Rose Society of South Australia
To encourage, improve, foster and extend the cultivation
and appreciation of the Rose
and appreciation of the Rose
(MEIbeausai)
Floribunda
Meilland International bred this rose which was released with great fanfare to the world in 1988. Since then, Seduction has captured many hearts in most rose growing countries around the world for its consistent, excellent performance as a showy Floribunda rose.
Flowers are white, near white or white blend in colour with an attractive pink edge and each comprise 9 to 16 wavy petals forming a delicate and romantic-looking rose. Each stem carries clusters up to 7 blooms in an eye-catching display against vibrant, rich green foliage. It is quick to repeat flowering and its summer and autumn performances are consistently as strong as its spring flush.
The bush is generally a well shaped 1.1m x 1.1m in size and displays excellent disease and heat resistance. The plant also makes an excellent standard and it almost equals Iceberg in popularity as a standard rose.
Unusually for a floribunda type rose, its flowers maintain a good rose shape and it lasts relatively well as a cut flower.
Seduction has received numerous awards in rose trials and as a show rose throughout the world.
Readily available, Seduction can be grown as a single specimen, mass bed of roses, or ideally as a front hedge.
Seduction is strongly recommended and deserves a place in all rose gardens making it the perfect choice as the ‘Rose of the Month’ for January.
(Code: TOMgift)
Shrub Rose
Love’s Gift is a Shrub Rose bred by one of Australia’s leading rose hybridists, George Thomson in South Australia, and was introduced by Ross Roses in 2001. This rose is tough, disease resistant and loves our hot climate.
This vigorous rose is a truly spectacular sight when in full flower. The ivory-white petals are edged with deep pink which increases in depth to red as the flower is exposed to more sunlight - the hotter the day, the richer the colour.
Love’s Gift needs space as it can grow up to 2m tall and 2m wide. It can be shaped into a tall hedge. It has thick, attractive, dark glossy green foliage and the flowers are predominantly borne singly per stem and occasionally in small clusters on long stems.
As a cut flower, it has a reasonably good vase life. Regularly seen on the show bench, Love’s Gift has won awards as a show exhibit.
Bred for Australia’s harsh conditions, Love’s Gift is in Ross Roses ‘True Blue’ Collection, a group of recommended Australian Roses.
Hybrid Tea
Duet has now been in cultivation for over 50 years, having been bred in the USA by Herbert Swim in 1960. Its name refers to the two shades of pink, with the deeper pink on the reverse side of the petals. The rich coral pink colour on the face and attractive hot pink on the reverse was a real colour breakthrough when this rose was introduced. Each flower consists of 25 to 40 petals and is around 10cm in width.
Flowers are borne mostly solitary and occasionally in small clusters on strong, straight stems. A soft tea rose fragrance is another alluring quality. It is very quick to repeat flower with regular removal of spent blooms.
Duet is a tall, vigorous, very disease resistant Hybrid Tea rose growing up to 1.5m to 2m in height and 1m to 1.5m wide. It has proven to be a popular cut flower with a long vase life. It performs extremely well producing an amazing volume of roses from its initial spring flush through summer and autumn and into early winter.
Duet thoroughly deserves the many awards it has received in rose trial grounds and it has not waned in popularity since its introduction. This rose is highly recommended.
Floribunda
Apricot Nectar is a strong Floribunda Rose bred by Eugene Boerner in the USA and introduced by Jackson and Perkins in 1965. It is one of the most popular Floribunda Roses in Australia due to its vigorous growth habit, regular repeat flowering and its consistent performance throughout its growing period.
Each flower maintains a classic, traditional rose shape and comprises 18 to 25 petals with a soft fruity rose fragrance. The rich apricot coloured flowers are generally borne in clusters up to seven blooms per stem and it lasts well when used as a cut flower.
Apricot Nectar grows into a sturdy bush 1.1m x 1.1m and can be grown as a standard rose. It is reasonably disease resistant and readily available.
In a survey of all Rose Societies in Australia, Apricot Nectar was voted as the best “Floribunda” rose, surpassing the very popular Iceberg for quality and performance.
It is often awarded in Rose Shows and has also received All-American Rose Selection. Apricot Nectar loves our hot, dry climate and is highly recommended by Rose Societies across Australia.
