We’re lucky as rose lowers to have a wonderful choice of roses to select and grow in our gardens and even more so to have new varieties coming onto the market each year tempting us to add them to our gardens. For winter 2017, there are 26 new varieties being released in New Zealand from rose breeders here in New Zealand and from overseas. 26 does seem a lot but then roses aren’t known as the Queen of Flowers for nothing. We’re also not going to feature them all in one column either but over two so my June column will cover the rest.
Keep an eye out for these and if you can’t find a source, email me (hayden@nzroses.org.nz) and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.
Rosa ‘Boscobel’
Boscobel: A new David Austin rose with perfectly formed, rich salmon rosettes with a strong fragrance. Upright growth habit with good disease tolerance. Available from Tasman Bay Roses www.tbr.co.nz
Bright Times: A patio climber ideal for smaller spaces. Scarlet red patio sized blooms smother the plant which has light green foliage. Available from resellers of Rasmussen’s Nurseries
Candy Eyes: One of the Persica hybrids with striking blooms of bright pink and gold with a dark eye. Low, spreading growing plant with very good health and bright glossy foliage. Available from Tasman Bay Roses www.tbr.co.nz
Chance of Peace: A Hybrid Tea with blooms of soft yellow with a tinge of pink on the outer petals, lightly scented. Grows to one metre with rich green foliage. Available from resellers of Matthews Nurseries or rosesnz.co.nz
‘Christchurch Remembers’
Christchurch Remembers: Named to commemorate the 185 people who lost their lives in the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, this floribunda has scarlet red blooms that darken around the edges. Medium growing with small clusters of bloom, this rose has medium green glossy foliage and is very healthy. Gold Star, NZRS Trials 2014; best floribunda, best New Zealand Raised Rose, Children’s Choice Award and overall New Zealand Rose of the Year, 2016. Available from resellers of Glenavon Roses.
Fireball: A very eye-catching rose with masses of fragrant orange blooms with a silver reverse to the petals. Upright growing with few thorns, this rose forms a great display in the garden. Gold Star of the South Pacific, NZRS Trials 2015. Available from resellers of Glenavon Roses.
Graduation Day: Old fashioned blooms of rich apricot to pink cover the compact growing plant. Very healthy with ultra glossy foliage. Great grown as a short standard. Available from Amore Roses www.amoreroses.co.nz
Grand Prix Special: Named to celebrate excellence in Dressage New Zealand, the deep blood red blooms have fluted petals and age to almost black. A compact rounded plant to one metre. Available from resellers of Matthews Nurseries or rosesnz.co.nz
Hayward College: Named for the 25th anniversary of Hayward College, a residential college at Otago University in Dunedin, this rose has old fashioned blooms of dark red that last well on the bush or in a vase. A medium, compact grower with dark green foliage. Available from resellers of Glenavon Roses.
Hot Topic: The frilly blooms of orange age to apricot and have a fruity fragrance. Medium, bushy growing plant with dark green foliage. Very healthy. Certificate of Merit, NZRS Trials 2015. Available from resellers of Glenavon Roses.
Jack Frost: This new white floribunda sometimes has a pink tinge in cooler weather. Free flowering, the spent blooms drop their petals very cleanly and the plant has a slightly spreading growth habit but is very healthy. Certificate of Merit, NZRS Trials 2015. Available from resellers of Glenavon Roses.
‘Kiss the Bride’
Kiss the Bride: A free flowering variety with clusters of white blooms with hints of blush pink are lightly fragrant. Medium growing bushy, healthy plant with mid green foliage. Certificate of Merit, NZRS Trials 2016. Available from resellers of Matthews Nurseries or rosesnz.co.nz
Magnifi-scent: The name says it all. Heavenly scented blooms of a colour best described as ‘French Rose’. Fast to repeat so the plant is never without flowers. Medium growing plant with glossy disease resistant foliage. Available from Amore Roses www.amoreroses.co.nz