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Dr. Leda's Rose Journal |
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Our 2004 Centerfold—
Ogling the New
Roses
By Dr. Leda Horticulture, O. R.
Dr. Leda's top ten picks for 2004...
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| Blushing Knockout, a tasteful soft blush pink version of Knockout. |
Blushing Knockout - Four years ago amateur rose hybridizer Bill Radler introduced a spectacular new low-maintenance, ever-blooming shrub rose called 'Knockout' that took Rosedom by storm, and set a new standard for disease resistance. There were, however, a few curmudgeonly holdouts who resisted the new miracle rose because they loathed its radioactive hot pink color, a garish hue they insisted shouldn't exist except in a hooker's lipstick (I love it, myself). This year, for their benefit, Radler is introducing a tasteful, soft blush pink version of his famous workhorse rose. I plan to grow a group of five Blushing Knockouts with blue salvias, filling my front yard with lovely, non-stop, carefree, unobjectionable color spring through fall.
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Day Breaker - This is one of the 2004 All-American Rose Selection winners, which means it has already performed up to rigorous AARS standards in test gardens throughout the country so you don't have to be the hapless guinea pig. Reliable witnesses testify that this is a healthy, happy, bushy little floribunda that blooms its head off all summer. The fragrant flowers are an appealing blend of fresh sherbet pastels: lemony yellows, peachy apricots, and raspberry pinks. It's cheerful, it's pretty, it's easy to grow--perfect for beginners and old hands alike.
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| Day Breaker, a 2004 All-American Rose Selection winner |
Cherry Vanilla - Not a new rose, but a reissue of an old favorite that's been very hard to find for the past 30 years. I've often salivated over this rose in display gardens and photographs, so now I'm overjoyed to see it back on the market. Hybridized by Armstrong in 1973, this appetizing grandiflora has creamy-white petals adorned with delicious soft cherry pink picotee edges. The highly perfumed flowers are huge, and the stems are exceptionally long, making it ideal for cutting. Yum!
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| Disneyland Rose, a vivid composite of apricots, oranges, and pinks. |
Disneyland Rose - Winner of the exclusive honor of being selected as the official rose of The DisneylandŽ Resort, famous for its unsurpassed gardens. Disney demanded a rose that was strikingly beautiful, ever-blooming, hardy, heat tolerant, and low-maintenance to the point of being idiot-proof. And this rose has it all! The blooms are a vivid coppery color that on closer inspection is a sophisticated composite of apricots, oranges, and pinks. The bush is a nice compact 3 footer, and is grown on its own roots rather than grafted onto rootstock. Definitely a must-have.
Cl. Eric Tabarly (aka Red Eden) - The first time I saw a picture of this rose, I couldn't breathe for a week. I have never in my life seen anything so magnificent! The large, voluptuously cupped, globular blooms are the most incredibly rich deep burgundy red, a color that drives me mad with rose lust (not to mention an obsession with finding the perfect light blue Clematis to grow on the fence with it). This new-to-the-US Meilland climber, like its beautiful pink cohort 'Eden 88' (aka 'Pierre de Ronsard') grows about 8-10 ft., is lightly fragrant, and the flowers are carried in wonderfully dramatic sprays. I suspect this rose will sell out early, so act fast.
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| The new Eric Tabarly. Dr. Leda was in a swoon for a week after seeing this one. |
Heaven On Earth - WOW! I'm wooed head over heels by these enormous, 5" peony-like blossoms, which I wouldn't normally expect to see on a floribunda. The old fashioned, fully cupped flowers look more like English-style roses, but they only have 25-30 petals so they can open cleanly even in damp climates, and the compact rounded bush stays an attractive, manageable 3'-4'. I adore the color, an irresistibly perfect shade of apricot. And on top of all that, this rose has a divinely heady, distinctly spicy fragrance, which must have been the inspiration for the name. I'm making room for several of these, in a bed with dark purple Irises and Campanula.
Cl. High Society - This sensational new climbing rose from Jackson & Perkins is the exact shade of deep fuchsia pink I've been searching for, hitherto unavailable in a remontant climber. The pointed buds and huge, 5" wide, high-centered flowers have the look of hybrid tea roses (and last well in the vase), but they're perfumed with the coveted old-fashioned damask rose fragrance. Guinea pig gardeners who've been testing it rave that this is a vigorous grower and a generous bloomer. All in all, 'High Society' appears to be an excellent new rose.
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| Memorial Day, another 2004 All-American Rose Selection winner |
Memorial Day - Whiz-kid hybridizer Tom Carruth has outdone himself with this 2004 AARS winning hybrid tea, already destined to be a classic. The enormous, exhibition-quality flowers are an unbelievably beautiful soft mauve and orchid pink. They thrive on heat, but develop alluring lavender undertones in cooler weather. Gardeners who have hands-on experience report that the fragrance is outstanding ("Just one flower perfumes an entire room!"), the disease resistance is remarkable, the rebloom is quick and reliable, and the attractive bush stays a nice, civilized size. The stems are long with few thorns, making this a superior rose for cutting. Let's have a deafening round of applause for Tom Carruth!
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| Perfume Perfection |
Perfume Perfection - This scrumptious lavender floribunda is an exciting new introduction from Keith Zary. Folks who've grown it give it rave reviews, calling it vigorous, hardy, intensely fragrant, and a perpetual bloom machine. The sweetly perfumed flowers have a full old-fashioned English shape, and are backed by handsome glossy dark green foliage. This lovely rose is another own-root offering, a direction I'm extremely pleased to see Jackson & Perkins taking.
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| Wildfire, originally from Australia. These golden-yellow roses are tinted flame-red during the hottest summer days. This Hybrid Tea has small roses with little to no fragrance. They cluster into a masses of vigorous color. |
Wildfire - I developed a passion for vivid colors fairly late in life, and now I pursue them with the rabid zeal of a convert. This glorious new hybrid tea with sizzling orange flowers and a glowing yellow reverse will stand out in any crowd, and has certainly caught my eye. I especially adore bright colors in the vase, and this rose looks like a superb cutter with its long stems and thick, lasting petals that won't drop every time the dog barks. The fragrance is reported to be light but wonderfully musky and intriguing. I'm expecting 'Wildfire' to be a real traffic stopper.
Enjoy the catalog, and have a happy winter dreaming, drooling, and designing your spring gardens. And please, keep those photos coming! I love seeing all the different types of rose gardens folks have created, it's amazing and so inspiring.
