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Paul Shirville (Rosa 'Paul Shirville'), whole plant
  • Paul Shirville — close-up of leaves and flowers
  • Paul Shirville — seasonal appearance
  • Paul Shirville in a garden setting

Paul Shirville

Rosa 'Paul Shirville'

Medium · Some experience

About Paul Shirville

Paul Shirville is a soft salmon-pink hybrid tea rose with rich sweet fragrance, producing 4-inch blooms with a slightly peachy flush on a spreading 3 to 4 foot bush. Bred by Harkness Roses in England, it has won multiple fragrance awards and is cherished in American gardens for its romantic coloring and intensely perfumed flowers.

  • Fragrant
  • Cut-flower
WATER
Regular
Top inch dry
LIGHT
Full sun
6+ hrs direct
HARDY
Hardy to -20°F (-29°C)
USDA hardiness zones 5–9

How to care for Paul Shirville

Watering

  • Springevery 5 days
  • Summerevery 3 days
  • Fallevery 7 days
  • Winterevery 14 days

Soil · Rich & loamy

  • Top dressingBark mulch15%
  • Main mixRich loam + compost 3:170%
  • DrainageGravel15%

Use fully finished compost — fresh compost burns roots.

FERTILIZER

Balanced Feed 14-14-14

An even feed covers all three needs at once, keeping leaves, roots and blooms moving together with nothing pushed out of balance.

N33%P33%K33%
  • Nitrogen · Leaves
  • Phosphorus · Roots + Blooms
  • Potassium · Strength
  • Springevery 30 days
  • Summerevery 30 days
  • Fallevery 45 days
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At a Glance

  • NativeEurope
  • Height3–4 ft (0.9–1.2 m)
  • Spread2–3 ft (0.6–0.9 m)
  • Flower colorPink, Coral
  • Foliage colorGreen
  • SoilLoamy, Well-drained, Rich
  • LocationsYard

Bloom time

BLOOM CYCLE

Peak bloom

May–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Deadhead for repeat bloom; prune late winter

Fragrance

STRONG FRAGRANCE

The flowers have a strong sweet honeyed fragrance.

Toxicity

Humans Slight

Unknown toxic principle

Slight

  • Stem
  • Contact

EXPOSURE Touching stems.

EFFECT Pricks from thorns.

NOTE Not toxic; thorns cause mechanical injury.

Safe

EXPOSURE No exposure route is reported.

EFFECT No toxic effect is reported.

NOTE Listed as non-toxic for dogs; avoid eating ornamental plants unless confirmed edible.

Safe

EXPOSURE No exposure route is reported.

EFFECT No toxic effect is reported.

NOTE Listed as non-toxic for cats; avoid eating ornamental plants unless confirmed edible.

Educational information, not medical or veterinary advice. If exposure is suspected, contact a doctor or veterinarian.

DISTRIBUTION

Paul Shirville · Native
  • Native
  • Europe

History

Illustrated historical scene for Paul Shirville

Rosa 'Paul Shirville' is a salmon-pink hybrid tea rose bred by Pat Dickson of Dickson Roses in Northern Ireland and released by Harkness Roses in Hertfordshire, England, in 1983 from a cross involving 'Compassion' and 'Mischief'. The name honored engineer Paul Shirville on his retirement from Harkness's distribution warehouse. The classic high-centered blooms open warm salmon-pink with coppery undertones and a strong, sweet, rich fragrance evoking traditional old-rose and honeyed fruit notes.

'Paul Shirville' won the Edland Fragrance Medal in 1982, the James Mason Gold Medal in 1989 (awarded every five years to a rose that has given great pleasure for at least fifteen years), and remains a popular British garden and cut-flower cultivar. Disease resistance and vigorous upright habit make it an excellent exhibition and landscape rose.

Named for a retired engineer and rose enthusiast, it remains a classic fragrance rose in both English and American gardens.

Symbolism & meaning

What It Symbolizes

Paul Shirville makes visible romantic devotion, its soft salmon-pink blooms paired with one of the sweetest fragrances among modern hybrid teas. Among rose enthusiasts it has become a quietly cherished classic, valued less for awards than for the steady pleasure of its scent in bouquets and bedside vases. This is a rose loved for the way it perfumes a room — romance offered through fragrance rather than declaration.

  • Romance — soft salmon-pink with sweet fragrance
  • Cherished — beloved fragrance rose

Where the Name Comes From

Named in 1983 for Paul Shirville, a British engineer and rose enthusiast.

Uses & Fun Facts

  • Soft pink hybrid-tea flowers add sweet scent to cutting gardens

Related plants

More Rosa plants

Plants with similar care

Frequently asked questions

How often should I water Paul Shirville?

In summer, water about every 3 days; in winter, about every 14 days. Adjust for heat, pot size and drainage.

How much light does Paul Shirville need?

Full sun: 6+ hrs direct. Watch the leaves — scorching or stretching means the light needs adjusting.

Is Paul Shirville toxic to cats or dogs?

Pets Safe (Dogs Safe · Cats Safe) Educational information, not medical or veterinary advice. If exposure is suspected, contact a doctor or veterinarian.

Is Paul Shirville easy to grow?

It is moderately demanding: a good choice once you have a little experience.

When does Paul Shirville bloom?

It typically blooms May–Sep in the Northern Hemisphere.

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