Climate change could spell the end for the English rose
The English rose and its beautiful scent is synonymous with gardens up and down the country. But the impact of and a rise in pests has forced commercial growers to shelve certain types of the popular flower in favour of more hardy, climate-resilient ones. The crimson-petalled Munstead Wood and A Shropshire Lad, which is a nearly thornless pink climbing variety, are among those that have been withdrawn from sale by the grower David Austin Roses. On its website, the British company wrote: 'Due to climatic changes and the evolution of plant diseases, some historical varieties will no longer reach our increasingly high standards. 'It is in these instances that we must retire the rose to ensure customers receive only the best roses that will thrive and deliver the most enjoyable customer experience, regardless of gardening expertise. 'As a result of our review process, Munstead Wood is now retired from our English Rose Collection but will always remain part of our history, paving the way for many more new roses to come, creating the next generation of roses.' It said the same of A Shropshire Lad. Roses are not well suited to hot, dry locations, but it is not just the temperatures that are a problem. Climate change is also helping fungal pests to thrive, increasing the need for breeders to introduce genes from more disease resistant plants. An example of the problem is the Munstead Wood. This variety, which was cultivated in 2007, is reported to have been ravaged by pests. Operations director Tim Smith said that cultivating varieties resilient to climate change had now become a key consideration, as opposed to ones with showy blooms or a beautiful scent. 'We cannot stand still and observe as we see diseases and pests evolve as climates change, threatening the health and success of some of our most popular varieties,' he told . 'This means re-trialling all our releases and, in some instances, retiring very popular varieties. 'Whilst these plants may still perform in some conditions, in the long term we recommend alternative varieties that are better suited to the changing environment.' In February, a study suggested that plants in the UK are . Researchers said their findings were 'truly alarming' because of the risk that some species could collapse, primarily as a result of plants being out of sync with insects and birds that have evolved to share their development stages. Among the common plants studied that are blooming earlier include common lilac, English oak, horse chestnut and narcissi, or daffodil. If global temperatures continue to increase at their current rate, spring in the UK could eventually start in February, according to experts led by Cambridge University. Simon Toomer, the curator of living collections at Kew Gardens, said that up until now most rose breeding had been 'aimed at selecting showy, reliable flowers and scent'. But he added that rose plants were now 'less suited to the new climatic conditions so more susceptible to disease.' Instead of the Munstead Wood and A Shropshire Lad, David Austin Roses now recommends disease-resistant plants on its website, including the Scarborough Fair. This is a light pink, old-rose-scented bloom bred in 2003. It also suggests a variety that was created for and named after actress Dame Judi Dench, which is an apricot-coloured rose. The company has been growing roses on a family farm in Shropshire for more than 60 years. David Austin died in 2018 but his firm is still going. Guy Barter, the chief horticulturist at the RHS, told The Guardian: 'As well as breeding for climate change there is also the choosing of plants suitable for the site, so very hot, dry sites which are not well suited now for roses will become less so in future and we can expect more tolerant plant species to be chosen.' He added that climate change 'makes plants more vulnerable generally and extreme conditions would make certain diseases more commonplace'.