2015 National Spring Rose Show and Convention The 2015 National Spring Rose Show and Convention was hosted by the South Canterbury Rose Society at the Caroline Bay Hall in Timaru, November 21st and 22nd 2015. The theme of the show was ‘Lest We Forget – Roses of Remembrance’ and a number of the special classes reflected this theme. Rosarians from Kaitaia to Oamaru brought their best blooms to compete across a wide range of classes. … [Read more...]
Free flowering, healthy roses feature among winning roses
New rose varieties that produce lots of flowers and get less disease topped the New Zealand Rose Society International Trial Awards in Palmerston North in early December with an orange rose ‘Fireball’ coming out on top. Bred by Rob Somerfield of Glenavon Roses in Tauranga, ‘Fireball’ received the top award of the trials, the Gold Star of the South Pacific. “It’s a great variety with lots of flowers and a very healthy plant” said Mr Somerfield … [Read more...]
December – Old Master
We end 2015 by featuring a rose that was one of the first of the hand painted roses bred by Sam McGredy in the 1970’s. A novelty at the time, the blooms gave the look that one colour was splashed with another. Today, they are still grown and a wider selection of varieties are available. One of the earliest varieties and one still grown today is ‘Old Master’ which attracts attention in the garden or on the show bench with its crimson red … [Read more...]
November – Hansa
This month as the roses start blooming across New Zealand, we feature a heritage rose which is one of the best in the rugosa classification. Rugosa roses are easy to grow untroubled by disease, can grow near the sea and have fragrant blooms often followed by colourful hips. On the downside, the thorns are quite vicious ‘Hansa’ is a taller growing rugosa with double blooms of purple red with golden stamens in the centre. The blooms come in … [Read more...]
October – Eyeopener
Groundcover/Shrub roses are nothing new in the world of roses but getting a good one that is in the re shades is not easy. So when one does come along, expect it to be well used in breeding programs around the world. One such rose is ‘Eyeopener’ which has been used in breeding programs the world over since its release in the mid 1980’s. The growth habit is spreading and mounded, reaching up to 1m high and 1.2m wide and covers itself in masses … [Read more...]
New Flower Carpet Rose Sunset
New release for New Zealand - available from October 2015 at your nearest garden centre. Flower Carpet® Sunset is a bright tangerine coloured groundcover rose, one of the series of Flower Carpet groundcover roses first introduced in 1992 by Anthony Tesselaar International. Bred by Noack Rosen, the German hybridiser known for their early commitment to disease-resistant hybrids, Flower Carpet Sunset shares the impressive levels of disease … [Read more...]
September – Winchester Cathedral
Every once in a while, a rose will ‘sport’ or mutate into a different colour from the parent. Some go onto become good roses in their own right such as this months rose. ‘Winchester Cathedral’ is a sport of the very popular ‘Mary Rose’, a pink David Austin variety that has been grown widely around the world and shares all of its attributes except flower colour. Rather than pink, it is white and still has the strong old rose fragrance which … [Read more...]
New Zealander a leader in the rose world
New Zealand has maintained its position as a leader in the rose world with several awards and appointments at the World Rose Convention held in Lyon, France. Three New Zealanders were recognised with awards for their service to the rose. Mr Peter Elliott of Palmerston North was presented with the World Federation of Rose Societies Silver Medal for service to the World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS). Mr Elliott has served as one of the … [Read more...]
August – Anniversary
While pale pink is a fairly common colour in floribunda's, this month’s featured rose is one of the better ones in the colour range to be released in the last 20 years. ‘Anniversary’ is a seedling of the popular ‘Sexy Rexy’ and carries many of its attributes, most of all its ability to produce masses of blooms. The porcelain pink blooms come in small and large clusters throughout the season. At times, it is hard to see the dark green glossy … [Read more...]
2015 Spring Rose Shows
November and December is the time for rose shows and displays throughout New Zealand. Rose enthusiasts look forward to this time of the year as they show off their blooms to fellow rose lovers. There are a wide range of classes in which roses are entered from the more formal 'one bloom per vase' through to novelty classes where imaginations can run wild around various themes. No matter what your preference is, there is something for everyone to … [Read more...]