ALBRIGHTON, England — David J.C. Austin, the chairman who transformed his father’s niche English rose nursery into an internationally recognized horticultural brand, died March 12 at his home in Shropshire. He was 67. His family confirmed that the cause was Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and incurable brain condition, and that he died surrounded by relatives.
Austin’s death marks the second time in less than a decade that the family-run David Austin Roses has lost a central figure. His father, David C.H. Austin, the celebrated rose breeder who created the “English Rose” hybrid, died in December 2018 at age 92.
From Family Farm to Global Enterprise
David J.C. Austin joined the company in 1990, stepping into a business already gaining acclaim under his father’s vision. The elder Austin, a farmer’s son, had devoted decades to correcting what he considered a fundamental flaw in modern roses: that repeated blooming had come at the cost of fragrance, fullness and romantic form. His answer—crossing old garden roses with contemporary varieties—yielded the English Rose, a bloom that combined old-world scent with repeat flowering.
The son’s challenge was to scale that innovation. Over more than three decades as chairman, Austin expanded operations far beyond the company’s fields outside Albrighton. Today, David Austin Roses are grown under license and sold across continents, appearing in flower shows, florists’ displays and, notably, in the nostalgic bridal bouquets that became a company signature. Associates say he never lost focus on the product itself.
“He understood that the business existed for the roses,” said a former colleague who worked alongside Austin for 20 years, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
A Gardener First, a Businessman Second
By all accounts, Austin inherited his father’s preference for the greenhouse over the spotlight. He was described by those who knew him as modest, understated and most at home walking trial beds.
His children—Richard, James and Olivia—said in a family statement that “first and foremost, their father was a gardener.” They added that he carried forward his own father’s vision “with humility and an unwavering sense of responsibility, always placing the roses, the business and its people ahead of himself.”
The Royal Horticultural Society issued a statement expressing deep sadness at the news. Gardener and broadcaster Monty Don noted in a public tribute that Austin had left behind “millions of exquisite roses that will go on living long after him.” Online, hundreds of gardeners shared memories of David Austin roses that had survived house moves, marriages and decades—all tracing back to the Shropshire nursery.
A New Chapter for the Bloom
The company has stated it will continue under its existing leadership team, working alongside the next generation of the Austin family. The transition represents the first time the business will operate without either of the two men most responsible for its identity.
David C.H. Austin spent 75 years refining his signature rose: beautiful, certainly, but fragrant above all. His son spent the rest of his life turning that conviction into a commercial reality capable of reaching gardens on every continent, without, by every account, abandoning his father’s core belief about what mattered most.
With the third generation already close to the business, horticulture experts say the company’s future appears secure. The roses themselves, as one online tribute put it, will likely not notice the difference.