Rose Society of South Australia
To encourage, improve, foster and extend the cultivation
and appreciation of the Rose
and appreciation of the Rose
Floribunda
Gold Bunny was bred by Meilland, France, and introduced in 1978. Soft gold in colour with a classic rose shape and light fragrance, Gold Bunny is one of the earliest roses to flower in spring and keeps blooming until early winter.
The bush is compact 1m x 1m with bright lime green foliage and good disease resistance. Each bloom is approximately 100ml in diameter and is generally born in clusters of 4 to 7 blooms per stem. A highlight is its ability to perform well in our hot, dry summers even in heatwaves.
Gold Bunny can be grown as a hedge or in a mass-planting bed. It also stands out on its own as a specimen rose. Gold Bunny also makes an excellent standard rose on a 1m stem where it is a very good alternative to the popular Iceberg standard roses.
A climbing version of Gold Bunny was introduced in 1991 and can cover a trellis 2m x 3m. This, too, is a good performer in South Australia.
Gold Bunny is readily available at Garden Centres or Specialist Rose Nurseries.
Hybrid Tea
Just Joey was bred by Cants of Colchester, United Kingdom, in 1972. It was named for the wife of the Managing Director of Cants of Colchester, Joey Pawsey.
This Hybrid Tea performs well throughout Australia and there are many fine specimens in Adelaide gardens. The plant is very well behaved and generally achieves a height of 1.5m and width of 1.2m. Flowers are borne one per stem and can be of immense size up to 20cm in Spring and Autumn, slightly smaller during Summer. The bush is disease and heat resistant.
The flower is an eye-catching ripe apricot colour with a loose, informal display of pretty frilled petals. Probably its most seductive feature is its intense, spicy fragrance which will quickly fill a room, when a bunch is placed in a vase. This perfume is inherited from its parents (Fragrant Cloud x Dr. A.J. Verhage) also renowned for their strong scent.
It has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Merit 1993 and World’s Favourite Rose 1994.When introduced, its colour and size of flowers were considered breakthroughs. This lovely rose is readily available and will reward and delight any rose lover.
Floribunda
La Sevillana was bred by Marie-Louise Meilland and released in 1978. Orange-red in colour with a mild fragrance, this Floribunda Rose is an outstanding performer in our hot and dry climate.
La Sevillana is perfect for planting as a hedge or as a mass bed. The individual plants grow up to 1.2m tall and spread to 1.5m. It is one of the few Floribunda Roses to perform strongly when grown on its own roots, i.e. grown from cuttings.
This implies that it can be produced in large numbers very economically, making it ideal for mass plantings on roadsides, in wide medians and on the ends of vine rows. Excellent examples exist in the Barossa Valley, between Nuriootpa and Tanunda, and in the South East, at Coonawarra.
La Sevillana can be pruned mechanically and is very disease resistant making it ideal as a maintenance efficient rose. It constantly is in flower from October to June and the flowers, comprising around 15 petals, can be borne on a single stem or in small clusters.
La Sevillana has won awards in Rose Trials in Germany and France.
La Sevillana is recommended for those seeking a tough, relatively maintenance free rose which is constantly in flower.
In 2004, Meilland released a very similar apricot blend Floribunda Rose named ‘Tequila La Sevillana’. Trials suggest this rose will perform as well as La Sevillana in our climate.
Hybrid Tea
Since its introduction to the market in 1965, Mister Lincoln has become one of the world’s most popular red Hybrid Tea roses. It’s very long straight stems; classic rose shape and strong damask perfume are its hallmarks.
Mister Lincoln was bred by Herb Swim in the USA in 1964 and named after Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the USA. In Adelaide, Mister Lincoln performs very well in full sun. It will comfortably grow into a bush 2 metres tall and 1 to 1.2 metres wide. It is a regular and consistent bloomer throughout the year and its quality flowers last very well when cut for floral arrangements or the show bench. Each flower has approximately 35 petals with a diameter of 10 to 14 centimetres.
