With the rose show season just about over for another year, we are featuring one of the best newer roses for exhibition but also makes a good garden rose. ‘Magic Show’ is a patio rose with very well formed blooms of white with a pink edge to the petals. The blooms are borne mostly solitary and like most patio roses, have little in the way of a scent. But for picking, it is fantastic and makes a great short standard to ‘lift’ it up off the … [Read more...]
November – Strawberry Blonde
November is the month when roses reach their spring peak across much of New Zealand and is also when we get to see the blooms on new release rose for the first time. One new release for winter 2018 was ‘Strawberry Blonde’ which we are featuring for November. This floribunda comes to us from Rob Somerfield and has masses of golden apricot blooms that soften with age. For those who like a bit of scent, this one has a good scent. Like other … [Read more...]
October – Thomas a Becket
Red is one of the most popular colours in roses and this month we feature a recent release English rose in this colour. ‘Thomas a Becket’ is named for Canterbury Cathedral in the UK and features clusters of rosette-shaped blooms, crimson red in colour with a moderate Old Rose scent. The plant is medium growing with a shrubby habit and has excellent disease tolerance. Bred by David Austin, this is a welcome addition to the range of red … [Read more...]
2018 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...]
September – Water Lily
After a number of years of few new introductions of patio type roses in the New Zealand market, it is pleasing to see some new varieties coming online. One such variety we’re featuring this month is ‘Waterlily’ which features delicate blooms of porcelain to creamy peach of classic form. There is a moderate perfume to the blooms which are produced in large clusters. Reaching 45cm in height, ‘Waterlily’ is very healthy with semi-glossy, medium … [Read more...]
New Zealand gains two awards at World Rose Convention
The New Zealand Rose Society was successful with two nominations for awards at the 18th World Rose Convention held in Denmark recently. Mrs Fiona Hyland of Dunedin was recognised with the World Rose Award for services to the rose. Fiona is a long-standing member of Heritage Roses New Zealand and has built up an impressive record as an editor, researcher and speaker in the field of Heritage Roses at a local, national and international … [Read more...]
August – Golden Gate
Rose of the Month – Golden Gate Good yellow flowering climbing roses are few and far between so this month’s featured rose is a welcome addition to the range of climbing roses available in New Zealand. ‘Golden Gate’ features semi-double blooms of golden yellow that cover the plant with good repeat over the summer months. Even better, there is a good scent to the blooms to enjoy. Bred by Kordes of Germany who are known for creating super … [Read more...]
2018 NZ Heritage Rose Conference
'A Journey with Old Roses' The National Conference of Heritage Roses New Zealand Distinction Hotel, Riverside Drive, Whangarei Friday 30th November to Sunday 2nd December 2018 Pre tour: 28th & 29th November Post tour: 3rd, 4th and 5th December Click here to download a registration form Click here to download a conference program Click here to download information on speakers Click here to download information on garden … [Read more...]
July – Eye in the Sky
The Persica or Hulthemia roses have recently made their mark in New Zealand with their distinct blooms, each with a darker ‘eye’ in the centre of the blooms. To date, these have been floribunda or shrub type roses but the rose we feature this month breaks the mould. ‘Eye in the Sky as the name suggests is a climber and climb it does but it is not too vigorous and takes over everything. The blooms are single, cream – apricot in colour with a … [Read more...]
June – Everlasting Hope
Many roses are named for good causes and this month’s featured rose has been named for a worthy cause worth supporting. ‘Everlasting Hope’ has been named for Postnatal Depression Canterbury by its breeder Rob Somerfield and is being released this winter to promote the amazing work they do. A shrub rose, ‘Everlasting Hope’ bears clusters of large blooms of soft pink, strongly scented. Long stems make this rose a good one for picking while … [Read more...]