This is news to me. There's hardly anyone using albas in hybridizing, so it will be interesting. There was a series called Blush-roses that got lots of attention when I was a child in the 80's. I didn't realize they where alba hybrids until years later.

I don't know, but if he can get an alba to rebloom, I'll be all over that!

Isn't Shropshire Lass an alba hybrid?

The given parentage for Shropshire Lass is Mme. Butterfly x Mme. Legras de St. Germain. So yes, that one counts :-)

In the first book Mr. Austing wrote about his roses and hybridizing: "English Roses", published in 1996, he listed the rose varieties he had bred to that time as belonging to certain strains based on his foundation breeding lines. The strains listed at that time were; "The Heritage Strain", "Portland Strain", "Gloire de Dijon Strain", "Old Rose Strain" and "Aloha Strain".

There were of course many fewer varieties at that time, perhaps 120 or so varieties, some of which had already been superceded as being inferior, as Mr. Austin called it at that time. In addition, the early to mid 1990's was when the English roses became known pretty much world wide and became a litteral horticultural phenomenum.

Claire Martin, in his 1997 book "100 English Roses for the American Garden" wrote:

"A picture of "The Reeve" in a Los Angeles garden column was instrumental in raising public awareness of the English Roses. Although a number of collectors had been growing these roses for some time, the Austins hadn't made it into garden centres and national catologues ( in the U.S. ). Then articles in the media created such a demand that nurseries were forced to hunt high and low to find growers to supply the demand."...

In 2001, David Austin published an updated version of the book on his roses titled: "The English Roses, Classic Favorites and New Selections". By the time he wrote that book, he had updated his thinking on strains and now split them into six groups, again, based on breeding as well as traits. The six groups listed in 2001 were:

"The Old Rose Hybrids", "The Leander Group", "The English Musk Roses", "The English Alba Hybrids", "The English Climbing Roses"; this group is based on the climbing trait and varieties are listed in other groups as well; and a new breeding line, called "The English Cut Flower Roses".

David Austin writes in the later book, that ..."I have long been a lover of the old Alba Roses, which seem to me to capture the very essence of Old Rose beauty. We first used these roses in our breeding program without any clear idea of what might be achieved. The result, however, has been a group of roses of considerable charm and delicacy."...

The roses he list as Alba Hybrids in that book are:
Ann, Cordelia, Scarborough Fair, The Alexandra Rose, and Windflower. Shropshire Lass is another older variety that shows Alba in her breeding, as does "Heavenly Rosalind".

I am a great admirer of Mr. Austin's "English Roses", grow many now and have grown many other varieties in the past. However, thus far I have not tried any of his Alba Hybrids, so cannot provide any review of these varieties in the garden.

Cheers,

Rick

The roses he list as Alba Hybrids in that book are:
Ann, Cordelia, Scarborough Fair, The Alexandra Rose, and Windflower. Shropshire Lass is another older variety that shows Alba in her breeding, as does "Heavenly Rosalind".

I've just checked them all on HelpMeFind, and I can see the Alba in all of them, but it's especially strong in Shropshire Lass, which is totally Alba through & through.

However, what I found odd about them all was that they all are described as having mild fragrance. The Albas I'm most familiar with are famous for strong fragrance (& also for being sweetly fragrant in a characteristically pure way).

A Shropshire Lad and Shropshire Lass: Are the two related?

No. Not in an alba sense.

We grew Alexandra Rose here for several years, when it was new. It was virtually non-blooming here, where there are no chill hours.
I was bitterly disappointed, for I loved its look -- but it was hopeless here.
Now, y'all that have some chill -- it might be just the ticket for you.
But I would not recommend it to anyone whose climate does not feature chill hours.

Jeri

I just got an email response from Austin. They confirmed that the Alba hybrids include Windflower, Scarborough Fair, The Alexandra Rose and Cordelia. The most recent is Scarborough Fair (2003).

I know that this is an old thread, but I have Shropshire Lass and thought I'd add that it is a once bloomer with much bigger blooms than any of my albas, and a shorter bloom time. It is kind of a pretty rose with a nice fragrance (to me), almost single blooms, a pink blend color, and decent hardiness, but it is not much like an alba. I want to try some of the other Austin alba hybrids to see if any of them are like repeat blooming albas. That would be heavenly!