As said at the end of Part 7 this is a little interlude or diversion before we go to the post China Roses. I appreciate the title chosen covers the classes we have been through so far and those yet to be visited. It is however nicer than “Odds and Sods” which was my first choice. Some of the following you may have heard before under the Species heading (Part 2), but I’ll be brief and concentrate on the associated hybrids. Some of these ‘discoveries’ or hybrids were introduced quite recent, so much so, that some are younger than me!! Some may well be classed as Modern Shrubs, I’ll try and avoid those and leave them to Rosefan.
Part 8 Hybrids from Species As I have said before the Species Roses and their very close hybrids is where I really like to be. But the majority are large and you would need a large acreage to do them justice. But I’m sure if you try you could find a home for just one somewhere, especially if I find a smaller one or two. There are a few sections here, and a lot of pictures. So here we go
Section 1 Garden varieties/Hybrids of the Dog Rose and its Relatives. Our beloved native wild Rose,
R.canina , the Dog Brier. A tough little shrub of (IMO) great beauty. Now I can say that cos, as you know I always have one somewhere in my garden. Bearing in mind that millions are raised each year as understock, it is quite likely that you have at least one, albeit, only the root in your garden. So next time you remove a “sucker”, treat it as a cutting and you’ll end up with a nicer shrub!! Its natural habitat would be in a hedgerow so if you have a large shrub or two just let it ramble through and around them. If you a lucky enough to have a hedge, well all the better.
‘Abbotswood’ a hybrid of unknown origin and date, from
R.canina , some have it as late as 1954! That maybe when it got its name but was about much earlier Vigorous plant up to 6 x 6 foot. Has light green foliage. The flowers are a typical pink, fairly double and borne on arching branches in sprays. Heps are oval orange/red. Scented sweetly as
R.canina At about 1800 several forms of Eglantine, a treasure of English wild flowers, were being grown. Very few have survived, but here are a couple. The original species
R.rubiginosa had flowers of a clear pink, were well shaped and had a good fragrance, which was outdone by the aromatic fragrance of the leaves. This characteristic has to some degree been carried through to these hybrids.
‘Janet’s Pride’ Introduced by Paul 1892. Allegedly found growing in a Cheshire country lane far from any garden influence. It is less prickly and vigorous than its parent, and bears faintly aromatic foliage. The flowers are a bright cherry pink with a white centre and have two or three extra petals. Gets to 6 x 5 foot.
‘La Belle distinguee’ Again unknown origins. Grows to about 4 x 3 foot; leaves are a very dark green, tough but faintly aromatic. The flowers are flat, very double, deep red but not very fragrant.
‘Janet’s Pride’ is said to be the inspiration for Penzance to start his breeding of
Rosa eglanteria so I’ll include some here.
He produced about 15 varieties most very similar using
Hybrid Perpetuals and Bourbons as the other parent. There were two exceptions, when he used
R.foetida or her derivatives.
‘Amy Robsart’ 1892 deep rose pink, large semi double flowers, scarlet heps. Grows to 5 foot leaves have an apple aroma. Flowers once in spring
‘Catherine Seyton’ 1894, soft pink single flower. Grows to 6 foot. Has retained the aromatic leaves from its parent. Flowers once
‘Greenmantle‘ 1895 Rose crimson with a whiter centre, will grow to 6 foot or can be trained as a medium climber.
The name Greenmantle rang a bell, as a character in a schoolbook so I looked it up. Yes, she was a character in Walter Scott’s “Redgauntlet”. It transpires that all Penzances’ Rose names have a Scott connection. Anther little snippet I have learnt!
The two using
R.foetida or her off spring are
‘Lady’ and ‘Lord Penzance’ Her ladyship has [R.foetida var bicolor [/b][/I] as a parent while his lordship has an off spring called
‘Harrison’s Yellow ‘Lady Penzance’ 1894 Single flower, bright yellow centre, with a coppery salmon pink over most of the petals. Arching growth with aromatic foliage. Grows to around 5 foot and flowers early spring, will tolerate shade.
