English Rose 'Charlotte': Austin's 1994 Festival Rose

Introduced in 1994, 'Charlotte' (PP9008, also known as AUSpoly, Elgin Festival) was named for the daughter of David Austin's chairman, and launched at the Elgin Festival in Scotland. This English Rose produces exquisite, soft yellow blooms with a powerful tea fragrance—elegant, refined, and utterly charming.

Botanical Profile

The flowers open from rounded buds into perfect shallow cups, 3-4 inches across, a soft, buttery yellow with a slightly deeper center. The petals are arranged with a delicate, almost translucent quality. The fragrance is strong and pure tea—fresh, clean, and uplifting. The plant forms a compact, bushy shrub 3-4 feet tall, with healthy, mid-green foliage. 'Charlotte' was one of Austin's first successful yellow English Roses, proving the color could carry the fragrance and form of its pink and red siblings. It's a rose of quiet perfection—like a debutante at her first ball, poised and radiant.