A closer look at Susan Williams-Ellis®
Susan Williams-Ellis® (Ausquirk)
Colour: White
Flowering: Repeat
Fragrance: Medium-Strong, Old Rose
Size: Medium shrub (3 1/2ft by 3ft)
Bloom size: Medium
Breeder: David Austin, 2010
Behind the name
Susan Williams-Ellis was the renowned designer and founder behind the iconic Portmeirion Pottery. Known for it's British style, many of the designs are inspired by nature with a number of pieces featuring roses including the English Rose Scarborough Fair.
Portmeirion was founded in 1960 in Stoke-on-Trent by Susan Williams-Ellis. Portmeirion was named after Portmeirion Village in North Wales created by Susan's father Clough Williams-Ellis in an Italianate style. It was here she first began selling pottery with her husband Euan Cooper-Willis.
This rose will work well in a mixed border. Use varying silver and green tones of foliage to accompany her pointed white blooms for a tranquil look. Alternatively, plant her in a pot for a lovely centre-piece.
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The King's Rose: Our First Striped English Rose, Named in Honour of King Charles IIIEvery so often, a rose appears in our breeding fields that is quite unlike anything we have introduced before. The King's Rose is one such rose. With flowers beautifully striped in shades of fuchsia pink and white, it is the first striped English Rose to be introduced by David Austin. Named in honour of His Majesty King Charles III, it made its debut at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2025 and now begins a new chapter in gardens across America.
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The Rose Year BeginsFall brings a distinct richness that invites us to slow down and notice the changes. Leaves turn shades of amber and gold, while the lower, softer light catches the borders in the late afternoon. As cooler mornings bring heavy dew and that unmistakable, earthy scent of damp soil, the garden gradually settles down for the season.
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Roses with Large Blooms: Varieties for Garden ImpactA rose in full flower can transform a garden. Large, many-petalled blooms draw the eye through a border, bring colour to a quiet corner or create a beautiful focal point when grown in a pot.
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Best Fragrant Roses for Autumn: Scent and Colour Beyond SummerThe fragrance of a rose is never quite fixed. Temperature, humidity, time of day and even the stage of the flower can all influence how its scent is released and experienced. As the warmth of summer begins to soften into autumn, cooler mornings and greater moisture in the air create different conditions for fragrance, and a familiar rose can reveal itself in a rather different way.
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Using Red Roses to Bring Richness and Depth to the GardenA red rose has a wonderfully compelling presence in the garden. Amongst a sea of green, even a glimpse of crimson catches the eye, drawing you closer for another look. Red can sometimes have a reputation for being difficult to use, particularly alongside softer colours. Yet the palette is far more varied than we might first imagine. From clear crimson to deep, velvety tones, red roses can bring warmth, richness and depth to a garden without overwhelming it.
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Roses for the Last Night of the PromsThere are few evenings quite like the Last Night of the Proms. Familiar melodies fill the Royal Albert Hall, the audience joins in and music heard and loved for generations is given fresh life once more. This year’s programme got us thinking about the curious connections between music, stories and the names of some of our roses. From Elgar and the Malvern Hills to Britain’s long relationship with the sea, each offers a thread to follow from the concert hall into the garden.
