Rosa The Countryman ('Ausman') (S)

RHS Plant Profile
rose [The Countryman]

Synonyms

Rosa 'Ausman'
Rosa 'Countryman'
Rosa The Countryman

Roses

One of the original English shrub roses, about 1-1.5m tall, with healthy matt dark green leaves, and producing small clusters of strongly fragrant blooms in soft, glowing apricot-pink, each bloom fully packed with numerous delicately ruffled petals, repeat-flowering through summer then followed by orange-red fruits (hips); David Austin 1987

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres
Max Height
1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H6

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Genus
Rosa can be deciduous or semi-evergreen shrubs or scrambling climbers, with usually thorny stems bearing compound pinnate leaves and solitary or clustered flowers. Flowers may be followed by showy red or purple fruits in some varieties.
Name Status
Trade
Horticultural Group
Shrub roses are large shrubs with usually thorny stems bearing large leaves and fragrant, single to double flowers in clusters in summer, and usually also in autumn

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Mulch with well-rotted organic matter in late winter or early spring, and for best flowering apply a general rose or shrub fertiliser in early spring and again in early summer. See rose cultivation Note: one of the original David Austin shrub roses, it has been superseded by new introductions

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings in autumn, softwood cuttings (under glass) in spring or summer or by chip budding in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Hedging and screens

Pruning

See pruning group 21 (shrub roses); do not prune after flowering if fruits (hips) are required

Diseases

May be susceptible to rose black spot, rose rust, replant disease, rose dieback, and rose powdery mildew. May also be susceptible to disorders rose blindness and flower balling and sometimes honey fungus