Section 2 Garden varieties/Hybrids of the Yellow Roses. It so happens that most of the yellow species are in the same Group viz Pimpinellifoliae, now, when I last checked, I could only find hybrids using two of the group
R.foetida and R.pimpinellifolia . But that was a few years ago.
These roses form a rather diverse group as garden plants go but are grouped together in the group under some common aspects; They are upright growing shrubs with straight prickles, leaves small consisting of anything from 5 – 19 leaflets, narrow stipules, vertical sepals that stay on the heps that are rounded, red, orange or maroon. So we have an ordinary shrub with small leaves; no great attraction to the heps and only the colour in its favour. However the species in this group do add a lot of value. Those soft pale yellows and whites of early summer blooms compliment the lilacs and mauves of the rhoddies and vivid colours of the azaleas. And, all modern Roses owe their entire yellow- flame colour range to
R.foetida .
The use of
R.ecae and R.foetida in the garden requires a little more thought, they are so bright that they really only sit comfortably with their own type or derivatives. The yellow is so insistent that it needs a rich partner or background such as a copper beach hedge to add tone. And in the case of
‘Austrian Copper Brier’ the flame colour also warrants some special thought.
‘Canary Bird’ . One time distributed as
R.xanthina spontanea [/b], under the impression it was a species all on its own. It is now considered as a hybrid, perhaps from either
R hugonis x R.xanthina or maybe
R hugonis x R.pimpinellifolia The richly coloured brown stems have few prickles towards the base but are covered with small excrescences (wart like). The small fern like leaves are of a bright green. The flowers of a bright clear yellow, open wide on long arching stems. It appears to be most at home in the drier parts of UK on well drained soil, reaching some 7 foot in all directions, that is up and across. Allegedly raised at Osterley Park. Date??
‘Cantabrigiensis’ UK 1931 A chance seedling allegedly, between
R.xanthina and R sericea occurring at Cambridge Botanical Garden. Possibly one of the best species like yellow Rose. She is an erect shrub of 7 foot by 6 foot densely covered by tiny hairy bristles on strong young growth. She has the ferny leaf effect of its parents but not the large wing like prickles. The five petalled flowers are of a marginally paler hue than
R.hugonis but still a very clear yellow and opens wider than that species. Very free flowering with small orange red heps in summer. Fragrant.
‘Earldomensis’ Raised by Page UK 1934 aka
R.pteragonis pteragonis Why ?? Seedling from
R.hugonis and R.sericea pteracantha Bushy ‘thorny’ shrub with some of the reddish flattened prickles of the father, mums are always quoted first on a hybrid. Small leaves, bright yellow flowers early in the season 7 foot by 7 foot.
‘Golden Chersonese’ Raised by Allen in Ipswich 1963
‘Canary Bird’ x R.ecae Fern like foliage and bright yellow flowers that benefit in size from
‘Canary Bird . Flowers early in season. Fragrant, erect bush to 8 foot by 8 foot.
‘Headleyensis’ Raised at a house called Boidier, at Headley near Epsom circa 1920. The seed parent was
R.hugonis possibly pollinated by
R.Pimpinellifolia Grandiflora She is a strong plant that will reach some 9 by 12 foot. Good creamy yellow single flowers, very fragrant. It is possible the most ornamental yellow rose shrub from
R.hugonis G H Thomas is surprised it has remained in obscurity for so long. You would need some garden to house her!
‘Hidcote Gold’ UK 1948, still younger than me! Raised at Hidcote, but not recorded anywhere. Parents thought to be
R.hugonis and R.sericea pteracantha’ There is no doubt re the pollen parent (father) as it bears the same flattened prickles. It’s a graceful plant with long branches getting to 7 foot, and having drooping side shoots that are covered in clear yellow single flowers.
Section 3. Garden varieties/Hybrids of the Burnet Roses I love this research bit, it’s amazing what you come up with. Here, I quote from
Gerard’s Herball dated 1597 with all its quaint spellings.
“The Pimpinell Rose was found groweth in a pasture as you goe from a village hard by London called Knights bridge unto Fulham a village thereby.”
(The first pastures would now be Kensington with Chelsea being more pastures, no wonder they cannot play football there!)
