Discover the timeless charm of Heritage & Old Garden Roses, a beautiful collection of classic garden roses admired for their romantic flowers, rich fragrances and distinctive character. From deeply scented traditional shrub roses to vigorous climbing varieties, these roses bring elegance, history and natural beauty to UK gardens.
Our collection includes historic rose classes such as Hybrid Perpetual, Bourbon and Noisette, alongside selected classic rambling roses. Many produce beautifully formed double flowers, strong traditional rose fragrances and a charming appearance that makes them particularly suitable for cottage gardens, traditional borders and romantic planting schemes.
Discover classic Old Garden Roses
Old Garden Roses are celebrated for their distinctive flower forms, beautiful fragrances and traditional garden character.
Ferdinand Pichard produces unusual pink flowers decorated with crimson-red stripes and splashes, combining rich colour with a strong classic rose fragrance.
Baron Girod de l’Ain is admired for its deep crimson flowers with contrasting white-edged petals and a beautiful old-fashioned appearance.
Both varieties belong to the Hybrid Perpetual group and make attractive additions to traditional rose beds and mixed borders.
For more roses with attractive bushy growth and beautiful garden displays, explore our Shrub Roses collection.
Heritage climbing and rambling roses
Some of the most beautiful traditional roses develop long, vigorous stems that can be trained over garden structures.
Madame Alfred Carrière, a classic Noisette rose, produces elegant pale blush-pink to creamy-white flowers with a sweet fragrance. Its vigorous climbing habit makes it ideal for covering walls, arches and pergolas.
Zéphirine Drouhin, a beautiful Bourbon rose, is particularly valued for its strongly scented deep pink flowers and almost thornless stems. It is an excellent choice for traditional gardens, arches and entrances.
For more varieties suitable for vertical planting, explore our Climbing Roses collection.
Our heritage selection may also include classic rambling roses such as Albertine and Veilchenblau. Although these belong to later rambling rose groups rather than traditional Old Garden Rose classes, their romantic appearance and vigorous growth make them excellent companions in heritage-style gardens.
Albertine produces beautifully scented coral-pink buds opening to soft pink flowers, while Veilchenblau offers distinctive violet-lilac blooms.
Discover more vigorous varieties in our Rambling Roses collection, ideal for large pergolas, arches, fences and mature trees.
Beautiful fragrances and unusual flower colours
One of the greatest attractions of heritage roses is their fragrance.
Many traditional varieties produce rich, sweet perfumes that can fill garden spaces during flowering. Their distinctive scents make them particularly attractive near pathways, patios, garden seating and entrances.
Heritage roses also offer an impressive variety of flower forms and colours, including softly cupped blooms, deeply double flowers, romantic pink shades, rich crimson tones and unusual striped petals.
If fragrance is an important part of your garden design, explore our Fragrant Roses collection for more beautifully scented varieties.
For something particularly distinctive, Ferdinand Pichard and Baron Girod de l’Ain also complement our Striped & Two Tone Roses collection, featuring roses with contrasting petal colours and decorative patterns.
Where to plant Heritage & Old Garden Roses
Heritage roses are particularly attractive in cottage gardens, traditional landscapes and mixed perennial borders.
Bushy varieties can be planted in rose beds, informal hedges and feature borders, while climbing and rambling roses are suitable for walls, fences, pergolas and substantial garden structures.
Their classic flowers combine beautifully with lavender, delphiniums, foxgloves, hardy geraniums and other traditional cottage-garden plants.
For best results, choose fertile, well-drained soil and a position with sufficient sunlight and good air circulation. Individual varieties may differ in their preferred conditions and mature size.
Flowering and pruning Heritage Roses
Flowering habits vary between heritage rose varieties.
Some Old Garden Roses, including certain Hybrid Perpetual and Bourbon varieties, can produce repeated flowering flushes through the growing season.
Others, particularly classic ramblers such as Albertine and Veilchenblau, produce one spectacular main flowering display in summer.
Pruning should be adapted to the rose type. Repeat-flowering shrub roses are generally pruned in late winter or early spring, while once-flowering ramblers are usually pruned after their summer flowering period.
This distinction helps preserve healthy growth and encourages the best possible flowering performance.
Seasonal availability – Bare Root & Potted Heritage Roses
Our heritage roses are available in different forms depending on the growing season.
During autumn and winter, selected varieties are supplied as bare-root roses, an excellent choice for establishing new plants while they are dormant.
Explore our Bare Root Roses collection for a wider selection of traditional and modern varieties suitable for autumn and winter planting.
For the 2026/27 season, dispatch of standard bare-root shrub roses begins from 1 November 2026, while climbing and rambling roses begin dispatching from late November 2026.
Selected potted heritage roses will be available from 1 April, subject to variety and stock availability, offering an alternative for planting during the growing season.
UK mainland delivery only.
