7 David Austin English roses with white flowers

The rose 'William and Catherine', for a romantic atmosphere

Created by David Austin for the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine in England, the ‘William and Catherine’ rose produces cup-shaped roses with generous petals from May until the first frosts. Highly floriferous, this rose bush grows into a vigorous 1.25-metre shrub with an upright habit, adorned with dark green, healthy foliage. The roses initially display a light apricot colour before turning cream and eventually white. Very romantic, they evoke old-fashioned roses and emit a myrrh fragrance. In the garden, the William and Catherine rose can be paired with other roses, as well as gypsophila or lilacs, for example. It can also be grown in a pot on a terrace, allowing for beautiful cut flower arrangements.

‘William and Catherine’ rose

The rose 'Winchester Cathedral', for a pristine white.

If you love romantic roses of pure white, the ‘Winchester Cathedral’ rose should please you. C’is a bushy rose that reaches 1.20 metres and produces large, immaculate white flowers with a diameter of 10 cm. They bloom from June to October, forming double corollas that are slightly crumpled, adding to their English charm. Rich with around forty petals, the roses emit a fragrance reminiscent of old roses, with notes of honey and almond blossoms. In the garden, plant the ‘Winchester Cathedral’ rose in groups of 3 to create a beautiful effect in borders or beds. You can also pair them with all sorts of white or colourful flowers, such as buddleias, mock oranges, lilacs, or spireas.

‘Winchester Cathedral’ rose

The rose 'Glamis Castle', a scent of myrrh

The ‘Glamis Castle’ rose is a shrub measuring 90 cm in height, ramified and highly floriferous, offering a multitude of flowers from June to October. The ivory white roses bloom in well-filled cups measuring 9 cm in diameter. They are characterised by their pure white colour at the edges and cream at the heart of the flower. From the numerous tightly packed and frilled petals, a myrrh fragrance escapes. In a border or a small hedge, the ‘Glamis Castle’ rose harmoniously pairs with airy plants, such as gaura or gypsophila, or larger plants like peonies or lavender. The white roses of the ‘Glamis Castle’ rose allow for the creation of beautiful cut flower arrangements.

‘Glamis Castle’ rose

The 'Snow Goose' rose, a climbing variety with frilly blooms

The ‘Snow Goose’ rose is a climbing and repeat flowering rose with astonishing small, frilled flowers. It can reach a height of 2.5 metres and is covered in a multitude of white roses with cream centres for several months, from June to October. Its flowers resemble small 5 cm pom-poms and are similar to large, petal-rich daisies or delphinium flowers. They are grouped in small bouquets and offer a light musky fragrance. The stems are lightly thorny and bear dark green, glossy foliage. The ‘Snow Goose’ rose is perfect for dressing up a pergola, wall, or arch. It gives the garden a natural and romantic air.

‘Snow Goose’ rose

The rose 'Claire Austin', with very fragrant pearly roses.

The rose ‘Claire Austin’ is named after the daughter of rose breeder David Austin. It is highly fragrant and produces pearly white roses, rich in tightly packed petals, forming a very regular concentric sphere. This is a repeat flowering rose that blooms from June to October. Initially, the buds are a light lemon yellow, appearing on abundant and healthy dark green foliage. The buds then transform into beautiful roses measuring 9 cm in diameter that turn white. The flowers emit an intense fragrance. This rose forms a lovely bush of 1.25 metres, suitable for planting in a border or a hedge with other English roses in similar colours to create a harmonious effect, or in bright tones for more contrast and dynamism.

Rose ‘Claire Austin’

The rose 'Tranquility', with perfectly rounded blooms

The ‘Tranquility’ rose has many advantages. This bush produces a multitude of perfectly round roses adorned with numerous tightly packed and beautifully arranged petals. It flowers from June to October. After the appearance of light yellow buds, pure white corolla-shaped roses bloom. Quite large, they measure 10 cm in diameter and emit a light fragrance of apple or chamomile. The stems of this 1.25-metre bush are flexible, vigorous, and very few thorny. They bear glossy, bright green foliage, with a cottony appearance on the underside. The roses last a long time both on the bush and in a cut flower arrangement placed in a vase. The ‘Tranquility’ rose is covered in autumn with red, villous fruits known as hips.

‘Tranquility’ rose

The rose 'Kew Gardens', with yellow-centred dog roses

The ‘Kew Gardens’ rose forms a bush 1.5 metres tall with an upright habit. Its thornless stems produce pure white dog rose bouquets softened by a centre adorned with yellow stamens. Slightly fragrant, they bloom from June to October, against a backdrop of dark green, healthy foliage. The pale apricot buds open to reveal single flowers with 5 petals, measuring 5 cm in diameter. After flowering, red fruits appear, delighting the garden birds. In a border, place it in the background and pair it with other English roses such as the ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ rose with its very fresh pink colour or the ‘Crown Princess Margareta’ rose in orange and apricot tones. The ‘Kew Gardens’ rose also pairs well with delphiniums and geraniums.

If you love English roses, you can continue your exploration with our selection of pink English roses as well as our full range of English roses.

‘Kew Gardens’ rose (photo m. manners)