Falstaff Rose

The Falstaff rose is an great looking crimson and light purple David Austin breed!

Into the history books….

This nice dark red plant was first bred in 1999. It is said to have been named after a popular Shakespeare character from Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry V. This being an English rose, it makes sense! That character was known for being somewhat obnoxious, so I'm not quite sure how it got applied to the flower.

Beauty

Besides its unique crimson, almost purple color, this plant has a great fragrance to it. Its classified as a shrub but can work as a climbing plant as well. Its a great choice for a border. It has large full blooms that turn darker purple, almost a fuchsia later in the season. It will get up to 4 feet high at times and will repeat without too much work.

Gardening

Despite the reputation of its Shakespearean namesake, this plant is not that unforgiving to care for. It will bloom repeatedly with just easy pruning. You may need to watch the canes though, as some folks report that the large blooms are tough on them and they tend to sag. Its known to be very disease resistant, especially to black spot, mildew, and rust.