A versatile and popular rose features as the Rose of the Month for June.
Dusky Dancer is usually grown as a smaller shrub rose but can also be trained as a patio climber. In fact, this is where it has made it mark with rose enthusiasts around New Zealand as it is ranked No 1 by members of the New Zealand Rose Society for 2010.
The most outstanding attribute of this rose are the blooms which are a gorgeous dusky red in colour and are produced in clusters over the plant all season long. Red shrub and patio climbers are not common but this one certainly has a lot going for it, including good plant health. Unfortunately, there is no fragrance.
Bred in the UK by Gareth Fryer, it is known as Raven and Daily Post in other parts of the world. It won a Certificate of Merit at the NZRS rose trials in Palmerston North in 1997.