Current rose trials

Each season (July to June), I take a few varieties that I liked least (or got bored with), give them away, and re-plant with something new and exciting.

Here are my trial varieties for the 2004/2005 season. I'll update notes, 'blogging' on these bushes until I'm confident enough to rate them in the Reviews section of this site. If anyone's interested in past trials, here's a link to the 2003/2004 trial notes.

This season I'm narrowing my focus to specialise on the 'later' period of tea roses, bred from the 1880s to the early 1900s. I'm also having a look at one of the latest releases from David Austin's 'English rose' breeding program, and a couple of new hybrid teas.

Baronne Henriette de Snoy

This French-bred pink tea rose was released in France in 1897. By then the teas were very popular, and this one had some very sophisticated breeding behind it (Gloire de Dijon and Mme Lombard as parents, and Souvenir de la Malmaison as a grandparent). By reputation it is a tall strong grower with large foliage and very red stems. Fragrance is a question mark - reports vary.

• 9 July 2004 - sourced the last remaining bush from Honeysuckle Cottage Nursery. Not a good specimen, with the main stem looking thick but unhealthy (I bought it with full knowledge of the challenge I was facing!). Planted in my front display bed.
• 1 August 2004 - the bush is not doing well. Right now I'm cursing myself for buying it. I should have known better! I'll see if some TLC can encourage a new stem from the base, but it's a long shot.
• 3 August 2004 - removed the Baronne from the less sunny front bed and potted it in the hope of salvaging the bush. It's being spoilt with full sun and daily sprays of seaweed solution.
• 22 August 2004 - the spoiling has paid off! After sprouting some unlikely new foliage off the dying main stem, the Baronne is generating pure gold: basal growth buds that I hope will form healthy new stems!

• 4 November 2004 - after a couple of timid earlier blooms, I photographed this luxurious large flower. It comes from one of the fresh stems seen as a bud above:

Maman Cochet

A pink Tea, bred in 1893. One of the most popular remaining in cultivation. Will reportedly grow to 2 metres and provide large, fragrant flowers suitable for cutting. Disease resistance to mildew is apparently good in the US.

This trial is continued from last year, where the bush failed to really get a foothold.

• 9 July 2004 - removed from my display bed, potted and placed in a good sunny position.
• 28 September 2004 - the plant is still weak overall, with susceptibility to black spot and dieback causing foliage losses over the month. Nevertheless we have a first timid flower, drooping on a lax stem. It has a mild tea fragrance and looks pleasant when held up:

Mme Antoine Mari

A tea with darker rose outer petals blending to pale pink within. Photos of it look lovely. This is one of the later teas, bred by a little known rosarian (Mari) in 1901. Reportedly very fragrant, it seems to have numerous fans in the US but I don't see much mention of it in Australia.

This trial is continued from last year. My first bush died after a long struggle in 'near death' mode. It was a very weak specimen to begin with, so it was worth another try. This year Honeysuckle Nursery has given me a much better one.

• 9 July 2004 - sourced as a bare root from Honeysuckle Cottage Nursery, and potted.
• 28 September 2004 - slow but steady growth. All other teas in my collection have bloomed or budded, but this one is lagging behind so far. Early days.
• 4 November 2004 - it's my last tea to bloom, and the bush is yet to impress me much, but this smallish bloom surprised me with the perfection of its form. There is a typical tea scent, about average for this class of rose:

Mme Lombard

Prompted by a dismal beginning for Baronne Henriette de Snoy, I resorted to its mother! A salmon pink tea with reportedly good fragrance, Mme Lombard was bred in France by Lacharme in 1878. It is a direct seedling from the famous Mme de Tartas whose bloodline has contributed to more than 7,500 known varieties, including Iceberg, Mr Lincoln, Superstar, Gold Medal and Double Delight. This Madame is no genteel lady though: it has enormous thorns and plenty of them. It also has a reputation for survival in bad conditions, especially in neglected cemetaries.

• 1 August 2004 - sourced as a potted bush from Belrose Nursery in excellent health.
• 3 August 2004 - planted in my front display bed, replacing the luckless Baronne Henriette de Snoy.
• 29 September 2004 - a little mildew hasn't spoiled some excellent new growth, including four new stems from the base. Two buds have opened suddenly - here's one of them:

Mrs B R Cant

I first tried this rose in 2002, but it quickly succumbed to drainage problems in heavy clay. Until it died rather suddenly, the bush showed enormous promise. It is a mid pink tea, bred by one of the world's oldest rose breeding firms (Cant, of Colchester in the UK) in 1901. It is a large bush, with stiffer stems and better fragrance than the average tea rose. Reportedly very disease resistant.

