The New Zealand Rose Society

Join the New Zealand Rose Society to attend local rose meetings, rose shows, pruning demonstrations, rose trials, publications, rose of the month and more...

Rose of the Month

Green with Envy

Green is not a colour you associate very often with roses so this month’s featured rose is a very welcome new addition to this colour range. Aptly named ‘Green with Envy’ is a new release for spring 2020 from Rob Somerfield. It is the culmination of 29 years of breeding by Rob to get a green rose good enough to release onto the market. The blooms are lime green in colour and are produced in large clusters. The colour intensifies with age, … [Read more...]

Amore Black Lace

Everyone loves a red rose and this month’s feature rose is one of the best new ones in this colour range. ‘Amore Black Lace’ features well-formed blooms of velvety red, lightly scented and mostly one to a stem so a great rose for picking.  A tall, upright growing variety with glossy green leaves, it is a healthy variety. Bred by Brad Jalbert of Canada, it is a worthwhile addition to the range of red roses and especially if you are inclined … [Read more...]

Tabasco

This month we feature a very eye-catching recent release that will brighten up any garden. ‘Tabasco’ is well named with blooms of orange salmon produced both singly and in clusters, making for a stunning sight when in full bloom. Lightly scented. Medium growing with an upright habit, it is very healthy with healthy green foliage. Bred by Rob Somerfield, it was a Certificate of Merit winner at the NZRS Trials in Palmerston North in 2017. One … [Read more...]

Cutie Pie

Miniature /Patio Roses are the small flowering darlings of the rose world. This month, we feature a new release that is very well named for this type of rose. ‘Cutie Pie’ has masses of small blooms of an attractive coral peach color that are lightly scented. These cover the bushy, very compact plant which is clothed in glossy medium green foliage. Good disease tolerance.  Great to grow in small spaces, in a pot or as a short standard. Bred … [Read more...]

Decoranza®  Rose Field

The colour pink is the most common colour in roses but there is always room for ‘one more’ in every garden. This month we feature a promising new release rose that will please those who grow roses for garden display and exhibition. ‘Decoranza®  Rose Field’ has blooms of an appealing rose pink with a strong sweet tea scent.  It is great for picking with blooms mostly coming one to a stem. The medium growing bush has excellent disease tolerance … [Read more...]

Eye Spy

The Persica or Hulthemia roses have come into their own in recent years as several new hybrids have been released featuring better freedom of flowering, improved health and a range of flower colours. This month we are featuring a new climbing variety that will be released this winter. ‘Eye Spy’ is a vigorous climber with blooms of peach aging to honey with a dark red ‘eye’. Larger in size and with more petals than other Persica varieties, it … [Read more...]

My Best Mate

This month we feature a new release for winter 2020 that would make a great gift for your best mate. ‘My Best Mate’ has clusters of rich red blooms set against glossy green foliage. An easy to grow rose that will reward even the most novice gardener with lots of blooms and great disease tolerance. No scent. Bred by Bob Matthews of Matthews Nurseries Ltd, Wanganui, this is the latest addition to the My Rose Collection. Available from … [Read more...]

Amore® Expresso

This month we feature a welcome addition to the range of brown toned roses available in New Zealand. ‘Amore® Expresso’ is a good garden rose with clusters of brown flowers, opening to reveal golden yellow stamens. A spicy clove scent of moderate strength is another addition to this medium growing variety. Perhaps the best feature of this rose is its fantastic health with the dark glossy foliage looking great well into the autumn … [Read more...]

The Poets Wife

This month we feature a newer English rose that will brighten up any garden and looks to be a welcome addition to the range of yellow roses in this category. ‘The Poets Wife’ has rich yellow cupped blooms which pale over time. Richly scented, the sweet scent has a hint of lemon.  Very healthy with glossy green foliage, it grows as a nicely rounded shrub of a medium height.  One to look out for, especially for those that are enthusiasts of … [Read more...]

January – Lucky Charm

As we start the New Year and also the new decade, we feature one of the best smaller roses to be introduced in recent times. ‘Lucky Charm’ comes to us from English rose breeder Gareth Fryer who has created many fine smaller roses including the top-selling ‘Sweet Dream’, ‘Top Marks’ and ‘Flower Power’. ‘Lucky Charm' is in a similar style to these with a compact growth habit and masses of blooms, this time in an appealing lemon cream colour. … [Read more...]