The New Zealand Rose Society

Join the New Zealand Rose Society to attend local rose meetings, rose shows, pruning demonstrations, rose trials, publications, rose of the month and more...

April – Olivia Rose Austin

This month we feature one of the new David Austin roses making their way onto the New Zealand market this winter and one named for a member of the Austin family. ‘Olivia Rose Austin’ is named for the granddaughter of David Austin Senior who passed away at the end of last year. It features cupped rosettes of mid pink that are produced throughout the growing season. There is a light to medium fruity scent to the blooms which are shown off … [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...]

March – The Lady Gardener

The David Austin or English roses have been popular with rose lovers in New Zealand since the first varieties were introduced over 30 years ago. This month, we feature one of the new introductions coming onto the market in winter 2018. ‘The Lady Gardener’ has large, full petalled blooms of a stunning rich apricot that pales towards the edges of the bloom. Strongly scented with a tea-vanilla scent. A bushy, medium growing plant with good … [Read more...]

December – Flower Carpet Red

The Flower Carpet® series of roses have been a revelation since they were first introduced to New Zealand in the early 1990’s. Since then, 10 colours have been introduced and this month, we feature Flower Carpet® Red. Flower Carpet® Red has all the other attributes of the Flower Carpet ® series – long flowering period, exceptional tolerance to disease, easy care and tolerant of a wide variety of conditions. The single blooms are a velvety … [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...]

June – Rhapsody in Blue

Every so often a rose comes along that is completely different to anything that is already on the market. One such rose that we are featuring this month is ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ While mauve roses are fairly common, what sets ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ apart is the colour. Opening plum purple, the semi double blooms age to slate blue. Prominent yellow stamens add to the appeal of this rose as does the strong fragrance. The plant is shrub like in habit and … [Read more...]

March – Eyepaint

Every so often, a rose comes along that is completely different to anything else around and this month, we feature one such rose that has stood the test of time. ‘Eyepaint’ is a very free flowering shrub rose that can also be grown in some situations as pillar or climbing rose up 1.5 metres high and wide. It’s main attribute are the masses of single scarlet blooms with a distinctive eye that changes from yellow to silver as it ages. In full … [Read more...]

September – Flower Carpet Pink

This month we feature one of the most successful new rose introductions into New Zealand in the last 20 years and has become an integral part of the rose landscape in our country. It was also the first in what has become the biggest selling range of roses in New Zealand with two million plants sold in that time ‘Flower Carpet ® Pink’ was the first of the popular Flower Carpet series to be released by Anthony Tesselaar Plants of Australia and … [Read more...]