Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a hybrid climber in the rose family (Rosaceae) bred by David Austin in 1998. Parentage is The Squire ® × Unnamed Seedling. The name comes from a character in a Thomas Hardy novel. This compact climber grows 3-8 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide in a bushy form. Plant it in full sun to partial shade it in amended well-drained moist soils. The 4-inch wide crimson flowers have 40 or more petals and a great old rose fragrance. They occur in nodding clusters and repeat blooms throughout the season. The foliage is glossy medium green of stems armed with prickles. It can be used in a border, as a screen, or planted against a wall. Plant it along a walkway, near a patio or deck where you can enjoy its sweet fragrance. A great climber for smaller spaces. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Good disease resistance. See pests of roses to the left. Deer will browse roses. More information on Rosa .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheBuddleja Lo & Behold® 'Pink Micro Chip'Dianthus Jolt™ Pink 'PAS970056'Gaillardia aestivalis
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Rose; Shrub; Vine
Life cycle
Perennial; Woody
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
3 feet-6 feet; 6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Glossy mid-green leaves
Flower color
Pink; Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Crimson 4-inch across fragrant cupped flowers with 40 or more petals. Blooms in flushes throughout the season
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Green stems with prickles
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Patio; Vertical Spaces; Walkways
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Cutting Garden
Design feature
Border; Screen/Privacy
Garden tags
#long bloom time #easy to grow #vertical spaces #flowers late spring #large flowers #showy flowers #border planting #cutting garden #flowers early summer #flowers mid-summer #flowers late summer #flowers early fall #climbing rose #disease resistant #prickles #red flowers #fragrant flowers #compact #screen