Rose Carolyn Knight

'Carolyn Knight' captivates with its exquisite apricot-hued buds, with a delicate pink flush, opening into large, very full, cupped blooms. The petals transition from deep golden tones to soft golden shades as they mature, revealing a rich and harmonious color palette. Blooms are very fragrant, offer a complex and warm scent with notes of honey, myrrh, almond, blackcurrant, and tea. This moderately vigorous variety forms an upright yet slightly arching shrub, it thrives as an elegant centerpiece in gardens or as a refined addition to mixed borders.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Carolyn Knight' is provided with color descriptions using terminology of the The Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, except where common terms of color definition are employed. Phenotypic expression may vary with environmental, cultural and climatic conditions, as well as differences in conditions of light and soil.

FLOWERING

This rose variety has a recurrent flowering habit. Blooms in flushes with short breaks from summer until frosts. The number of blooms per plant during the growing season is profuse, but there are too many to count.

Flower bud:

The flower buds of 'Carolyn Knight' rose variety are medium sized, about 3.8 cm long and 2.1 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is urceolate. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is dark orange red. When half open, the upper and the lower sides of the petals are deep orange yellow to apricot complete with a lovely pink flush.

The sepals have a length of about 2.8 cm and a width of 1.2 cm. The shape of the sepals is subulate, the surface texture is pubescent on the upper surface and smooth with strong raised central ridge running to apex on the lower surface. The colour on the upper surface is medium green (Group 144A) with light green (Group 144B) at base and on the lower surface is medium brown green (Group 148C). There are 3 normally appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with canescent edges.

The receptacle is medium green (Group 143B) with irregular patches of dark purple red (Group 53A), campanulate shaped and has a smooth surface. The size of the receptacle is medium, about 1 cm long and about 1.2 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium averaging to about 8 cm in length, of a normal to weak strength and has a glandular surface. The colour of the peduncle is light green (Group 144B) n shaded surface and dark brown purple (Group 184A) on surface exposed to sun.

Bloom:

The flowers are large, the average diameter of the open flower is about 9.7 cm. When first open, the flower form is cupped, the flower form persists until the end. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 80 - 90. They are born in small clusters, of 3-5 blooms together, having a rounded shape.

When first open the colour of the upper and of the reverse sides of the petals is deep golden. Under normal growing conditions the variegation is not observed on the flowers of this rose variety, however spontaneously there might appear flowers of the same pure orange red colour as the flowers of the parent variety ’Summer Song’.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is deep golden, at the end of the third day the general tonality becomes lighter, soft golden.

Petals:

The texture and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is obdeltoid, broad elliptical, the margins are flat, with gentle undulation on the inner petals, some slightly reflexing. The apex is rounded and only on some emarginate; the base of the petals is cuneate, pointed. And the petals form is incurved, tips slightly recurved on some. Average length of the petals is about 5.3 cm and the width is about 3.7 cm. The arrangement of the inner petals informa and the outer ring of petals is imbricated.

Normally there are few petaloids present in the center of the flowers, 10 on average, where the petal is joined to the filament, and anthers are fused to the margin of the petal. Petaloids also have a deep golden colour, they are about 16 mm long and 7 mm wide. The shape of the petaloids is irregular. The anther attached to the petaloids have yellow-orange colour, are about 1 mm long; the filaments attached to the petaloids have also yellow-orange colour, length of about 7 mm.

The petals of this rose variety have good self-cleaning quality, they normally drop off cleanly before drying. Under normal climate conditions the lastingness of the petals is fair, on the plant they last for about 4 days, and as a cut flower they last also for about 4 days.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Carolyn Knight' is strong, of the Fruity character with undertones of honey, myrrh, almond, blackcurrant, and tea.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 35 on average per flower, the length is about 11 mm, they are regularly arranged around the styles.

The anthers have a length of about 3 mm and medium yellow orange colour (Group 17A).