Mister Lincoln is a little susceptible to Black Spot and Mildew but a winter spray after pruning and a preventable fungal spray in early Spring are all that is required to ensure disease free plants.
The dark, deep red flowers can take on a bluish hue in Autumn with the onset of cool, dewy nights. This bluish colour tint shows up more when the flowers are taken inside for display.
Mister Lincoln won the prestigious All-America Rose Selection in 1965 and has received numerous other awards, especially for its fragrance and performance in Rose Shows.
Readily available, given its popularity, Mister Lincoln is a “must-have” rose in every rose lover’s garden.
Large Flowered Climber
Pierre de Ronsard is a moderately vigorous, climbing rose ideal to cover an arch or small trellis. Bred in France, by Meilland and introduced in 1987, Pierre de Ronsard is a very disease resistant rose. The 7 to 10 cm globular flowers comprising 55 to 60 petals are a very attractive creamy white suffused with carmine pink borne singularly or in clusters up to 4 blooms on reasonably sturdy stems. Adding to its seductive, colourful display these flowers have a light, delicious tea rose fragrance. Flowers last reasonably well when picked for floral arrangements. This rose has performed well throughout the world and thrives in our South Australian climate.
When grown against an arch, the plant can achieve heights around 3 metres, so it is preferable to plant a rose each side of the arch to achieve a complete and even cover in 3 to 4 years. Regular removal of spent blooms will ensure repeat and constant flowering throughout the growing season.
Pierre de Ronsard does have a few thorns implying the arch needs to be at least 1.5m wide to avoid being caught by thorns when passing through the arch. For romantics, an arch of Pierre de Ronsard provides a classic framework setting for photography, such as wedding photographs.
Due to its popularity Pierre de Ronsard is readily available to purchase.
The rose name honours Pierre de Ronsard (B.1524 - D.1585). Pierre de Ronsard was a famous French Poet whose 16th Century poetry earned a place in literary history. He enjoyed a great life: well educated, well-travelled, highly productive, popular and he mixed socially, as friends, with royals such as King Charles of France, Queen Elizabeth I of England and Mary Queen of Scots. His own generation, in France, called him the “Prince of Poets”.
MAJOR AWARD: 2006 World’s Most Popular Rose as voted by World Federation of Rose Societies - announced at the 14th World Rose Convention held in May 2006 in Osaka, Japan.
Pierre de Ronsard is known as Eden Rose ® or Eden Climber ™ in the USA and Germany.
Floribunda
A standout, bright and classy rose; Brass Band is a rose for a focal point in your garden. Its colourful apricot, peach blend colour with a lemon reverse takes on “brassy” hues in cooler weather. Each flower has 30 to 40 thick, wavy petals with crimped edges. Blooms are usually 80mm in diameter.
Round clusters of up to 5 flowers are carried on each stem and Brass Band blooms in flushes throughout the growing season. In South Australia its Spring and Autumn performance is outstanding and it also tolerates our hot summers.
The plant generally grows into a reasonably compact 1.2m x 1m bush, making Brass Band an ideal low hedge or bedding cultivar. It also performs well as a “standard” or “stem” rose.
Brass Band was bred by Jack Christensen in the USA in 1993 and was introduced by Jackson and Perkins in 1994. Its impact on the rose world was immediate and it was chosen as the All-America Rose Selection in 1995. Numerous other awards followed as Brass Band was introduced to rose lovers throughout the world.
Brass Band performs exceptionally well on the show bench and its flowers last very well when picked. Reasonably disease resistant, the rose is virtually maintenance free apart from regular removal of spent blooms and winter pruning.
Brass Band is readily available. However, given its popularity, we suggest you order it from your favourite rose retailer.
