Rose Alan Titchmarsh

Beautifull variety with deep, globular, many-petalled cupped flowers of a deep pink color with moderate, delicious, soft, and warm Old Rose fragrance. Flowers appear in small clusters on a rounded shrub with arching stems, gracefully nodding. The leaves are red at the bud stage, soon turning to medium glossy green.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY
The following is a detailed description of ‘Ausjive’ cultivar with color descriptions using terminology in accordance with The Royal Horticultural Society (London) Colour Chart (2001), except where ordinary dictionary significance of color is indicated.

FLOWER
Observations made from plants commencing at one year of age grown in a garden environment at Albrighton, England.

This rose has recurrent blooming habit. The number of blooms per plant during the growing season is profuse, but there are too many to count.

Flower bud:
The flower bud is medium sized, with the average length of about 2.5 cm and the diameter is about 1.8 cm when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is globose, pointed. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is red pink (Group 48B). When half blown, the upper sides of the petals are red-purple (Group N66C) and the lower sides of the petals are with dark red shades (Group 45A).

The colour of the sepals on the upper surface is medium green (Group 143A), with Yellow-Green Group 144C at base. The lower surface of the sepals is medium brown green (Group 138B). The sepals have average length of 2.2 cm and width of 0.8 cm. Their shape is subulate, the upper surface is rough, glandular and the lower surface is pubescent. There are three normally appendaged sepals and two unappendaged sepals with canescent edges.

Receptacle has smooth surface, medium green colour (Group 143A) with irregular patches of dark brown (Group 187A). It has campanulate shape, the average length of about 0.9 cm and the width of about 1 cm.

The peduncle’s length is medium, averaging about 7 cm. It has smooth surface, dark brown green colour (Group 148A) with irregular patches of greyed-purple (Group 187A). The peduncles have weak strength which results in flowers bowing down gracefully.

Bloom:
The flowers are large, the average open diameter is about 8.2 cm. They are usually borne several together in small, rounded shaped clusters of six to nine blooms.

When the flowers first open they have cupped form, which retains its form to the end of the flowering, the very outer petals curl back. The number of petals under normal conditions is about 90-100.

The upper sides of the petals are of medium blue pink colour (Group N66D) and the reverse sides of the petals are light violet (Group 75C). The base of each petal is light yellow (Group 4C). The major color on the upper side is medium blue pink (Group N66D). No variegations is observed on the flowers.

The general tonality at the end of the first day in overall appears to have medium blue pink colour (Group N66D). At the end of the third day the overall bloom appearance changes to light violet (Group 75C).

Petals:
The petals of this variety have smooth texture and surface. The average width of the petals is about 3.4 cm and the average length is about 4.6 cm. Petals have obovate shape, the margins are irregular and have moderate undulation. The apex shape is obtuse, and the shape of the base is cuneate. The general appearance of the petals is incurved with slightly recurved tips. Petals arrangement is imbricated, regularly arranged, shingle-like.

The number of petaloids is 10 on average, the colour is dark blue pink (Group 72D).

Petals drop off cleanly from the plant before drying.

The lastingness of petals on the plant is rather short - about 3 days, and about 5 days as a cut flower under normal growing conditions.

Fragrance:
Has moderate fragrance, with Old rose character.

Reproductive parts:
The number of stamens on a flower is 118 on average. They have a length of about 16 mm.

The anthers have length of about 4 mm and medium yellow-orange colour (Group 17C). The arrangement of the anthers is regular around styles, mixed with petaloids.

Filaments have medium yellow colour and average length of 12 mm.

Pollen has medium yellow-orange colour (Group 17C).

The number of pistils is 50 on average. They have a length of about 10 mm.

Styles are light green brown (Group 160A), 9 mm long.

Stigmas have length of about 1 mm and light yellow brown colour (Group 162C).

Hips – not observed.

PLANT
Forms well balanced, medium sized with moderate growth strength dense bush, with stems arching gracefully. The mature plant has a height of about 125 – 150 cm and the width is about 90 – 125 cm.

