Rosa The Lark Ascending (Ausursula)
Named after Ralph Vaughan Williams' much-loved orchestral piece, The Lark Ascending is an English shrub rose with a light, airy character that sets it apart from the more densely petalled David Austin varieties. The semi-double flowers have around 22 petals in a warm apricot shade, loosely arranged around a cluster of golden stamens in an open-cup shape. They appear in large heads of up to fifteen nicely spaced blooms, covering the bush from the ground upward.
The fragrance is light, shifting from tea to myrrh as the flowers age. Growth is tall and airy, reaching about 2 m in both height and spread, with an open-branched habit that blends naturally into a mixed border or among flowering shrubs. The foliage is mid-green and the plant is noted for exceptional health and vigour. Leave the spent flowers on toward the end of the season and you'll be rewarded with decorative rose hips that extend the interest well into winter.
The Lark Ascending is also a fine bee and butterfly rose, thanks to those open-centred flowers with accessible pollen. A good choice for anyone who prefers a more relaxed, naturalistic style of rose growing.
- Height: 1.75–2.25 m
- Width: 1.75–2.25 m
- Type: English Shrub Rose
- Colour: Warm apricot with golden stamens
- Fragrance: Light (tea and myrrh)
- Position: Full sun to part shade
- Flowering: Repeat flowering, late spring to autumn
- Attracts bees and butterflies
- Decorative rose hips
- Breeder: David Austin (UK), introduced 2012