‘Lorraine Lee’ was bred by a famous Australian Rose Breeder, Alister Clark in 1924. It is named after Lorraine Lee, who was born in Melbourne in 1890, and was a cousin of Jessie Clark, Alister’s niece. During World War I, Lorraine worked in the Women’s Land Army in England and the Ministry of Munitions, earning an MBE for her dedication. In 1920, on a visit to Australia, Alister showed her his unnamed rose seedlings and asked her to choose one. The rose she chose became Alister Clark’s most famous and popular rose ‘Lorraine Lee”.
The unique characteristic of this rose is its winter flowering. When nearly every other rose in the garden is asleep, Lorraine Lee is still flowering and will continue to do so until early spring when it should be pruned – it will recommence flowering early November.
As a bush, Lorraine Lee can grow into a large 2m x 2m plant with dark glossy leaves. It is reasonably disease resistant. Watch out for its thorns. They are sharp, big and dangerous. Keep it well away from driveways and paths.
Its soft pink-apricot hybrid tea flowers begin as long, pointed elegant buds and open to a cupped bloom, with a superb strong fragrance. Regular removal of spent blooms will ensure this rose is almost constantly in flower.
A climbing version of Lorraine Lee is also available, but it needs plenty of room as it is reasonably vigorous.
Lorraine Lee is probably the most popular of all Australian bred roses and as a winter bloomer, deserves a place in all rose gardens and a perfect choice for the July ‘Rose of the Month’.
Miniature
Minnie Pearl is living proof that good things do come in small packages. This Miniature Rose grows to ½ metre tall x ½ metre wide. It is a rose that thrives on its own roots, that is, it can be readily produced from cuttings, (taken in May).
Hybridized in the USA by Saville in 1982, Minnie Pearl is highly regarded as one of the most popular Miniature Roses since its introduction. It is reasonably disease resistant and flourishes in full sun, although it will perform adequately providing it receives at least three hours of sunlight daily.
Minnie Pearl has long, elegant buds which open to reveal classic rose shaped blooms of light pink with a touch of cream. Its flower colour deepens as it ages in full sunlight. The miniature flowers are one to 1 ½ cms across and carried singularly or in clusters up to 5 on each stem. The perfect shape and size of the flowers are ideal for button holes or shoulder sprays. The flowers last extremely well when picked. Minnie Pearl is a very popular show rose winning many championship awards over the years.
In the garden, Minnie Pearl makes a fantastic border plant, being in constant flower for nine months of the year (Oct. to June). It also makes a great pot plant.
Minnie Pearl is available from specialist rose nurseries. Alternatively, come along to our Spring Rose Show on the 23th - 24th October where our plant stall will display plenty of Minnie Pearl plants for sale, produced from cuttings made by our members.
Hybrid Tea
This beautiful, classical shaped Hybrid Tea Rose was bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany in 1985 (hence its spelling). As there are a number of other roses named Kardinal which were introduced earlier, this rose carries the unusual date factor in its registered name.
Nearly everything about this rose is excellent including its bloom colour, form, quantity and frequency and plant vigour, disease resistance, and heat and cold tolerance. It almost scores a perfect 10 but does not quite get there due to its lack of perfume and profusion of sharp thorns.
In South Australia, this rose performs well with its 17 to 25 petalled showy, scarlet flowers, with yellow bases to the petals, among the first to appear in spring. Rarely are blooms out of shape. They last exceptionally well as cut flowers and Kardinal 85 has won championship awards throughout the world as a show flower.
The plants are very well behaved being 1.2m x 1.2m and repeat flower with high quality blooms throughout the season. The timing between flushes of flowers is among the shortest for any rose, being around 40 days in the heat of summer and 45 days in the autumn.
Without question, if you like red, classic shaped roses this is a must have in your garden. In addition, various colour sports of this rose including bright pink and a vermilion orange-red have been introduced over the years. A climbing sport was discovered in Australia and was introduced in recent years.
This popular rose is readily available in most good garden centres and retail outlets.
