Scabrosa

SCABROSA

Old Garden Rose

 ‘Scabrosa’ is an Old Fashioned Garden Rose bred by Harkness in the UK in 1950. Classified as a Hybrid Rugosa Shrub, Scabrosa is famous for its large single blooms (4 – 8 petals) of magenta crimson tinged with violet purple colour that can grow over ten centimetres in width. The blooms have creamy yellow stamens and a light fragrance and are produced in small clusters. The flowers are followed by good quantities of eye-catching orange-red hips.

Scabrosa is a robust, spreading bush with luxuriant, healthy, leathery foliage typical of Rugosa roses.  The foliage is ribbed or “rugose” and extremely tough. Most members of the ‘rugosa’ family are suitable for coastal regions where they can tolerate strong, coastal winds.

The bush has a medium, dense, well branched habit growing up to 1.5m tall and 1.2m wide with flushes of roses throughout the growing season.

Scabrosa, along with other Rugosa Shrub roses, is hardy, low maintenance and adaptable to almost all soils and weather conditions. This rose provides interest in the garden in spring, summer and into autumn.

This highly recommended rose is available from Wagner’s Rose Nursery, Newman’s Nursery and Treloar Roses.

Text: Kelvin Trimper

Photo: Courtesy of Wagner’s Rose Nursery