Rose Society of South Australia
To encourage, improve, foster and extend the cultivation
and appreciation of the Rose
and appreciation of the Rose
Grandiflora
“Queen Elizabeth” also known as “Queen of England” and “Queen Elizabeth Rose” has been regarded as one of the world’s most popular roses since its introduction in 1954 and named to recognise Queen Elizabeth II ascension to the throne in 1952.
Bred by Dr. Walter Lammerts in the USA, this very tall growing Grandiflora Rose produces large, 35 to 40 petals, medium pink blooms on long straight stems, ensuring its good reputation with florists. The tall, elegant buds of darker pink open to moderately fragrant blooms which adorn the bush throughout its growing period. It’s slender upright habit, up to three metres high and one metre wide is ideal for its location at the back of rose beds to provide added depth. The bush is very disease resistant and almost thornless with dark green, tough leathery foliage.
This rose won the AARS Award in 1955, ARS Gold Medal in 1957 and Golden Rose of The Hague in 1968. It was inducted into the World Rose Hall of Fame in 1979. This is a truly great rose deserving a place in all gardens. A climbing sport of this rose also exists.
Floribunda
Simply Magic is a charming small Floribunda rose growing to approximately 80cm high and 90cm wide. Its size makes it ideal for use as a border or in massed plantings. It can be found in both road medians and massed garden beds around Adelaide’s streets and parks.
This eye-catching bright pink rose is nearly always in flower, throughout the growing season. The 8cm flowers are generally borne in clusters of up to 12 blooms, making a marvellous display. It is very disease resistant with dark, glossy green leaves.
Bred in France by Alain Meilland and introduced in 1992, Simply Magic has been popular with both home gardeners and curators of public parks and gardens. It is also impressive grown as a standard rose.
For those seeking roses requiring only a little attention, this tough and reliable short bushy rose performs extremely well.
Hybrid Tea
There is probably no other rose in the world more famous than Peace. Its introduction at the end of World War II (1945), its name, its large majestic size, wavy petals and blend of pastel pink and yellow ensured that it would become the world’s favourite rose of the twentieth century. Peace has produced many colour variations called ‘sports’ – that is, identical in every way to the parent plant, except for colour. One of these sports was discovered in Chicago, named ‘Chicago Peace’ and introduced to the market 50 years ago (1962) by Stanley Johnston.
Chicago Peace is a pink blend with classic ‘Peace’ yellow towards the base of the petals. The plant itself is low growing from 1 to 1.2 metres in height with dark, glossy green leaves making a perfect backdrop for the blooms which are up to 20cm when fully opened creating an eye-catching display. Like most Hybrid Tea roses, each stem usually carries only one flower.
Chicago Peace has classic ‘exhibition’ form meaning a high pointed centre to each flower and many petals. Repeat flowering throughout the growing season, a slight fragrance and a long vase life when picked for floral arrangements, adds to its popularity.
As with all members of the ‘Peace’ family of roses, it does not appreciate heavy pruning or excessive trimming.
Chicago Peace is a classic rose deserving a place in everyone’s garden.
Hybrid Tea
Elina is a very prolific, constantly flowering Hybrid Tea rose bred by the Dickson family (in Northern Ireland) in 1983 and released in 1984. Growing to a height of 1.75m and a width of 1.2m, Elina can produce up to 5 dozen blooms per flush. As it can have up to 5 flushes per year in our climate, each plant can produce 25 dozen roses per year – a rare feat for Hybrid Tea roses.
Each rich cream coloured flower comprises around 25 petals. Elina’s perfect classic rose shape, long straight stems, mild fragrance and attractive foliage ensures it is a popular cut flower variety and sought after by florists.
Elina is a very tough, disease resistant rose which thrives in our hot dry climate, producing flowers throughout the season. Inducted into the World Federation of Rose Societies’ Rose Hall of Fame in 2006, it is one of the world’s most popular cream coloured roses and justifies its place in all rose gardens.
(Re-named Bonnie Babes)
(JACshok)
Floribunda
This charming Floribunda Rose was bred by internationally famous USA rose breeder, Dr. Keith W. Zary, in 1999.
After trials around the world, Perfume Perfection was highly acclaimed, winning medals in Australia, USA, Japan and Italy. This success speaks volumes for its adaptability to climate and region. It received the highest honour in Australia, the first Gold Medal from the National Rose Trial Garden of Australia in 2001.
This beautiful Floribunda rose has soft, delicate, pale mauve blooms in the old English traditional style. Flowers are produced in clusters of 5 to 7 per stem and feature a gorgeous, intense fruity fragrance.
For all its dainty appeal though, this variety grows into a hardy low bush, approx. 1m x 1m, with excellent disease resistance and it loves a good trim after each flush to promote prolific flowering throughout the season.
Perfume Perfection will suit small gardens or make a stunning display in rose beds or borders.
Floribunda
Victoria Gold is a vivid gold, eye-catching Floribunda rose, bred by Australian rose breeder, Eric Welsh. It was released to commemorate the Centenary of the Victorian Rose Society in 1999.
Victoria Gold is a perfect plant for those with restricted space, growing to a maximum of 90cm in height and width. The flowers are a rich golden yellow and are generally borne in clusters up to 7 blooms per stem. The dark green foliage forms a lovely contrasting backdrop to the bright yellow flowers. Like many gold coloured roses, Victoria Gold is one of the first roses to flower in spring and can regularly repeat bloom until early winter. The individual petals can take on a fine red edge in cold weather.
The plant is very disease resistant and a good performer in our hot climate. Victoria Gold produces a vibrant display as an individual bush, a standard rose, grouped to form a bed of roses or a low hedge. We can all be very proud of this wonderful Australian bred rose.
