Roses have captivated hearts for centuries as symbols of love, beauty, and passion, all while thriving in our gardens. But did you know that many of these fragrant beauties share their names with iconic figures, from royalty to historical heroes.
Get ready to venture through a guide into some of the household names with Harkness Roses named after them.
Starting off with an immensely pretty rose that grows with all the style and panache of its namesake. The ‘Alfie Boe’ rose boasts buttery yellow blooms and an excellent aroma, repeat-flowering through summer.
This rose is named after Alfie Boe, who is a singer well-known in the world of musical theatre, particularly for portraying Jean Valjean in musical Les Misérables at London’s Queen’s Theatre, as well as his on stage and screen performances alongside Michael Ball.
The ‘Lady Carnarvon’ rose is another beautiful variety. This bush rose produces summer-long displays of pink-blushed white flowers.
This Floribunda bush rose is named after Lady Carnarvon, who is the Countess of Carnarvon and lives at Highclere Castle, which is the filming location for historical television series, Downton Abbey.
Such an attractive rose, ‘Queen Elizabeth II’ is a Hybrid Tea with big, picturesque flowers that melt through shades of soft pink, light amber, and cream, releasing a strong rose scent as they bloom through summer.
Elizabeth II was the Queen of the United Kingdom for more than 70 years – the longest reigning monarch of her kind.
Few roses are as picturesque as those seen on ‘Lynda Bellingham’ – they really are show-stoppers!
These light pink to amber orange roses boast scores of petals and a delightful fragrance. Buds first grow in a blush pink shade, before opening to reveal intricately-shaped flowers, with a darker peach shading at the middle.
Lynda Bellingham was a well-known face on British television, as both a presenter and actress, having appeared in Doctor Who, All Creatures Great and Small, and more.
Lightly scented, deep red, double flowers coat a bush of deep green bushy foliage across many months of summer. The ‘Ingrid Bergman’ rose is so impressive, it even boasts the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Bergman was a highly celebrated and decorated Swedish actress, having featured in an impressive catalogue of films, including A Woman Called Golda, Autumn Sonata, and Casablanca.
A really charming rose, ‘Natasha Richardson’ boasts pink and white blooms and an enchanting perfume. Performing with reliability, this bushy plant coats itself in flowers across summer.
This rose is named after Natasha Richardson, who was a British actress known for The Parent Trap and The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as being the daughter of Academy Award-winner, Vanessa Redgrave.
Refreshing yellow roses emerge across the dark glossy foliage of the ‘John Ystumllyn’ bush rose. Repeat-flowering, this rose releases an encapsulating fragrance from its double blooms.
John Ystumllyn was an 18th century gardener who was the first well-recorded black person in North Wales and, with his marriage to Margaret Gruffydd, was a part of the first interracial marriage in Wales.
Witness a complex blend of colours on the exciting ‘Susan Daniel’ rose, with shades of light apricot, cream, and amber all combining across the petals. The eye-catching colours form a striking colour contrast against dark green foliage. This Floribunda is named after opera singer Susan Daniel.
A fabulous colour contrast, subtle cream and white blooms proudly sit against a bed of dark foliage. This bush rose repeatedly flowers across summer, and looks exceptional whether in a pot, bed, or border.
Named after Virginia McKenna, one of the co-founders of the Born Free Foundation, an animal charity that works tirelessly to stop the exploitation and suffering of animals living in captivity and those in the wild.
A Hybrid Tea rose with light creamy flowers that emerge in clusters of up to five blooms across summer, each with roughly 40 bright petals. The strong floral perfume released by ‘Caroline Victoria’ flowers is exceptional.
This rose was released to commemorate the life of artist Caroline Victoria, even mirroring her name, and the Caroline Victoria Coldicutt Arts Foundation, which is a non-profit organisation that supports young artists in America.
A spray rose with an exceptional mix of shrimp-like shades, featuring both pink and orange. Small bloom clusters emerge in flushes on each stem, leading to a far bushier display than other single-flowering varieties that have only one flower per stem.
Marie Curie, who was a Polish physicist and chemist, is well-known across the world, having been the first woman to win the Nobel Prize.
A fascinating Floribunda bush rose, ‘Jane Austen’ produces a summer-long show of soft apricot-yellow petals, which fit together in style to form excellent rosette formations. These blooms release a strong fragrance that intensifies on warmer days.
This rose shares the name of one of the most famous British novelists in history. It would be quite rare to find a bookcase without at least one of Jane Austen’s tales, with popular titles including ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’, and ‘Persuasion’.
Robust and reliable, the ‘Margarette Golding’ rose boasts rich green foliage and buttercup yellow flowers, which emerge repeatedly across summer and into autumn. The aroma released by the blooms is delicate and almost spicy, sitting on the breeze effortlessly and only growing stronger on particularly warm days.
This rose is named after Margarette Golding, a founding member of The Inner Wheel, which is one of the largest women’s voluntary service organisations in the world, with more than 120,000 members.
Big white blousy blooms are diversified with hints of blushed pink on this rose – a real marvel. These Floribunda roses are well-scented and sit against dark green, glossy foliage.
Dame Deborah James was a broadcaster and cancer campaigner who, under her brand of Bowelbabe, captured the hearts of the nation to raise awareness and more than £6million for Cancer Research UK. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 and sadly passed away in 2022.