HARKNESS ROSES 1879 LIMITED

What HARKNESS ROSES 1879 LIMITED does

Harkness Roses 1879 Limited is a United Kingdom rose breeder and grower that operates a direct-to-consumer mail-order e-commerce business under the roses.co.uk domain. Founded as a breeding house in 1879 and run across generations of the Harkness family, the company breeds and grows over 200 varieties of British roses in its rose fields in England, supplying them to UK gardeners as either dormant bare root roses (November–March) or year-round 4-litre potted roses, with a complementary range of gift-wrapped, personalised, and charity-linked named rose varieties.

The core technology is a proprietary rose breeding programme producing varieties selected for UK climatic conditions with a focus on disease resistance, repeat flowering, and fragrance; the company holds registered variety names/plant breeder-style trademarks for a number of its cultivars (e.g., Harspiral, Harwarmth, Harholding, Harbeguile). The trading style is operated under license by You Garden Ltd on behalf of Harkness Roses (Global) Ltd, with the commerce layer (roses.co.uk, next-day UK delivery, payment acceptance) and marketing (content/SEO, Instagram and Facebook) executed through that operating relationship.

The company monetises via one-time unit sales of rose plants, priced from approximately £6.99 for entry-level bare root roses to £32.99 for premium gift-wrapped or charity varieties, with bulk/bundle discounting on multi-pack bare root SKUs. Customer segments are horizontal: UK home gardeners (primary) seeking reliable, disease-resistant, repeat-flowering roses, and gifting/occasion buyers (secondary) purchasing named and gift-wrapped roses for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, remembrance, and charity-linked donations (£2.50 per rose to partner charities including Jane Austen's House, Brain Tumour Research, and Oakhaven Hospice). The distribution model is a single-country, single-channel DTC storefront, with brand credibility reinforced by RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal (2021), Rose of the Year awards (1998, 2003, 2008, 2023, 2025), two World's Favourite Rose titles, and multiple RHS Awards of Garden Merit.

Name

HARKNESS ROSES 1879 LIMITED

Legal name

Harkness Roses (Global) Ltd

Website

https://roses.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1879

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Harkness Roses 1879 Limited breeds, grows, and sells over 200 varieties of British garden roses via direct-to-consumer e-commerce at roses.co.uk, serving UK home gardeners and gifting buyers with bare root and potted roses plus charity-linked named varieties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

King's Lynn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Rose Sales: Direct sale of rose plants including bare root roses and potted roses in various formats (standard, gift-wrapped) with prices ranging from approximately £6.99 to £32.99 per plant

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Harkness Roses breeds, grows, and sells over 200 varieties of British garden roses through a direct-to-consumer online store at roses.co.uk. The company offers bare root roses (seasonal, November-March) and potted roses (year-round) across categories including bush, climbing, shrub, patio, hybrid tea, ground cover, pollinator, and standard roses. It also sells gift-wrapped and charity-tied rose varieties, with next-day UK delivery and a lifetime guarantee on all hardy roses.

