English Rose 'Bishop's Castle': Austin's 2007 Fortress of Blooms

Introduced in 2007, 'Bishop's Castle' (also known as AUSbecks) is a David Austin English Rose named for the historic castle in Shropshire. This shrub rose forms a dense, bushy mound—like a floral fortification—covered in deeply cupped, soft pink blooms with a powerful myrrh fragrance.

Botanical Profile

The flowers open from rounded buds into perfect shallow cups, packed with petals in a delicate shell pink that pales at the edges. The myrrh fragrance is intense—sweet, resinous, and spicy—one of the strongest in the Austin collection. The plant is compact and bushy, 3-4 feet tall and wide, with healthy, mid-green foliage. 'Bishop's Castle' represents Austin's later breeding focus: fragrance intensity combined with compact, garden-friendly habits. It's a rose that holds its ground—beautifully.