Rose Charity

Enchanting shrub rose with large, cupped rosettes of delicate peach-pink, often likened to the soft hue of ballet slippers. Her quartered blooms open fully to reveal a striking lime-green stamen at the center, a unique botanical twist that lends a touch of drama and individuality. Richly fragrant, it has a captivating perfume blending notes of violet, musk, and vanilla. With her quick-opening blooms, long vase life, and romantic yet contemporary appeal, ‘Charity’ is a favorite for weddings and floral styling. She pairs beautifully with both textural greenery for a bold, modern look, and soft florals for a more relaxed, romantic feel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Charity' is provided with color descriptions using terminology of the The Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society (2001), 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 continuous 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 'Charity' rose variety are medium sized, about 2.5 cm long and 2 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is globular. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is light red pink (Group 36D). When half open, the upper sides and the lower sides of the petals are light red pink (Group 36D).

Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back, the length is about 10 cm and the diameter is 10 cm.

The sepals have a length of about 5 cm and a width of 0.6 - 0.9 cm. The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is downy on the upper surface and smooth on the lower surface. The colour on the upper surface is medium brown green (Group 194A) and on the lower surface is medium brown green (Group 138B). There are 3 normally appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with glandular edges.

The receptacle is medium brown green (Group 138B), funnel shaped and has a smooth surface. The sreceptacle is slender, about 1 cm long and about 0.8 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium averaging to about 8 cm in length, strong and has a glandular surface. The colour of the peduncle is medium brown green (Group 138B) with brown red colour (Group 178B).

Bloom:

The flowers are large, the average diameter of the open flower is about 11 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 153. They are born mostly singly or in small clusters having a flat shape, of 1-3 blooms together. The flowering stem is strong, long, and has an average length of about 65 cm with a diameter of about 6 mm.

When first open the colour of the upper sides and of the reverse sides of the petals are light red pink (Group 49C to 49D), and the base of the petals has a light yellow orange basal petal spot (Group 11D). Under normal growing conditions the variegation is not observed on the flowers of this rose variety.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is light red pink (Group 49C to 49D), and remains the same at the end of the third day.

Petals:

The texture of the petals is velvety and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is deltoid, the margins are mostly entire, some notched. The apex is rounded and the base of the petals is pointed, and the petals form is mostly incurved, some inner petals folded with outer petals almost flat. Average length of the petals is about 4.5 cm and the width is about 3 cm. The arrangement of the petals is quartered.

The petals of this rose variety have good self-cleaning quality, they normally drop off cleanly before drying. Under normal climate conditions the petals last fairly long, on the plant they last for about 9 days, and as a cut flower their lastingness is also about 9 days.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Charity' is strong, of an Old rose character, developing later notes of violet, musk, and vanilla.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 70 on average per flower, the length is about 9 mm, they are regularly arranged around the styles.

The anthers have a length of about 2-5 mm and dark yellow colour (Group 15A).

The colour of the filaments is medium yellow orange (Group 13C), their length is about 3 - 7 mm.

The pollen is dark yellow (Group 15A).

The number of pistils is 10 on average, and they are about 15 mm long.

The colour of the styles is white (Group 157D) and they are about 14 mm long.

Stigma are about 1 mm long and have brown red colour (Group 178B).

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

PLANT

The rose variety 'Charity' is classified as a Shrub rose and is a part of David Austin’s Wedding and Event Roses collection. The growth character is vigorous, powerful, upright and bushy. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 110 cm and the width of about 90 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 is typically 5, including the terminal leaflet. The average flowering stem has about 18 leaves. The foliage is medium sized, about 15 cm long and about 12 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is medium brown green (Group 138A) with brown red (Group 178B) while the lower side is medium brown green (Group 138B). The mature foliage on the upper side is medium brown green (Group 139B) and on the lower side is medium brown green (Group 138A).

Leaflets:

The leaflets are large, about 7 cm long and are about 5 cm wide. The shape of the leaflets is broadly oval, the shape of the leaflet tip is acuminate and the base shape is rounded. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and large.

The petiole has light red pink colour (Group 38B) with brown red (Group 178B), is about 3.5 cm long and 2 mm in diameter, and has a smooth surface texture.

The petiole rachis is light red pink colour (Group 38B) with brown red (Group 178B) and has prickles on the underside.

The auricle is lanceolate, has a length of about 0.6 cm and about 1.5 mm wide. The colour of the auricle is medium brown green (Group 138B).

The stipules are 1.8 cm long, have smooth surface and medium brown green colour (Group 138B).

The veins have the same colour as the leaf colour, the venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has brown red colour (Group 178B) and the bark is smooth. The mature wood is dark green (Group 139A), the bark remains smooth.

Stems:

The main stems are cut to allow the stems to shoot with no branching. Observation did not ascertain a natural branching habit. The mature stem has an average length of about 70 cm and the diameter of 6 mm, the internode distance is 7 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 and on the laterals from main canes, about 15 per 10 cm of the stem length. The shape of the prickles is deep concave, the length is about 6 mm. The colour of the prickles is dark brown purple (Group 183A).

Small prickles:

There are no small prickles observed on the main canes as well as on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Charity' 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.

Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 7 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

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

Wedding and Event Roses collection

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auswasher’ / 'Charity' originated by David Austin by crossing an unnamed, unpatented seedling with an unnamed, unpatented seedling of class Rosa hybrida.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new English Rose variety suitable for cut-flower production with an unusual characteristic of large, green pistils protruding from the center of the quartered blossoms, with a strong fragrance and long vase life.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 green pistils protruding from the center of the bloom;

 quartered blooms;

 strong old rose fragrance that develops into myrrh as the flower ages;

 long vase life.

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 ‘Auswasher’ / ‘Charity’ may be distinguished from its seed parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 the seed parent has blooms that are deeply-cupped pink which are smaller in size and the pistils do not protrude from the center of the bloom as they do in flowers of ‘Auswasher’ / ‘Charity’.

The ‘Auswasher’ / ‘Charity’ may be distinguished from its pollen parent by the following combination of characteristics:

 The pollen parent has blooms that are pale apricot cupped flowers, again with no pistils protruding from the center of the bloom as it is observed on the flowers of ‘Auswasher’ / ‘Charity’.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

The most similar rose cultivar to the rose variety ‘Auswasher’ / ‘Charity’ is the variety ‘Ausimmon’ / ‘Miranda’ and they may be distinguished by the following combination of characteristics:

 the ‘Auswasher’ / ‘Charity’ has pistils that protrude from the center of the bloom, whereas ‘Ausimmon’ / ‘Miranda’ does not, and also bears double blooms of a slightly deeper pink and green outer petals.

 ‘Ausimmon’ / ‘Miranda’ although has very full flowers, it has fewer petals than ‘Auswasher’ / ‘Charity’.

USDA 7