David Austin Rose
The David Austin English Shrub Rose ‘Abraham Darby’ thrives in our temperate Adelaide climate. Introduced in 1985 by David Austin Roses in the United Kingdom, this rose is unusual in the English Rose collection having modern rose parentage. It is a cross between the modern climber ‘Aloha’ and a Floribunda ‘Yellow Cushion’, both produce flowers with Old Rose characteristics. The large, deeply cupped blooms are a pink, apricot and yellow blend in the classic Old Rose form with a lovely, rich fruity fragrance.
Abraham Darby is an excellent, vigorous, disease resistant climbing shrub rose which continues to produce flowers throughout the growing season. In full sun it grows 2m tall x 3m wide, creating a wonderful display of large perfumed roses with up to 5 roses on a stem.
This rose was named after one of the founders of the Industrial Revolution on behalf of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
Floribunda
'Madam President' was bred by the famous New Zealand Rose Breeder Sam McGredy IV in 1975 and it is as popular today as it was when it was first released. Unusually for a Floribunda rose, its blooms are well shaped and can be borne singly or in clusters on sturdy straight stems. This rose is easy to grow and is a very reliable performer throughout the entire growing season.
The classically shaped blooms have a mild fragrance and are a gorgeous delicate pale pink often with a bright pink edge to the petals. The flowers last very well when picked and make a lovely display in a vase.
Sam McGredy provided the following background to the name of the rose.
"I came to New Zealand in 1972. I was asked to name a rose for the New Zealand Countrywomen's Assoc. They picked the name Madam President, my NZ agent Phil Gardner chose the rose. The rose turned out to be a lot better than I thought. I am surprised to find it still grown around the world as most varieties tend to wane in popularity in 7 - 10 years."
The plant is a well behaved 1.5m x 1m bush and quickly repeat flowers if you remove the deadheads. It can also be grown as a standard rose or in a large pot. A very attractive rose worthy of a place in our gardens.
Miniature
Irresistible is a perfectly shaped, creamy white miniature rose with a most attractive pale pink centre. It usually flowers in small clusters of up to 5 blooms with an occasional cluster of 9 - 13 blooms and has a spice-like fragrance.
This is one of the best roses produced by Cecelia Dee Bennett in the USA, and was released in 1989 to instant acclaim worldwide. The individual plants are reasonably upright in habit and will reach 0.9m in height. Irresistible is a tough, disease resistant rose which suits our hot dry Mediterranean climate.
There are not many better miniature roses. This prolific bloomer grows well on its own roots (struck from cuttings) and plants will be available at our Annual Spring Rose Show in October.
This is a fantastic rose for those who wish to grow roses in pots or as a border plant which flowers continually for 8 months.
Importantly, the blooms last well when picked making it ideal for use in shoulder sprays, button holes or floral work.
Hybrid Tea
There is something very special about a rose that can consistently produce 7 - 10cm long rich pink flowers on strong, straight stems of 0.5m - 0.75m. This rose was aptly named Eiffel Tower and was bred and released by David Armstrong and Herbert Swim, in the USA, almost 50 years ago.
As a bush, Eiffel Tower will generally reach a height of 2 metres or more and 1.1m in width. It has a delightful lifted rose fragrance.
Unusually, Eiffel Tower is most renowned and admired for its long, elegant pink buds with 2 to 4 petals unfurling, rather than as a medium to fully open flower. It is often used to great advantage to form the outline of a large floral arrangement. In the garden, it makes a ideal backdrop as a tall rose planted near a fence or shed.
Eiffel Tower enjoys our hot, dry Mediterranean climate and flowers throughout the entire growing season. It is relatively disease resistant.
Readily available, Eiffel Tower is definitely worthy of a place in our gardens.
Shrub
Striking in appearance, Rock 'n' Roll created an eye-catching sensation when New Zealand Rose Breeder, Sam McGredy, released it in 1988. Its red blend, yellow reverse flowers edged in white, represented a new colour breakthrough in roses.
Rock 'n' Roll is classified as a Shrub Rose as it produces clusters of flowers, often over 10 blooms per cluster, with typical shrub-like, tall, lanky canes. In fact, it is best grown as a pillar rose, up to 3m tall, in South Australia. When grown in this manner, it can produce a show of beautiful flowers from the base of the pillar to the top.
The flowers, which have a mild fragrance, last well when cut and you only require a few stems to make a vase full of bright colourful blooms.
The plant is vigorous, healthy and disease resistant and the abundant spring flush is followed by smaller, but consistent flushes throughout the growing season.
Rock 'n' Roll is recommended as a rose to create a strong vertical element in your garden as a feature rose.
Hybrid Tea
Papa Meilland is a legend in the rose world. This could be due to its name - named in honour of a Doyen in the rose breeding world by his Grandson, the now famous Allain Meilland. More likely, its fame is due to its dark, velvety crimson colour and magnificent, strong, old rose fragrance. This rose was bred in France and introduced in 1963 by Meilland International.
Individual flowers, borne singly on straight stems are up to 12 cm wide with up to 40 petals, creating a large, full, round bloom when completely open. It has regular flushes of flowers throughout the growing season.
Papa Meilland is a relatively low bush for a Hybrid Tea, approximately 1.2m high and 1m in width, making it suitable for the front row of a bed of roses. It is reasonably disease resistant and suits warm climates.
The popularity of this rose was highlighted when it was chosen as a very worthy inductee into the World Federation of Rose Societies' Rose Hall of Fame in 1988.
A timeless classic rose and a most appropriate choice for December, as we start the Festive Season.
Papa Meilland is highly recommended and deserves a place in all our gardens.
Queen Elizabeth
Simply Magic
Chicago Peace
Elina
Perfume Perfection
Victoria Gold
Abraham Darby
Madam President
Irresistible
Eiffel Tower
Rock n Roll
Papa Meilland