David J. S. Austin died at his home in Shropshire at the age of 67 after battling the rare neurological disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). His family noted that he was, first and foremost, a gardener: a humble, kind man with a love of roses who put the interests of the nursery and his team above all else. Earlier this year, he stepped back from active management, handing over the primary role to the third generation—his children Richard, James, and Olivia.
Austin joined the renowned family nursery in 1990 and led the company for over three decades, building it into an international brand. His family and colleagues remember him as a successor to his father, David C. H. Austin, a pioneer of English roses whose first commercial creation, “Constance Spry,” appeared in 1961. The company’s production of new varieties has always been meticulous: years of plant testing and careful selection are part of a legacy that, according to Monty Don and others, will live on in millions of blooming roses.
A number of public and professional organizations expressed their condolences: the Royal Horticultural Society and the National Trust recognized Austin’s contribution to the conservation and popularization of roses in British gardens, while TV presenter Monty Don and other colleagues and influencers expressed their grief and gratitude for his legacy. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is associated with abnormal preon proteins, progresses rapidly and currently has no cure, so his passing came as a shock to the gardening community and rose lovers worldwide.