The colour of the filaments is medium red (Group 42C), their length is 8 mm on average.

The pollen is medium yellow orange (Group 17A).

The number of pistils is 80 on average, they are about 10 mm long.

The colour of the styles is light green (Group 157A) with orange red (Group 35A) below stigma, and are about 9 mm long.

Stigma are about 1 mm long and are dark yellow (Group 14B).

The hips of this rose variety have not been observed yet.

PLANT

The rose variety 'Carolyn Knight' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is moderately vigorous. Forms upright, bushy and slightly arching plants. Mature and well-established plants have a height of about 125 - 140 cm and the width of about 90 - 110 cm.

Foliage:

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 5 to 7, including the terminal leaflet. The average flowering stem has about 12 leaves. The foliage is large, about 19.4 cm long and about 14.5 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 146A) with dark purple red (Group 53A) on the margin while the lower side is dark brown green (Group 146B). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark green (Group 139A) and on the lower side is dark brown green (Group 146A).

Leaflets:

The leaflets are large, about 7.6 cm long and are about 5.2 cm wide. The shape of the leaflets is pointed oval, the shape of the leaflet tip is acuminate and the base shape is rounded. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and large.

The petiole has light green colour (Group 144B), is about 4 cm long and 2 mm in diameter, and has a smooth surface texture with a few glands.

The petiole rachis is light green (Group 144B) and has a smooth surface with few glands.

The auricle is elongated awl shaped. The stipules are 1.9 cm long, have a glandular surface and dark brown purple colour (Group 178A).

The veins have light green (Group 144B), the venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has dark brown purple colour (Group 178A), the bark is smooth. The mature wood is dark brown green (Group 146B), the bark remains smooth.

Stems:

The mature stem has an average length of about 45 cm and the diameter of 5 mm, the internode distance is 4 cm. The stem pubescence is not observed on the stems of this rose variety. The above measurements are all variable, depending on growing conditions in a season.

Prickles:

There are ordinary prickles present on the main canes from base, about 4 per 10 cm of the stem length. On the laterals from main canes there is an ordinary quantity of prickles, 5 per 10 cm of the stem length. The shape of the prickles is concave curved inward, the length is about 9 mm. The colour of the young prickles is dark purple red (Group 185A) with medium brown green (Group 146D) at the tip. The mature prickles have light brown colour (Group 164A) with medium brown purple (Group 184B) at tip and along the upper edge.

Small prickles:

The small prickles under normal growing conditions are not observed on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of 'Carolyn Knight'.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Carolyn Knight' has good resistance to most common rose diseases, in particular it is resistant to mildew, blackspot and rust under normal growing conditions. The pest resistance has not been tested yet.

Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 5 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

Carolyn Knight was a great help to the nursery in the early days when she helped with various aspects of design. Sadly she passed away recently.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Austurner’ / 'Carolyn Knight' originated by David Austin as a sport of his Shrub rose ’Austango’ / ’Summer Song’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to preserve the occasional variety sport. Here, ’Austango’ / ’Summer Song’, has sported from its usual striking burnt orange colour to a distinctive shade of soft gold.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The objective was achieved, along with other important improvements, and this rose variety incorporated the following unique combination of characteristics:

 Tall, bushy and upright shrub;

 Deep cupped shaped flowers of soft gold colour;

 Strong mixed fruity fragrance with warm myrrh notes.

Asexual reproduction of this variety by budding showed that the foregoing and all other characteristics and distinctions came true to form, established and transmitted through the succeeding propagations.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

The ‘Austurner’ / ‘Carolyn Knight’ may be distinguished from its parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 ‘Austurner’ / ‘Carolyn Knight’ has soft gold colour and strong Tea fragrance with warm myrrh notes while the parent variety ’Austango’ / ’Summer Song’ has burnt orange colour and strong Fruity fragrance with with hints of chrysanthemum leaves and ripe bananas.

USDA 5