Smitten
Our featured rose this month is a charmer and very well named recent release from New Zealand rose breeder Rob Somerfield. ‘Smitten’ bears blooms of cream and shell pink, with the reverse of the petals a deeper pink. The clusters of blooms are set against healthy, dark green foliage. An upright growing plant to one […]
Endless Summer
As we head towards summer, we will be anticipating the first blooms on new varieties that will be flowering for the first time.One new variety to look out for is ‘Endless Summer’ bred by Rob Somerfield of New Zealand. ‘Endless Summer’ features classically formed blooms of yellow that hold their colour well. Great for picking […]
Old Friends
Our featured rose this month is another new release and one to plant to remember friends from years gone past. ‘Old Friends’ features masses of blooms, larger in size with creamy petals surrounding the lemon centre. The blooms are lightly scented and create an outstanding display. Winner of a Certificate of Merit at the New […]
Ginger Crunch
This month we feature a new release for winter 2025 which is in a colour shade popular at the moment. ‘Ginger Crunch’ has masses of striking and unique burnt orange/terracotta colour blooms. It makes a great display in any garden and bees are also attracted to this variety. A medium bushy grower to 1.2 metres, […]
Spellbound
We feature this month a welcome addition to the range of yellow flowering climbing roses. ‘Spellbound’ covers itself in medium yellow blooms. The colour is pretty stable for a yellow rose and the petals drop cleanly, essential for a good climbing rose. The blooms are set against glossy foliage on a vigourous but not rampant […]
Honey Bun
The romantic or English type bloom form has become popular with rose breeders over many years as they look to make roses healthier by crossing shrub roses with Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses. New Zealand breeders have jumped on this trend and this month we feature a new variety from Rob Somerfield featuring this type […]
Mulberry Wine
Rose trials, such as the New Zealand Rose Society International Trials in Palmerston North, are a great place to see the latest trends in roses. This month we feature the overall winner from the most recently concluded trial presented last November. ‘Mulberry Wine’ was a standout winner for breeder Rob Somerfield. Masses of fragrant purple […]
Skyla Rose
We start 2024 by featuring the overall winner from the New Zealand Rose of the Year competition held at Rogers Rose Garden in Hamilton last November. It also won Best Floribunda and Most Fragrant Rose in the same competition in 2019. ‘Skyla Rose’ has clusters of glowing medium pink blooms that open to an old-fashioned […]
Centurion
The colour red is one of the most popular, if not the most popular colour in roses and this month we feature one of the best new red coloured releases in recent times. ‘Centurion’ is a bush rose with large clusters of vibrant orange-red blooms that attract the bees. A good rose for picking, the […]
Otago University
Good yellow roses, especially those that can be picked are few and far between. For this month we feature a promising newer variety well worth growing. ‘Otago University’ has shapely warm yellow blooms produced mostly one to a stem, making it ideal for picking. A medium-growing bush with glossy mid-green foliage and good health. Slightly […]