom size is as large as any other David Austin roses, such as Golden Celebration. We planted her next to our Boscobel. And, the blooms of Princess Alexandra of Kent are notably larger.
Third, her blooms last very well on stems and in vase. Differing to Royal Jubilee, Gabriel Oak and Jude The Obscure, Princess Alexandra of Kent has a great vase life. In particular, she clearly outlasts the two popular roses, Royal Jubilee and Jude The Obscure. Coupled with her strong fragrance, her good vase life makes herself a great rose for cutting.
Fourth, Princess Alexandra of Kent rose can tolerate shade and heat quite well. You can plant her in those spots with partial sunlight (4 – 6 hours of sun). Even better for those gardeners in warmer climate such as Australia (e.g., New South Wales, South Australia), Princess Alexandra of Kent can tolerate heat quite well. Her blooms do not seem to be fried in heat. To play it safe, you should provide her with a decent amount of water when it is very hot.
And, fifth, Princess Alexandra of Kent gets established very quickly. For some gardeners, she is one of the most vigorous David Austin roses. In our garden in the UK, as a potted rose, she got to almost 3 ft after just 6 months. She never stops producing new growths and buds.
Princess Alexandra of Kent rose: The cons
Princess Alexandra of Kent rose has four main weaknesses.
First, she has a “good” disease resistance (not excellent). She mainly is quite healthy in our garden. However, she is not one of the new recent introductions with a “excellent” disease resistance. When it is wet, she may have some black spot or mildew. For better disease resistance, you may want to consider recent roses such as Eustacia Vye or Gabriel Oak.
Second, her color can change in heat or even as the flowers age. In fact, to our team at The Right Roses, this is not a weakness at all. We love the roses coming with all kinds of colors. As a result, we can enjoy a range of color.
Third, when she is young (1st year, 2nd year) in your garden, her blooms slightly nod. But, this is quite understandable. You can image, her blooms are so large! From the third year, she vastly improves on this aspect.
Fourth, she is a wide rose. In the UK, David Austin suggested that her bush size is 4ft x 4ft. However, in some warmer climates, such as some States in the US, she can be much wider, 4 ft – 6 ft.
Nonetheless, overall she is such a great rose. You will never have enough of her!
Princess Alexandra of Kent rose: The similarities
Princess Alexandra of Kent rose reminds us of two equally popular roses: Boscobel and Young Lycidas. Boscobel produces a different and smaller bloom shape. The fragrance strength is only medium-strong (while, it is strong in the case Princess Alexandra of Kent). Boscobel also makes a slightly smaller shrub (3.5 ft x 3.5 ft). Nonetheless, Boscobel re-blooms better than Princess Alexandra of Kent.
Young Lycidas produces a similar bloom shape, compared to Princess Alexandra of Kent. Her bloom size is also large (3.5 – 5’’ or 9 – 12.5 cm). Her fragrance is also very tasty and strong. However, her bush is quite messy with a lot of lax canes. Princess Alexandra of Kent will make a slightly more attractive shrub.
Princess Alexandra of Kent rose: The details
| Height & Spread: 4ft x 4ft | Color: Bright pink | Fragrance: Strong |
| Fragrance notes: Tea | Flowering: Repeat flowering | Suitable for containers: Yes |
| Sun exposure: Partial sunlight | Bloom size: Large (3.5 – 5’’ or 9 – 12.5 cm) | Disease resistance: Good (not excellent) |
Photo credit: DavidAustinRoses.com
I discovered Princess Alexandra at the royal palace in Copenhaguen, where I attended the WFRS world convention in 2018. Living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, roses take their time to reach us. We voted her most beautiful rose , of all the ones presented to us, and fell in love inmediately. That same year we were visited by Helen Haines, head of Austin in America, who had come to inspect our local Austin ‘s sale representante nursery. ( at the time I was President of AAR , Asociación Argentina de Rosicultura) and took her and Laura Rosauer, from our local nursery,… Read more »