Dame Judi Dench® Shrub Rose Bushes

Dame Judi Dench® David Austin Shrub Rose Plants

Brought out in 2017, the real Dame Judi Dench was presented with this beautiful, new diva of an apricot rose at Chelsea Flower Show. As is Dame Judi, this rose is utterly reliable and will deliver its lines to perfection! A fabulous addition to our range of Roses.

This rose is an especially sumptuous shade of apricot that pales towards the edge of the flower to give it that halo which is so popular at present. Each flower is a mass of ruffled petals held in a rosette with a dear little button eye in the centre. The buds are red tipped and relatively small. Good green foliage has excellent resistance to disease. The stems arch elegantly which promotes the formation of more side shoots and so more flowers which encore all through the summer and are notable for not being spoilt by rain. The scent is a performance in itself - light tea perfume but with overtones of kiwi and cucumber. With time, the rose forms a mound of blooms as more stems are produced each year.

Curtain up!

This is a rose to put centre stage in your herbaceous border. David Austin's years of experience mean that he just would not release a rose unless it was nearing perfection and the Dame Judi Dench rose is a superstar. Like its national treasure namesake, Dame Judi will fill any role - supporting other roses like Buff Beauty or Lady Hillingdon, taking the lead against a neutral background or hedge, or, if plucked from obscurity for a vase, overwhelming and astounding her audience. Keep deadheading so that you get repeat performances over the season. And what with being so healthy and strong, you won't be resorting to sprays, potions (or make-up) at all.

Features:

• Height: up to 1.2 m
• Width: up to 90 cm
• Colour: apricot
• Shape of flower: rosette
• Size of flower: large
• Scent: light
• Flowering: repeat through summer
• Group: English Shrub rose

How to plant Dame Judi Dench roses

Dig a hole deep enough to allow the graft to finish at soil level when planted and with plenty of room for the roots. Improve the soil from the hole by removing large stones, weeds, roots and other rubbish and mixing in about 25% by volume of well rotted compost or manure. Wet the roots and sprinkle with Rootgrow so it stays in contact with the roots. If planting a pot grown plant gently loosen some of the roots before planting.

Place your Dame Judi Dench rose so the roots are spread out and it is set at approximately the same level in the soil as it was before being transplanted. The union should be level with the soil when you have finished planting. Backfill the hole with the planting mix, firming it down as you go. Water in thoroughly. Water again a day or two later and then keep watering in dry spells.

Did You Know?

Named after Dame Judi Dench - star of stage and screen and most recently of James Bond films - who sneezed violently when given the rose at Chelsea by David Austin before pronouncing that it looked rather laidback.