We have several roses fit for royalty. The Harkness nursery began in Yorkshire in 1879 and soon became well-known as a grower of top-quality roses.
It was 80 years later that Jack Harkness began breeding new varieties in Hitchin, determined to create new and ever-more beautiful roses.
The Queen Elizabeth II Rose
This beautifully fragrant hybrid tea bush rose in shades of apricot pink was selected by the Queen, to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. It has large classic shaped flowers which combine elements of soft pink light amber gold and cream, and a strong sweet rose scent.
It’s a robust type, with dark green leaves and good disease resistance and is ideal in beds, borders or hedges, large patio containers and for cutting. Height and spread 60-70cm.
For every rose sold in the first five years, £2.50 will be donated to The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, which supports the training and education of talented and aspiring craftspeople – helping support Britain’s cultural heritage in the process.
Duke of Edinburgh
This deep pink commemorative rose was officially named in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh and presented to the Queen in 2021. A royalty from the sale of each rose will go to The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Living Legacy Fund, which will give more young people the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Rose ‘Platinum Jubilee’
Harkness Roses were proud to introduce this brand-new rose variety for the Queen’ s 96th birthday. The stunning, perfectly shaped double blooms on this new rose are packed with large, rich pink petals stand out beautifully against the lush, deep green leaves. A truly magnificent rose, the large, vibrant pink flowers have an incredibly powerful, sweet fragrance that will linger in the breeze. This compact shrub variety is a wonderful in beds and borders or even grown as hedging, but also very much at home in large planters, especially on terraces and porches where the fabulous scent can be admired close-up by everyone.
Princess of Wales
A delightfully scented rose that boasts a stunning ice-white flower, with just a hint of yellow in each of the centres. There are as many as 9 blooms in each cluster, and with each flower having 25 petals, it really is a thing of beauty! One of the first roses to bloom, it will begin blooming and then be quick to repeat flower over the season, so in a good season you can get three flushes of flower. By keeping it well fed you will help the prolific flowering effort. A bushy plant with plenty of foliage.
The Princes Trust
A big bold splash of scarlet red is the strength of this variety. It produces a mass of bloom over a long flowering period. It is easy to grow, with good long climbing shoots that are easy to train and a mass of mid green leaf behind the blooms giving a good contrast. Repeat flowering Summer and Autumn.
We have plenty of roses fit for royalty, also lots that benefit charities.