Foliage:
The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is about 5-7, including terminal leaflet. The size of the leaves is medium, about 4.2 cm long and 11.3 cm wide. The quantity of foliage on the plant is norma, the average number leaves per flowering stem is 6 - 10, depending upon the maturity of a stem. New foliage on the upper side has greyed-purple colour (Group 187A) and the colour of the lower side is greyed-purple (Group 183C). The old foliage on the upper side is yellow-green (Group 147A) and on the lower side is dark brown green (Group N138C).

Leaflets:
The leaflets have a pointed oval shape, with a rounded shape of a base and acuminate apex. The average length of the leaflet is about 5.9 cm, and the width is 3.8 cm on average. They have smooth texture, the edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and small.

Petiole is light green (Group 145A). Petiole rachis is light green (Group 145B) with glandular underside. Stipules are 2.5 cm on average, serrated, auricle shape is subulate.

Vein color is light green (Group 145C), venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:
The new wood has greyed-purple colour (Group 185A) and smooth bark. The colour of the old wood is dark brown green (Group 146A) and the bark is smooth.

Stems:
The average mature mid stem has a length of about 30 cm, and the diameter is about 4-6 mm depending upon maturity of stem. The average internode distance is about 4 cm.

Prickles:
The quantity of the prickles on main canes from base is ordinary, about 4 per 5 cm stem length. On the laterals from main canes is also ordinary, about 6 per 5 cm per stem length.

The prickles form is concave curved inward, with the length of about 8 mm. Young prickles have dark red colour (Group N34A) and when they become mature the colour remains the same dark red (Group N34A).

Small prickles:
Small prickles are not present on the main stalks and on the laterals from main stalks.

Disease resistance:
‘Alan Titchmarsh’ / ‘Huntington Rose’ is resistant to powdery and downy mildew, blackspot and rust in normal growing conditions. Pest resistance - not tested.

Winter hardiness - not tested so far.

Named after Alan Titchmarsh MBE, the well-loved English horticulturist, writer and broadcaster, who has been a great inspiration to gardeners for many years.

This rose is sold in The US under the name ‘Huntington Rose’, and named for The Huntington, the former estate of Henry Huntington, turned into a library, art galleries and botanical collection after his death. The gardens, dating as far back as 1903, are the source of many Old Garden Roses in commerce in the United States. The rose gardens also house some early finds by California old rose finder extraordinaire, Fred Boutin. Each year The Huntington hosts a "Great Rosarian Of The World" with the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, at which a world-reknowned rosarians are giving a talks.

English Shrub Rose

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of a shrub rose plant named ‘Ausjive’ which was originated by crossing an unnamed, unpatented seedling with an unnamed, unpatented seedling.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY
The primary objective of this breeding was to produce a very tough and healthy, repeat flowering variety with full, deep pink blooms on a rounded shrub. Parentage: Seed parent – is unnamed seedling, unpatented. Pollen parent is unnamed seedling, unpatented.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY
The objective was substantially achieved, along with other desirable improvements, as evidenced by the following unique combination of characteristics that are outstanding in the ‘Ausjive’ variety and that distinguish it from its parents, as well as from all other varieties:

1. Flowers in deep, rounded, many-petalled cups of deep pink color.
2. Rounded shrub with arching stems, medium to tall in size.
3. Old Rose fragrance. Asexual reproduction of this new variety by budding, as performed at Albrighton, England, shows that the foregoing and all other characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS
The seed parent is a larger shrub than ‘Ausjive’ / ‘Alan Titchmarsh’ / ‘Huntington Rose’ and has paler pink blooms.

The pollen parent has scarlet, semi-double blooms compared with the very full, deeply cupped, deep pink blooms of ‘Ausjive’ / ‘Alan Titchmarsh’ / ‘Huntington Rose’.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR
‘Austijus’ / ‘The Ingenious Mr. Fairchild’ has blooms that are more lilac in color with smaller, narrower petals than ‘AUSjive’ / ‘Alan Titchmarsh’ / ‘Huntington Rose’ and a fruity fragrance.

‘Ausjive’ / ‘Alan Titchmarsh’ / ‘Huntington Rose’ has more deeply cupped, fuller blooms with an Old Rose fragrance and has redder prickles than ‘Austijus’ / ‘The Ingenious Mr. Fairchild’.

USDA zone 5 and warmer