Rosa Blythe Spirit - English Shrub Rose

The English rose Blythe Spirit has small semi-double roses of pure and soft yellow, with a slight musky fragrance. They bloom for a long period, with a charming nonchalance, giving its flexible branches a half-wild/half-tamed appearance. Its upright growth shows a naturally loose bushy habit and dense foliage, highly resistant to diseases. Light and graceful, this rose possesses undeniable landscape qualities and timeless charm. It is a beautiful bush for a flowering hedge.

This rose, tall and wide at 1.20 m (4ft), has slightly different characteristics from David Austin's creations. It has a unique charm, a blend of gaiety and refinement without heaviness. Its flowers are small and lightweight, composed of open cup-shaped petals. The bouquet-like flowering repeats throughout the summer, with the roses blooming freely, one after another, on a bush with a graceful habit capable of reaching 1.20 m (4ft) in all directions. Smaller than the usual English roses, they measure 4 to 5 cm (2in) in diameter but bloom in great numbers. They emerge as dark yellow buds, open to a buttery yellow shade, soft and warm. From a distance, they somewhat resemble the fresh flowers of buttercups. Their fragrance of musky rose with a hint of myrrh is light and pleasant.

The harmonious growth of this rose makes it an ideal plant for flowering hedges and shrub borders. As it forms a beautiful bush, it is perfect as a backdrop, behind borders of light perennials like paniculate gypsophila, tall phlox, large daisies, or blue autumn asters. It can also be trained on a trellis or a small arch. For example, it can be paired with the sumptuous foliage of 'Grace' purple smoke bush, serrulata cherry, Virginia creeper 'Tiger Eyes', and deciduous euonymus, in a landscape hedge. It will stand out in front of a dark screen of boxwood or yew, or, conversely, surrounded by a miniature hedge as in Italian or French gardens. If you have enough space, English, Old, or Shrub Roses look magnificent when planted in groups of three. They will grow together to form a 'single' monumental bush that will bloom even more generously. 

David Austin 1999 creation.