Lorraine Lee: Perhaps Alister Clark’s Finest legacy Probably breeder Alister Clark’s finest legacy, Lorraine Lee is a pink to coral Hybrid Gigantea-Tea rose, available either as large shrub or climber. You can read a bit more about Clark on our rose breeders page. We have the climber in our back garden, and it seems this … Read moreLorraine Lee
The John Cabot rose is one of the most popular Explorer varieties. If you’re in a cold climate and want a nice looking small shrub/climber, it’s a good choice. It was originally launched in Canada in the late 1970s as one of the first groups of Explorers and has slowly gained favor over the years … Read moreJohn Cabot Rose
Wild roses such as Rosa Canina (the dog rose) are perhaps a little plain to look at, compared to their modern cousins. Generally smaller single flowers in various shades of pink, they have one outstanding feature. The attractive red hips produced in the fall. I think that the name dog rose comes from an old belief that the rose … Read moreRosa Canina
The Nearly Wild rose is an extremely hardy and strong growing pink floribunda, although you could be forgiven for mistaking it for one of the species roses you see growing in meadows and hedgerows. This pink Floribunda was first bred in 1941 by Brownell. Parentage is Dr W Van Fleet x Leuchstern. Because of the … Read moreNearly Wild
Apricot to orange tones of Just Joey The town of Colchester in England is one of the oldest on record and has a climate that is superbly suited for the hybridization of high quality roses. It is here in the year of 1765 the Cants of Colchester was established who have been engaged in hybridization … Read moreJust Joey: English Bred Hybrid Tea
The Rugosa rose, also known as Japanese rose and Ramanas rose. This beautiful flowering shrub is native to Asia and was first seen in China, Japan and Korea where it grows along the coastline in sandy soiled areas. The name ‘Rugosa’ rose actually comes from the Japanese word ‘Hamans’ which means ‘shore pear’, due to its prickly bush like foliage. The … Read moreWild Roses: Rugosa
The “official” version of Scentasia gives the color as light yellow to white. However, every specimen that I have seen has been white, with a yellow center, as seen in the accompanying photo. Also listed as “moderate fragrance”…again, this is at odds with my experience. I have found it to be quite strongly perfumed. Perhaps … Read moreScentasia: NZ Bred White Floribunda
Veilchenblau, a Lilac-lavender colored rose makes our list of top five ramblers for some very good reasons. It is wonderfully fragrant, nearly thornless, easy to grow, and somewhat shade tolerant. Vielchenblau Rambler Class: Rambling, Hybrid Multiflora Origin: Johan Schmits 1909 Habit: Climbing, up to 6m Blooms: Masses of smaller semi-double flowers, no repeat. Very fragrant Parentage: Crimson Rambler … Read moreVeilchenblau: Wonderfully Fragrant Rambler
This variety has been around for a while now (1960) but is still very popular. A rich pink with a darker tone on the underside of the petals, it has a medium fragrance and tends to be a little too thorny for my liking. It won an ARS award the year after release (1961). One … Read moreDuet Rose