In roses, the colour purple is one of those colours that people either like or loathe having in their gardens.
While there have been many heritage type and floribunda roses in the purple shades, there are very few large flowering Hybrid Teas.
This month we feature ‘Big Purple’, one of the few real purple Hybrid Tea roses and also one of the best to grow. The large blooms are a beautiful purple – magenta in colour complimented of course by a huge fragrance like so many roses in this colour shade. Worth growing for the fragrance alone but the blooms are also great at retaining their colour. Long stems also mean the blooms can be picked and brought inside to a vase. A tall, upright grower of medium height; ‘Big Purple’ has matte green foliage which has good tolerance to diseases.
Bred by the late Pat Stephens of Te Awamutu from ‘Purple Splendour’ x ‘Seedling’, ‘Big Purple’ is grown in many countries around the world and is well worth growing, even if purple is not your ‘thing’.