(MACdub)
Climbing Rose
Dublin Bay is one of the best climbing roses available, producing medium-sized blood red flowers. It was bred in 1975 by an ex-Irish famous Rose Breeder, Sam McGredy, who migrated to New Zealand. Since its introduction Dublin Bay has steadily increased in popularity over the years.
Once established, Dublin Bay is a moderate, well behaved climber which can cover an area 3m x 2.5m. Dark, shiny, disease resistant foliage provides a perfect background to show-off the 25 petalled, 10cm wide blooms which are mainly carried one per stem, with occasional clusters of 3 to 5 blooms per stem. The flowers hold their vibrant colour from opening to petal fall and a soft fruity fragrance is an added bonus.
Dublin Bay has been awarded throughout the world including being “Auckland Rose of the Year” in the New Zealand Rose Trials in 1993.
As far as climbing roses go, Dublin Bay is well known for its gorgeous red roses and repeat flowering throughout the season - it would be difficult to find many better performing roses.
(KORbin)
Floribunda
Famous Rose Breeder, Sam McGredy, was asked if he had to choose just one rose to take to an island paradise, what it would be. He answered, “Iceberg”. Another rose expert, Eric Trimper, said “Iceberg will never let you down.”
Iceberg is one of the world’s most popular Floribunda roses, a universal best-seller for decades and well known for its hardiness in all rose-growing regions tolerating both hot and cold temperature extremes.
Iceberg was hybridized in 1958 by Reimer Kordes in Germany. It can be grown as a tall bush, a well performing climber or excellent standard. Popular with home gardeners and professional landscapers, it is seen everywhere. It is famous for its low maintenance and rapid repeat flowering, producing large and small clusters of beautifully shaped white double blooms all season long. Iceberg has healthy light green leaves and is very disease resistant.
Flowers are generally borne in clusters of up to 7 blooms per stem. Each flower contains 25 to 35 soft, delicate white petals, sometimes with a pink blush in cold weather, and displays an attractive fruity fragrance.
The bush grows up to 1.5m x 1.5m and its consistent growth and size make it perfect for use as a standard rose. It is the most commonly used standard rose for fences, borders or public spaces in Australia. It is also excellent as a potted rose. Generally, avoid severe pruning.
Iceberg deserves its iconic reputation having won Gold Medals in numerous rose trials around the world and was inducted into the World Federation of Rose Societies’ Rose Hall of Fame in 1983.
Two recent sports are ‘Brilliant Pink Iceberg’ and ‘Burgundy Iceberg’. To obtain a good quality rose only buy from reliable suppliers.
(MEIdomonac)
Shrub Rose
In the early 1980s a new group of roses was introduced to the marketplace – “landscape roses”. Since then, landscape roses have appeared in mass plantings in median strips, roundabouts, parks and gardens.
All landscape roses have the same core characteristics - profuse regular flowering, pest and disease resistance and ease of maintenance.
Bonica, bred and introduced by Meilland in 1982, has set the global benchmark for small shrub landscape roses with its exuberant flowering from spring to mid-winter. It has pretty pink blooms with 17-25 petals.
Bonica is one of the best temperature extreme tolerant roses in both hot and cold climates. Its fungal disease resistance is legendary making it an almost maintenance free rose. It grows into a uniform 1m x 1m bush making it ideal for mass plantings.
This tough and colourful rose can be used to provide mass colour in large, harsh environments and rarely fails to impress.
On the world stage, Bonica was inducted into the WFRS Rose Hall of Fame in 2003.
Bonica is available from most rose nurseries and garden centres.
Crépuscule is a reliable, strong rose bred by Francis Dubreuil in France in 1904. It is classified as a Noisette, one of the Old Garden Rose categories.
Flowering throughout the season in decorative small clusters, Crépuscule creates a beautiful rose display with intense, sweet, musk Old Rose fragrance.
Crépuscule can grow into a very large tall shrub rose up to 4m high and 2 to 4m wide. It is also capable of a semi-climbing habit and can be trained against a trellis or along a fence. This cultivar is also used as a large ornamental weeping rose and can create a magnificent display of roses on arching canes.
