Winchester Cathedral rose is a shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae) and is a sport of Mary Rose® discovered by David C. H. Austin in 1988. This vigorous rose will grow 4 feet tall and wide and prefers full sun in fertile, well-drained garden soil. Avoid crowding and overhead watering to help prevent diseases. Prune in late winter to remove dead and diseased canes and control size. Winchester Cathedral rose is a prolific bloomer and reblooms in flushes throughout the season. The double 2-3 inch white flowers have a light to moderate fragrance. The medium green semi-glossy foliage appears on canes with few to no prickles. Use this shrub in the perennial or shrub border or as a specimen in the English, cottage or cutting garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Good disease resistance. See pests of roses to the left. Deer will browse roses. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common rose diseases and a factsheet on insects and other related pests. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. 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 nicheRosa Fair Bianca® 'AUSca'Rosa Sweet Juliet® 'AUSleap'Rosa The Countryman 'AUSman'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial; Rose
Life cycle
Perennial; Woody
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
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
12 inches-3 feet; 3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Mounding
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Semi-glossy green compound leaves
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Clusters of 2-3 inch cup-shaped blooms with 40- 60 petals. Repeat blooms in flushes.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Green canes with few to no prickles.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Attracts bees
Attracts
Bees
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Attracts Pollinators
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Patio; Pool/Hardscape; Walkways
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Cutting Garden; English Garden
Design feature
Accent; Border; Hedge; Mass Planting; Specimen
Garden tags
#non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #deciduous shrub #deciduous #fragrant flowers #English garden #cutting garden #white flowers #deer browsing plant #cottage garden #border back #border middle #hedge #repeat flowering