Hybrid Tea
Baronne Edmond de Rothschild is an excellent bicoloured Hybrid Tea Rose bred by Meilland International in France in 1968. Over 40 years later, this rose remains very popular and is eagerly sought after by rose enthusiasts.
Apart from being a tough, disease resistant rose, Baronne E. de Rothschild has two outstanding features. Firstly, it is bicoloured displaying a crimson red opening to deep pink on the front of the petal with a silvery colour on the back of the petal. This is very eye-catching given its large flowers (up to 15 cms in diameter) comprising around 40 petals. Secondly, this rose has an amazingly strong, lifted rose perfume which surprises and delights anyone who smells the rose.
The plant is a well behaved regular shaped bush to approximately 1 ½ metres high and 1 metre across with leathery, bronze-green, glossy foliage. It frequently has clusters of flowers on one stem, with the central bud being the first to open, followed one to two weeks later by up to 5 surrounding flowers. It is an excellent cut flower and has a long vase life.
This rose has been awarded many gold medals in Rose Trial Gardens in Europe.
The full name of the rose is Baronne Edmond de Rothschild (code name MEIgriso) and one of its parents is the famous “Peace” rose.
Baronne E. de Rothschild is readily available in good garden centres and specialist rose nurseries and is recommended as a great garden rose.
(AUSMOL)
Shrub
The David Austin English Shrub Rose ‘Molineux’ is highly recommended for our Adelaide conditions. In fact, it is so versatile, it does well in all rose-growing climates.
‘Molineux’ has large rich yellow blooms with a lovely full rosette formation and a strong Tea Rose fragrance. It grows into an even, upright bush with good disease resistance and is especially desirable due to its exceptional repeat flowering capacity. In Adelaide, it flowers all through the season to the end of June.
Introduced into Australia in 1998, it is easy to grow and an excellent choice for group plantings and borders, reaching approximately 1metre x 1metre in size, it creates a wonderful and vibrant display of roses.
UK Rose Breeder, David Austin, introduced Molineux in 1994 and it quickly gained recognition winning a Gold Medal in 1999, as well as the prestigious Royal National Rose Society’s President’s Trophy for the Best New Rose and the Henry Edland Medal for the Best Scented Rose. This rose has a highly successful track record and will not disappoint gardeners and rose lovers.
This rose was named for David Austin’s local football club, ‘Molineux’ being the name of their Ground.
(Code KORplasina)
Floribunda
An excellent cut flower and show rose has been selected as the Rose of the Month for December. It is ‘Our Vanilla’ bred in Germany by Kordes in 1994. This Floribunda rose is also known as ‘Vanilla’ in some locations, such as the USA.
The name has been well chosen as the colour is a vanilla ivory with the outer petals sometimes showing a pale green hue. Growth is dense and very healthy. Our Vanilla produces long clean stems with very few thorns and well formed, medium-sized blooms, up to 30 petals. This attractive and versatile rose has also been nick-named the ‘Parchment Rose’ due to the tough, leathery petals and it’s amazing durability and long vase-life as a cut flower. It lasts 8 to 10 days or more, and is therefore popular with florists around the world. As it has been bred as a cut flower variety it has no fragrance.
Our Vanilla is available as both a bush rose and a standard. The flowers are borne both in small clusters up to 7 blooms and solitary on a stem. It has a strong, upright growth habit with attractive glossy foliage and it usually reaches a height of 1.5 metres. Our Vanilla produces a prolific amount of blooms in flushes throughout the long growing season.
In 2010, Our Vanilla was endorsed by the Rose Society of South Australia Inc. in its annual publication as a recommended Floribunda rose, giving it yet another seal of approval.
Gold Bunny
Just Joey
La Sevillana
Mister Lincoln
Pierre De Ronsard
Brass Band
Lorraine Lee
Minnie Pearl
Kardinal
Baronne E. De Rothschild
Molineux
Our Vanilla