Introduced:  1986, David Austin, UK
Class:   Shrub / English
Zones:  5-9
Parentage:  'Wife of Bath' x 'Comte de Chambord'
Color:  Warm pink
Form:  Full, quartered, 4 1/2"
Size:  10 feet x 6 feet (warm climates)
4 feet x 4 feet (cool climates)
Fragrance:  Outstanding Old Rose
Strengths:  Considered by the breeder, David Austin, to be the most fragrant of all of his roses.

'Gertrude Jekyll' is one of the most widely offered David Austin roses, and her blooms of classic old rose form are lovely to behold.   The fat pink buds are produced in clusters of three to six and open to large flowers of warm pink.  Fragrance is heavy, and one flower can perfume an entire room.   David Austin crosses new roses (primarily Floribundas) with antique roses with the goal of creating shrubs which have, among other qualities, 'old rose' form and which rebloom reliably throughout the season.  'Gertrude Jekyll' is the result of 'back-crossing' the English Rose 'Wife of Bath' with the old Portland Rose, 'Comte de Chambord'.

Despite her considerable virtues, 'Gertrude Jekyll' has some 'issues' we need to be aware of.  Growth is long and lanky, so place her in the back of the border or grow as a pillar. Unfortunately, she is susceptible to blackspot and mildew, and blooms only sporadically during the growing season. 

'Gertrude Jekyll' is to name one of the most famous gardeners of the early twentieth, famed for her expertise in garden design.  The ideal of the classic perennial border is based upon Gertrude Jekyll's (pronounced Jee-kul) work.