ROSE FOCUS: PRINCESS ALEXANDRA OF KENT

Princess Alexandra of Kent is a David Austin rose which has beautiful pink flowers. First introduced in 2007, it’s an English shrub rose. David Austin roses specializes in breeding English shrub roses which are a cross between old roses and modern roses. David Austin’s book on English roses has a wealth of information on many different roses that they breed. This particular rose was named after Princess Alexandra, who is a cousin of the Queen of England. She is known for her avid interest in gardening among other notable accomplishments. She is also the patron of the Leeds Castle garden.

The Princess Alexandra of Kent rose has large full blooms with over 130 petals per flower. It does well in our hot, dry, Arizona climate and it’s been in my garden for three years blooming profusely in the spring. Spring blooms are the most prolific, with additional flowers in the fall. There are very few flowers in the summer because of the high Arizona heat often reaching above a100 degrees. I am amazed that it can survive the summers but it does! I only have one bush of this particular type due to space constraints and have been really happy with it. Some key benefits are below.

Key Benefits

• Intense color and beautiful blooms – I love the color of this rose. It starts out with almost orange-pink buds and gradually opens to a many-petaled flower of wonderful pink color. There is something so wonderful about the blooms on this rose! Maybe it’s the bright coloring or the many petals but either way, I love it!
• Strong fragrance – If you are looking for a wonderfully fragrant rose this is it! David Austen nurseries describe the fragrance as ‘strong delicious fresh tea fragrance which changes to lemon eventually taking on hints of blackcurrants.’ This rose won the Fragrance Award – Glasgow 29. Most Fragrant Award – Desert Rose Society Show, California.
• Multiple uses – I grow it in a mixed border but it does well in pots and or as a part of a rose border.
• Excellent cut flower – Due to its fragrance and form, it performs well as a cut flower. See my post showing flower designs I’ve created with this rose.

• Decease resistance – Over the past three years, there are very few issues with this rose since I started growing it. This year, I saw some Thrips which were treated easily with Neem oil.
• Size – David Austin’s rose catalog indicates that the average size of this bush is between 4 ft wide and 5 ft tall. With regular pruning, I’ve seen it reach a height of 4 ft in my garden. The only negative so far is that this particular plant has stayed less bushy than my other rose plants. This may be due to our Arizona climate and because I have several plants packed into a smaller space in the flower bed. Ideally, I should have planted three plants together to form a rounded bush as recommended in the catalog.
• Easy to grow – I have experienced very few issues with growing this rose. I follow some basic rose care tips and I’ll share of my best tips soon!

How to Order

I ordered a bare root version of this rose directly from David Austin Nurseries. In the US their nursery is located in Tyler, Texas and the rose arrived in perfect condition. They offered a five-year guarantee which is nice since these plants are not the cheapest. If you do experience any issues with the rose you need to send pictures and having the tags helps too! They won’t refund your money but will replace the rose. I usually plant each rose along with the original tag until it’s well established.

Roses are relatively easy to grow and these plants do well with some basic care. If you love roses like I do, this is one to consider for your garden. I have to confess that it is fun to have a true princess in the garden!

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