Product overview

Harkness Roses is a rose breeding and growing company offering over 200 varieties of British roses. The product portfolio consists of two primary fulfillment formats (Bare Root Roses for dormant-season planting November-March, and Potted Roses in 4-litre pots for year-round planting), organized across eight rose type sub-categories (Hybrid Tea, Climbing, Shrub, Patio, Bush, Ground Cover, Pollinator, and Standard), plus Gift Wrapped Roses and Charity Roses. Named varieties range from heritage classics like 'Double Delight' and 'New Dawn' to recent award winners such as 'Peach Melba' (Rose of the Year 2023) and 'You're My Everything' (Rose of the Year 2025). The company also provides rose care advisory services. Prices range from £6.99 for bare root singles to £32.99 for premium gift-wrapped varieties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bare Root Roses Dormant roses supplied without soil for seasonal planting (November–March). Sold as single plants, 2-packs, or 5-plant collections. Prices from £6.99 per bare root plant. For home gardeners in the UK wanting to plant roses during the dormant season.
• Potted Roses Established roses supplied in 4-litre pots, available year-round and ready for immediate planting or gifting. Standard potted roses priced at £22.99 per plant. For home gardeners and gift buyers wanting instant planting or presentation.
• Gift Wrapped Roses Potted roses professionally gift wrapped in brown hessian with a green satin bow, presented for immediate gifting. Priced from £27.99 per plant (RRP £29.99); premium charity gift roses at £30.99 (RRP £32.99). For gift buyers seeking a presentation-ready living gift.
• Charity Roses Named rose varieties where a £2.50 donation from each sale is made to a partnered charity. Includes the 'Chawton Cottage' and 'Sense and Sensibility' roses (Jane Austen's House), 'Patricia Boe' rose (Brain Tumour Research), and the 'Oakhaven Hospice' rose. For buyers seeking a meaningful gift that also supports charitable causes.
• Rose 'Double Delight' Bush rose with creamy-white blooms edged in vivid red, spicy perfume, and repeat flowering until autumn. Grows up to 3.5ft (105cm). Awarded World's Favourite Rose in 1977. For gardeners seeking a heritage, award-winning variety.
• Rose 'New Dawn' Climbing rose with shell-pink blooms, sweet scent, repeat flowering from summer to autumn. Recipient of World's Favourite Rose (1997) and RHS Award of Garden Merit. For gardeners seeking a reliable climbing variety for walls, fences, arches, or pergolas.
• Rose 'Rambling Rector' Vigorous rambling rose growing up to 6m tall with large trusses of creamy-white, clove-scented flowers and RHS Award of Garden Merit. Wildlife-friendly. For gardeners needing coverage of large structures such as buildings, tall trees, or expansive walls.
• Rose 'Climbing Iceberg' Award-winning climbing rose producing successive waves of pure white flowers with glossy dark green foliage. Grows up to 12ft (360cm). For gardeners seeking a white-flowering climber for walls, fences, or pergolas.
• Rose 'Chawton Cottage' Climbing rose from the Jane Austen Collection with soft pearl-pink petals and ruby centre, named after Jane Austen's home. £2.50 from every sale is donated to Jane Austen's House (Registered Charity no. 1156458). For buyers seeking a literary-heritage gift rose tied to a charitable cause.
• Rose 'Peach Melba' (Rose of the Year 2023) Climbing rose with peachy fragrant, cup-shaped blooms and repeat flowering habit, introduced as Rose of the Year 2023. For gardeners seeking a recent award-winning climbing variety.
• Rose 'You're My Everything' (Rose of the Year 2025) Shrub rose introduced as Rose of the Year 2025. For gardeners seeking the latest award-winning variety for beds, borders, or hedges.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Crocus: Large UK online garden retailer offering plants (including roses) alongside a broad assortment of garden products and tools. Comparable as a UK DTC plant retailer but with much broader category coverage than Harkness.
• Thompson & Morgan: Long-established UK seed and plant retailer with mail-order heritage, selling roses alongside seeds, bulbs, and other garden products. Comparable UK DTC garden retailer but operating across a much wider product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Peter Beales Roses: Specialist UK rose nursery offering 1,200+ varieties including many heritage cultivars, selling bare root and container roses direct to gardeners. Directly comparable in product focus, customer segment, and DTC mail-order model.
• Country Garden Roses: Online UK rose retailer offering a wide range of varieties across types (climbing, shrub, patio, ground cover). Comparable DTC model and product breadth aimed at UK gardening enthusiasts.
• Cocker Roses: Scottish rose breeder and grower with a long heritage and award-winning varieties (including multiple Rose of the Year wins). Comparable as a UK rose breeder-retailer with a strong cultivar pipeline.
• David Austin Roses: UK rose breeder and grower with over 150 English rose varieties, sold DTC online and through garden centers globally. The closest direct comparable in product (premium garden roses), target customer (home gardeners), and brand positioning (heritage breeder).
• Pococks Roses: UK rose nursery offering mail-order bare-root and potted roses with an emphasis on traditional and scented varieties. Comparable specialist DTC focus and gardener customer base.
• Trevor White Roses: Family-run Norfolk-based rose nursery specializing in traditional and modern rose varieties sold via mail order. Comparable niche specialist positioning and DTC focus on UK rose gardeners.
• Apuldram Roses: West Sussex-based specialist rose nursery selling bare root and container roses by mail order across the UK. Comparable small specialist DTC rose retailer.
• Style Roses: UK online rose specialist offering bare-root and potted roses with extensive variety catalog. Directly comparable as a UK-only DTC rose retailer serving home gardeners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/harknessrosesuk
• Instagraminstagram.com/harknessroses1879/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HARKNESS ROSES 1879 LIMITED