Rose Blush

Hybrid Tea rose 'Blush', is a notable cultivar within the florist's rose and its most striking feature is its cream and red, bi-coloured blooms, displaying a visually appealing complexity. For the cut flower market, where 'Blush' is primarily positioned, its attributes are particularly significant, and her impressive vase life and substantially long stems made this rose popular and demanded for over 20 years.

FLOWERING

This rose variety has a continuous flowering habit. In the greenhouse it is able to flower year round, and in a garden it blooms in flushes with short breaks from summer until frosts. The flowers appear on long flowering stems singly or several together in clusters, of 2- 3 blooms together.

The flowers of this rose variety are large, when fully open the average diameter is about 9 cm (3’). The long tightly wrapped high-centered buds open very slowly to reveal classical Hybrid tea flower form. The flowers are very double, the number of petals is about 25 - 40 per flower. The texture of the petals is thick and dense, which makes them very resistant in a wide range of weather conditions and long lasting. The flowers of the rose variety 'Blush' withstand heat and rain very well.

The colour of the flowers is bright and bold, and makes this rose popular for over 20 years. They are deep red to crimson on the edges and transition through a mix of pink, yellow, apricot undertones to cream to the base. As the flower ages the red edges become lighter and mostly blend with the major colour of the petals.

The fragrance is very light to none.

The petals of this rose variety normally hang on and dry, therefore the deadheading of the faded flowers is required for this rose variety. Under normal climate conditions the petals last long, on the plant they last for about 10 -14 days, as a cut flower their lastingness is also about 14-16 days.

PLANT

The Hybrid Tea rose 'Blush' is specifically positioned by Interplant within its "Cut Roses" and "Standard Roses" collections. Its attributes, particularly its long vase life and long stems, those qualities are highly desirable for the cut flower industry. While its flower production is low, the extended vase life and substantial stem length contribute significantly to its value as a premium cut flower.

The growth character is moderately vigorous, upright, and rather narrow. A mature and well-established plant has a height of about 80 - 120 cm and the width of about 45 cm. It is valued in the florists industry for being able to produce strong and thick canes of about 80 - 100 cm long, which are perfect for flower arrangements and for vase.

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is typically 5, including the terminal leaflet. The average flowering stem has about 8 - 10 leaves. The foliage is large, the surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and medium sized.

The new foliage and canes have an intense red-browd tint, especially on the margins of the leaflets. The mature foliage has dark green colour. The number of prickles on the main canes is normal to few, on the laterals from the main canes there are rather many prickles of different sizes, especially in the lower part. The young prickles have yellowish green colour at the base transitioning to red to the tips, and when mature they become grayish brown in colour.

The rose variety 'Blush' is disease resistant, particularly to mildew, blackspot and rust in greenhouse conditions, with on average day temperature maintained at 17.5 degrees C. In the garden conditions it is somewhat susceptible to black spot and mildew. The pest resistance has not been tested yet.

For 'Blush' and other florists Hybrid Tea roses, particularly in regions experiencing cold winters, strategic winter protection is crucial for ensuring their survival and long-term health. Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 7 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

Florists roses, including the 'Blush', are highly sensitive to various abiotic stresses such as drought, cold, heat, salinity, and ultraviolet radiation. These environmental challenges can significantly impair plant growth, reduce flower quantity, and diminish overall quality, therefore in garden conditions where climate and weather conditions are not controlled the flowers may sometimes lack their ‘exhibition’ quality.

Unfortunately we do not have information about the origin of the name of this rose.

Hybrid Tea rose 'Blush' was developed by Interplant, 'Natublush' serves as its official denomination, but the parentage of this rose is not disclosed as of the date. This denomination is registered with the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) under the application number 2003/2082. The CPVO's registration process involves a rigorous Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability (DUS) testing protocol to ensure that the variety is genuinely new and distinct from all other known varieties.

A significant point of potential misidentification arises from the existence of an older U.S. Plant Patent, USPP1090P, which also bears the name 'Natublush'. This patent, filed on January 25, 1951, and granted on April 29, 1952, was assigned to Jackson & Perkins Company, but a rose described in USPP1090P is distinctly different from Interplant's 'Blush' Hybrid Tea rose.

USDA 7