Tea Rose 'Lady Hillingdon': Lowe-Shawyer's 1910 Golden Climber

Introduced in 1910 by Lowe & Shawyer, 'Lady Hillingdon' is a tea rose that became one of the most beloved climbing teas of the 20th century. Its blooms are a warm, buff-yellow—like butter melted in sunshine—with the characteristic tea rose fragrance: sweet, fruity, and distinctly tea-like.

Botanical Profile

The flowers are double, cupped, 3-4 inches across, opening from pointed buds in small clusters. The color is a unique buff-apricot-yellow that glows in evening light. The fragrance is the quintessential tea scent—fresh tea leaves, dried fruit, and honey. The plant sends up long, flexible canes 10-15 feet, ideal for walls, pergolas, and pillars. Tea roses were the aristocrats of the Victorian garden—tender, fragrant, and blooming in flushes. 'Lady Hillingdon' brought that aristocracy to the climbing form, becoming a staple of Edwardian gardens and still gracing walls today. A rose that tastes like afternoon tea.