This early reference would probably be the reason Linnaeus named the species
R.Pimpinellifolia . This species has the widest distribution of any, and as such has a number of variations occur in nature, the plant can be found growing from Iceland to eastern Siberia and as far south as the Caucasus and Armenia. Around the coast of GB it grows in the sand dunes and may only reach some 9 inches, whilst other variants will get to 6 foot or more.
The species will spread easily by suckers, has large numbers of straight prickles with an even larger amount of hairy bristles. It has small fine leaves of between 7-9 leaflets. The flowers are also small and are borne singly on short stems coming from leaf axils, flowering once in early summer and then followed by near black heps.
It was the flowers that attracted the breeders to this species; she was as profuse with them as she was with her prickles. If you look back into history you will find that she became a favourite, more in Scotland than England, during the 19th century, with over 200 varieties listed by some Scottish nurserymen. I’m sure she will forgive me for saying but she was so easy to breed from that her off spring popped up all over the place, sometimes quite literally. The naming and recording of these names left a lot to be desired so today it is difficult to find any meaningful history or sometimes the correct name! So if you struggle to locate some of these do not blame Foz.
First the species, only because I like it!
Now some of the garden varieties.
‘Andrewsii’ . Grown a lot in France, sometimes difficult to find in UK. Appears to like a warm dry climate and light soil. The semi double or double flowers are cupped, of clear rose pink and possibly the largest in group. Being of dense bushy growth to 3 foot or so will make a good hedge.
‘Double White’ . This could be
’William IV ’ as recorded by Rivers or
‘Duchess of Montrose’ . (I had a locomotive called that), as listed by Austin. Is a very free in growth reaching 5 foot. The fully double flowers of pure white have long petals and as such remain cupped when open. Has a very strong fragrance, some say as fresh lily of the valley.
‘Falkland’ has greyish green leaves, which make the perfect backdrop to the semi double flowers. Which are of the softest, palest pink with a hint of pale lilac. They will fade to white in the summer Sun. grows to 4 foot.
’Irish Rich Marbled’ has soft pink buds that open a deep cherry pink with lilac reverse. Semi double with 3 rows of petals, the outer ones reflexing fully, has a yellow centre 4 foot.
‘Mary Queen of Scots’ Quoted as a most beautiful form, the story goes that the Queen brought it back from France. The grey lilac buds open to double blooms. The surface, of who’s petals are a rich plum. Grows to 4 foot.
‘Single Cherry’ Bluish green foliage. The bright rose pink buds open to a vivid, intense cherry red flower. Reaches 3-4 foot.
‘William III’ Very dwarf but vigorous. Grey green leaves, thickly covering the dense thicket of shoots. Semi double flowers showing a few yellow stamens, magenta-crimson fading to dark lilac pink. Reverse is paler. Black heps, up to 2foot.
Now for some of the Hybrids.
‘Stanwell Perpetual’ . Regarded by some as a real treasure and likely to remain in cultivation for as long as roses are grown. Reason; its perpetual flowering throughout the season, and its very heady sweet scent. It was a chance seedling in a garden at Stanwell, Middlesex, and put onto the market by Lee of Hammersmith in 1838. It is presumed to owe its perpetual flowering to that most famous of groups
Gallica , probably
‘Autumn Damask’ . It can grow to a 5 foot, lax, thorny and twiggy shrub. With greyish small leaves resembling
R.Pimpinellifolia , which is no doubt its other parent. The flowers are of a pale blush pink opening flat with quilled and quartered petals. Its main display is mid summer but never without a few blooms during the season.
‘Williams Double Yellow’ aka
R.pimpinellifolia lutea plena’ or ‘Old Double Yellow Scots Rose’ . Raised circa 1828 by John Williams, Worcester from seeds obtained from
R.foetida She makes a freely suckering, branching prickly bush to about 4 foot high, with neat leaves and loosely double, yellow flowers. These have green carpels at the centre. The scent is as
R.foetida and the petals reflex. The last time I say this was at the NT property of Upton house, near Banbury. That was when I was rich and lived in the south. Now I’m poor and live in the North I only get to see Lakes, Mountains and Moors. This plant is often found in the gardens of the Western Highlands were it goes by yet another name
‘Prince Charlie’s Rose’