• 9 July 2004 - sourced as a bare root from Honeysuckle Cottage Nursery, and planted in my display bed.
• 28 September 2004 - it hasn't grown tall yet, but 5 very large blooms are opening on good thick stems, with an excellent tea fragrance. This is well beyond normal expectations for such a new bush, especially tea roses (which can be slow starters). Here are photos of a bud and an opening bloom:

Jubilee Celebration

A 2002 release from David Austin, this is (according to him) one of his best ever roses. By the photographs it appears to be mid pink in colour, with a strong citrus/raspberry fragrance and a growth height up to 1.25 metres. It is reportedly very free flowering.

• 9 July 2004 - sourced as a bare root from Honeysuckle Cottage Nursery, and potted.
• 28 September 2004 - this bush is becoming twiggy and shrubby, not like a hybrid tea or a floribunda at all. The foliage is abundant and mid green with deeply serrated edges. Several small buds are fattening and should open in October. The best way to illustrate it is with this photo:

• 8 October 2004 - the first blooms have opened from the buds shown above. They are beautiful from bud to full bloom. The following photo is caught between those two stages. Fragrance is strong and unique - there really is a hint of raspberry there!

Ernest's Blue

This variety appears to be rare to the point of extinction, but I can't fathom why. Apparently bred in 1990 by LeGrice (England), this modern hybrid tea seems to have eveything going for it: large 'blue' (i.e. mauve) blooms good for cutting, medium to tall growth, strong fragrance and "abundant, disease-free foliage" according to Botanica's Roses. Yet it seems lost to all countries bar Australia - I can only find it at Mistydowns and Treloar.

• 24 July 2004 - I found mine potted at Green E Plants at Galston (who source them from Treloar).
• 22 August 2004 - despite spoiling, this is a reluctant starter. One of the two canes seems to have dieback. Ernest will need some trimming and nurturing, despite my planting it in a very sunny spot.
• 31 October 2004 - it's been a long time coming, but the first bloom turned out large and luxurious despite the bush remaining quite small. A crowded looking bud opened to a bloom with a muddled centre. Its fragrance is weaker than Blue Moon but the colour is stronger and darker, and it lasts longer in the vase:

Tropical Sunset

Now this looks like fun. Veteran New Zealand breeder Sam McGredy has bred some fine roses, and this is another of his novelty striped varieties. Like his 1992 floribunda creation, Oranges 'n' Lemons, Tropical Sunset (1998) has orange and yellow stripes that fade to pink and cream. The difference is that this is a hybrid tea with completely different ancestors behind it. How good it is for picking, and how fragrant it really is will be interesting to find out.

• 31 July 2004 - sourced as a potted rose at Swanes, in excellent health. Potted it in a sunny position where conditions will be ideal.
• 22 August 2004 - this baby is proving the value of buying a healthy bush to start with. It has a big bud on it already, and will turn out to be the first hybrid tea in my garden to flower this season. Stay tuned for the photo.
• 28 September 2004 - here it is! No fragrance to speak of - the advertised 'light' fragrance appears to be another rose industry euphemism!

• 31 October 2004 - the bush remains very healthy despite favourable conditions for disease caused by all the rain. The blooms are turning out very beautiful, with a stronger yellow tone as the weather warms:

Susan

The German firm Kordes is one of the most competent in the world. They have the cut flower market virtually sewn up. Most of their breeds are designed to produce copious numbers of blooms under hot-house conditions, with strong disease resistance. Fragrance tends to come a long last in breeding priorities, and the names are something only a commercial flower producer would remember. Yet sometimes Kordes comes up with a rose that works equally well in the home garden, with a good fragrance too. Kardinal is one example; Susan is reportedly another. This is a light to mid pink shaded hybrid tea. I was tempted to try it because the 'plain Jane' name might be hiding a real winner. Both the Treloar catalogue and Botanica's roses suggest so.

• 31 July 2004 - sourced as a potted rose from Green E Plants (who in turn got it from Treloar), and potted.
• 22 August 2004 - not showing much sign of growth. It's in a semi shaded spot so it may start late.
• 28 September 2004 - after shifting it to a full sun position, new growth is now starting. The foliage is light green and appears very healthy so far.