From an old favourite last month, we now feature for November a rose that was only released onto the market last year, but is already looking like it will become a very popular rose with rose lovers in New Zealand.
Discovered as a naturally occurring sport or mutation of the popular rose ‘Paddy Stephens’, ‘Hamilton Gardens’ shares many of its attributes including fantastic disease tolerance, long stems ideal for picking and well formed blooms. The only difference is the colour which is an appealing blend of apricot, pink and cream. Should be grown in every garden where it will grown to about the same height as Paddy Stephens, about 1.5m.
Whilst only on the market for its second year, New Zealand rosarians have already shown that they think that ‘Hamilton Gardens’ is a winner by picking it as the 10th most popular Hybrid Tea rose in their Top Favourites list for 2009. It usually takes several years for new roses to show up on the top favourites list.
Named after the place where it was discovered, Hamilton Gardens is one of Hamilton’s most popular tourist attractions and is also home to the Rogers Rose Garden which received the Garden of Excellence Award from the World Federation of Rose Societies in 2006.
Hamilton Gardens is also home to the Pacific Rose Bowl Festival and the New Zealand Rose of the Year competition which is being held from November 11 – 15 and will also incorporate the 2009 Daltons National Spring Rose Show and Convention held in the Hamilton Gardens Pavilion.
A comment about Hamilton Gardens, grown as a standard: whilst a most beautiful and rewarding rose, I am finding it just too tall. Mine are on .9 metre stock and plant height, from ground to flowers, are ending up 2m tall! The wind here in Lower Hutt is often merciless causing great damage in the flowering season. My winter pruning is hard back, but then when they grow they just take off again. So, I am finding Hamilton Gardens unsuited as a standard.
Totally agree and thanks for your comments, unfortunately many varieties grown as standards in New Zealand are just too tall and get damaged by the wind. Many of the Hybrid Teas like ‘Loving Memory’, ‘Paddy Stephens’ and ‘Precious Platinum’ are just too tall. Floribundas usually are good as their growth habit is a bit more compact and won’t get to 2 metres tall. Hayden Foulds, NZRS webmaster.
Hamilton Garden’s has unfortunately been a disappointment in my garden. Whereas, every other rose nearby has flourished, Hamilton Garden’s has languised and succumbed to every disease lurking out there in the nearby bush.
I have some beautiful individual pics of the rose itself to remind me what gorgeous blooms it can produce but sadly, the bush has disappeared in the depths of delphiniums and daylilies this season.
It’s such a perfect looking rose – the blooms I mean – that I might give it another go in a different location in the garden… wish me luck!
I totally agree. I had the very same experience. The individal blooms were breathtaking but healthwise, the rose bush was a big disappointment and died a lingering death whereas other roses planted nearby have flourished.
My one given to us as a wedding present is looking spectacular right now