Although I prefer my roses pink, this one is pretty special.  It is the rose that convinced me to have an apricot bed.

Pat Austin has a magnificent flower.  The petals are dark copper on the inside and pale copper/gold on the outside.  As the flowers are large and deeply cupped, the blooms show off both colours at the same time which gives a beautiful effect.

When released, Pat Austin was an entirely new colour for David Austin.  Previously, he had concentrated on the old world pastel colours, particularly pink.  My guess is when this one popped up, he just couldn’t ignore it and decided to release it.  The cupped flowers are perfect and the colour striking.

The flowers have a beautiful, strong fragrance.  David Austin advises that it is a Tea Rose fragrance.

Pat Austin forms a large shrub that displays the blooms well. It flowers from spring to early winter.

It was introduced in 1995 and named after David Austin’s wife.

It is one of my favourite David Austin roses.