Crépuscule is orange, fading to apricot-yellow; the name is French for “twilight”, very apt given its colour reminiscent of sunset.
Quick to repeat flower, richly fragrant and very disease resistant; these attributes ensure that Crépuscule continues to be a favourite in many private and public gardens around the world.
(ANDeli)
Hybrid Tea
Double Delight is one of the world’s most popular Hybrid Tea roses and was inducted into the World Federation of Rose Societies Rose Hall of Fame in 1985.
Bred and introduced in 1977 by USA Rose Breeders Swim and Ellis, Double Delight is perfectly named. It is an eye-catching dual coloured rose and it has an absolutely delightful perfume. In fact, the spicy rich perfume has become a benchmark against which other rose perfumes are frequently measured.
The 30 or so bicoloured petals which form each 12 to 15cm flower are classically arranged into a high-centred bloom. Every sequence of the bloom from its bud to full bloom is admired and Double Delight has earned a good reputation as a very popular cut flower. Its rapid repeat flowering ensures the bush is rarely without flowers.
Compared to most Hybrid Tea roses, Double Delight is a relatively small bush growing only to 1.2m tall and around 1m wide. This growth habit makes it ideal as a standard rose.
The bush is generally hardy, albeit it occasionally has a touch of mildew in early Spring or late Autumn which is not really a problem in our hot, dry climate.
Double Delight is an “essential” rose in every rose lover’s garden.
(AROyqueli)
Grandiflora
This eye-catching gold coloured rose has received numerous ‘gold medals’ since being introduced by USA Rose Breeder Jack Christensen in 1982. It has well shaped flowers borne both singly but also in clusters of 5 to 7 blooms on strong, lengthy stems and has therefore been classified as a Grandiflora, reflecting this characteristic.
Gold Medal is a lovely upright bush, up to 2m tall and 1 to 1.5m in width. It is an early spring bloomer and then has strong flushes of roses until the following mid-winter. With attractive high-centred flowers, few thorns and long straight stems, it is eagerly sought after by florists. Heat tolerant and disease resistant, Gold Medal is a low maintenance rose, deserving a place in every rose garden.
Gold Medal is regularly awarded at rose shows and has won numerous accolades in rose trials throughout the world.
(Auswonder)
David Austin Rose
Ambridge Rose is one of the world’s most popular David Austin English Shrub Roses, released in Australia in 1990, it is highly recommended for its exceptional repeat flowering and it performs well in our hot climate.
Ambridge Rose has medium-sized, pale apricot coloured blooms, cup-shaped at first, opening to a loose rosette formation with a strong English rose myrrh fragrance. It grows into a neat, upright bush, approximately 0.75 metre x 1 metre, with attractive dark green foliage with good disease resistance.
Reliable and easy to grow, Ambridge Rose makes an excellent choice for small gardens, group plantings and borders; it creates a wonderful display of roses from the first spring flush through to the end of autumn.
Ambridge Rose also makes a lovely fragrant cut flower for arrangements. Its vase life is reasonable for a shrub rose, with blooms lasting 3 to 4 days.
Polyantha Rose
Cécile Brunner, originally known as Mademoiselle Cécile Brunner, is as popular today as it was when Joseph Pernet-Ducher, a French rose breeder, introduced it in 1881. He named it after the daughter of a Swiss rosarian Ulrich Brunner.
This desirable little rose is one of the first Polyantha roses renowned for lovely clusters of flowers.
Frequently referred to as ‘The Sweetheart Rose’ given its size (2 to 3cm), blush-pink colour and exquisitely shaped buds, Cécile Brunner can reach approximately 1 metre in height and 0.75m in width. It is almost thornless with a sweet fragrance which has also enhanced its popularity.
Over the years, numerous colour variations (sports) have been found and a climbing version is also widely grown around the world. It is a tough, disease resistant rose with great repeat flowering ability.
Cécile Brunner rightly deserves its place among the small number of treasured roses in the World Federation of Rose Societies Old Rose Hall of Fame.
Seduction
Love's Gift
Duet
Apricot Nectar
Dublin Bay
Iceberg
Bonica
Crepuscle
Double Delight
Gold Medal
Ambridge Rose
Cecile Brunner