Gertrude Jekyll
Rosa 'Ausbord'
Gertrude Jekyll blooms from May through October.
This entry comes from our curated library and has not yet been independently checked against outside sources. Curated is not unreliable: a standing audit keeps every entry internally consistent, and the source-by-source check is working through the whole library in the open.
Growing Gertrude Jekyll
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–10. Expect it to reach about 4.9 ft tall and 3.9 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years.
When to plant Gertrude Jekyll
Plant Gertrude Jekyll in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 10 range, spring means March to May and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from May to October.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 7 in March.
35 more colors in the English (David Austin) Roses family
Same family, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
- Abraham Darby
- Boscobel
- Carding Mill
- Charlotte
- Claire Austin
- Darcey Bussell
- Desdemona
- Emily Brontë
- Eustacia Vye
- Gentle Hermione
- Golden Celebration
- Graham Thomas
- Harlow Carr
- Heritage
- James Galway
- James L. Austin
- Jubilee Celebration
- Juliet
- Lady Emma Hamilton
- Lady of Shalott
- Molineux
- Munstead Wood
- Olivia Rose Austin
- Princess Alexandra of Kent
- Queen of Sweden
- Roald Dahl
- Royal Jubilee
- Susan Williams-Ellis
- Tess of the d'Urbervilles
- The Alnwick Rose
- The Lady Gardener
- The Pilgrim
- The Poet's Wife
- Tranquillity
- Vanessa Bell
Good to know about Gertrude Jekyll
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
Black spot needs leaves wet for seven or more hours to infect. Water at the base in the morning, give full sun, and space plants so foliage dries fast. per University of Maryland and Iowa State
Does it need fungicide?
Missouri Botanical says humid climates need regular preventive fungicide; extension services say culture first (full sun, spacing, base watering) and spray only when needed. per Missouri Botanical and UC IPM
Rose rosette disease
A fatal, incurable virus spread by a wind-borne mite. There is no cure: remove and destroy infected plants promptly. Wild multiflora rose nearby raises the risk. per UGA
Safe around pets
The ASPCA lists roses as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, so the only real injury risk is the thorns. A plus over many toxic ornamentals. per ASPCA
Poor pollinator forage
Its fully double, quartered blooms feed few pollinators: the extra petals replace the accessible stamens. Pair it with a single-flowered or species rose for bees. per RHS
David Austin English rose
Bred by David Austin: fully double, quartered, deep-to-mid pink blooms about 11 cm (4.5 in) across, with a strong old-rose, damask-type fragrance. per Missouri Botanical
What pairs well with Gertrude Jekyll
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Candytuft
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Snow-in-Summer
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; its white flowers settle the pink.
Sea Thrift
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Siberian Squill
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath.
Windflower
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath.
Hyacinth
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border.
Arborvitae
Shares full sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 20 ft, for the layer behind it.
Saucer Magnolia
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; taller at 23 ft, for the layer behind it; echoes the pink.
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