Graham Thomas (aka AUSmas) is a deep yellow

shrub rose Garden roses are predominantly Hybrid (biology), hybrid roses that are grown as ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated groups of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates. A ...

bred by British rose breeder,

David C.H. Austin David Charles Henshaw Austin (16 February 1926 at Albrighton – 18 December 2018 in the same village) was a British rose breeder and writer who lived in Shropshire, England. His emphasis was on breeding roses with the character and fragra ...

, and introduced into the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

by David Austin Roses Limited (UK) in 1983. The cultivar was named for legendary rose horticulturalist, Graham Thomas. The rose was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993 and inducted into the

Rose Hall of Fame The Rose Hall of Fame contains roses considered world favourites by a vote of members of the World Federation of Rose Societies. Inductees are announced every three years at World Rose Conventions. Additionally, popular historical roses and roses o ...

in 2009 as "World's Favourite Rose".

Description

'Graham Thomas' is an upright yellow shrub rose, in height, with a spread. The large flowers have a full, cupped bloom form and are borne mostly solitary or in large, long-stemmed clusters of 3 to 9 flowers. The color has been described variously as "rich deep yellow', "golden yellow", "amber" and "ochre yellow", and fades to a pale lemon as the bloom ages. The plant blooms in flushes throughout the season. It has a strong "tea" fragrance and is very disease resistant. Flowers are short-lived, so they do not make good cut flowers. Leaves are large and vary in colour from bright to pale green. The plant can reach in hot climates, but is difficult to train as a climber because of its rigid stems and upright habit.

History

David Austin roses

David C. H. Austin (1926 – 2018) was an award-winning rose breeder, nursery owner and writer from

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He began breeding roses in the 1950s with the goal of creating new shrub rose varieties that would possess the best qualities of old-fashioned roses while incorporating the long flowering characteristics of

hybrid tea rose Hybrid tea is an informal horticultural classification for a group of garden roses. The first hybrid tea roses were created in France in the mid-1800s, by cross-breeding the large, floriferous Hybrid Perpetuals with the tall, elegant Tea roses. T ...

s and floribundas. His first commercially successful rose cultivar was 'Constance Spry', which he introduced in 1961. He created a new, informal class of roses in the 1960s, which he named "English Roses". Austin's roses are generally known today as "David Austin Roses". Austin attained international commercial success with his new rose varieties. Some of his most popular roses include 'Wife of Bath' (1969), 'Graham Thomas' (1983), 'Abraham Darby' (1985), and 'A Shropshire Lad'.

'Graham Thomas

Austin developed 'Graham Thomas' by crossing the white floribunda, 'Iceberg', and an 'Unnamed seedling' with the shrub rose, 'Charles Austin'. The new cultivar was named for legendary horticulturalist and restorer of old roses,'Graham Thomas'. David Austin Roses Limited (UK) introduced 'Graham Thomas' into the UK in 1983. Austin used 'Graham Thomas' extensively in further breeding. Over 20 child plants of 'Graham Thomas' have been developed by Austin and other rose-breeders. Selected child plants include, 'Anne Boleyn' (1991), 'Evelyn' (1992), 'The Pilgrim' (1991), 'Versigny' (1992), 'Charlotte' (1994), 'Molineux' (1994), and 'Charity (1998). 'Graham Thomas' has been described as "the most popular" of Austin's creations and has won numerous horticultural awards. It was the first Austin rose to win the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

at the Chelsea Flower show ten years after its introduction in 1993. It was named The World's Favourite Rose, entering the Rose Society Hall of Fame in 2009.Graham Thomas 1983 introductions Garden plants