Rose Charlotte Austin

’Charlotte’ has exquisite flowers of a soft yellow colour. These start off beautifully cupped, later opening out to form rosettes. Each bloom is packed with numerous small petals, arranged around a classic button eye. There is a pleasant Tea fragrance. It forms a compact, bushy shrub, with even, upright growth.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Charlotte' 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 'Charlotte' rose variety are medium sized, about 2.5 to 3.0 cm long and cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is pointed ovoid. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is medium yellow orange (Group 14C) with light yellow (Group 14D). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are light yellow (Group 14D) at the base, with dark yellow or medium yellow orange (Group 14B/C) to light yellow (Group 13D) at the top edge; and the lower sides of the petals are medium yellow orange (Group 16B) at the center, fading through medium yellow orange to light yellow (Group 16C and 16D) at the top edge.

The sepals have a length of about 3 cm and a width of 1 cm. The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is leathery, slightly puckered. The colour on the upper surface is medium green (Group 143C) with deep pink blush. There are 3 lightly appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with downy edges.

The receptacle is medium green (Group 143C), narrow goblet shaped and has a smooth surface. The size of the receptacle is slender, about 12 to 14 cm long and about 0.8 to 0.9 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium, averaging to about 3.5 to 4.0 cm in length, erect, slender and has a glandular surface. The colour of the peduncle is medium green (Group 143C) and varies from light to medium green.

Bloom:

The flowers are medium to large, the average diameter of the open flower is about 8.0 cm. When first open, the flower form is deeply cupped. As the flower ages in flattens somewhat revealing rosette center, the outer petal edges curl slightly. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 100. They are born in small clusters of irregular shape, of 3 to 9 blooms having. The flowering stem has normal strength, medium sized. has an average length of about 75 to 80 cm.

When first open the colour of the upper sides of the petals is medium yellow orange (Group 13C) deepening to darker medium yellow orange (Group 13B) toward base. The reverse side of the petals is medium yellow orange medium yellow orange (Group 14C). The base of each petal has a basal petal spot of dark yellow (Group 14A/B) tip. The major color on the upper side is medium yellow orange (Group 13C). Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers of the rose variety 'Charlotte' .

The general tonality at the end of the first day: paler, less orange than at the beginning of the first day. At the end of the third day it becomes much lighter, light yellow (Group 10C).

Petals:

The texture of the petals is firm and the surface is smooth. The shape of the outer petals is round, notched; inner petals are oval. Outer petals cupped, edges very slightly quilled. The arrangement of the petals is imbricated (regularly arranged, shingle-like), sometimes a few central petals are tucked into the calyx, with a few small petaloids in the center.

Petals drop off cleanly before drying. Under normal climate conditions the petals last fairly long, on the plant they last for about 3 to 4 days, as a cut flower their lastingness is 3 days on average.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Charlotte' is moderate, of a Tea rose character.

Reproductive parts:

There are many stamens present on the flowers, they have medium length and are tucked into calyx or partly so, mixed with petaloids.

The anthers have golden yellow colour.

The colour of the filaments is golden yellow, sometimes pink blush at the base.

The pollen is golden yellow.

The colour of the styles is greenish white, sometimes with pink blush at the top.

Stigma are yellow with central stigmas and styles sometimes foliate.

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

PLANT

The rose variety 'Charlotte' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is moderately vigorous, upright and bushy. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 110 cm cm and a 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 normally 7, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is large, about 19 cm long and about 13 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage varies from medium green (Group 144A) to dark purple red (Group 59A). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 147A).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium sized, the shape of the leaflets is pointed oval with cuspidate apex and rounded base. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is double and medium.

The petiole has green colour with reddish tones at node, has up to 3 prickles per internode and sparse glandular hairs.

The petiole rachis is also green with reddish tones at nodes.

The stipules are 2.5 cm long, the venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has medium green colour with faint blush and the bark is smooth. The mature wood is green, the bark remains smooth.

Stems:

The mature stem has an average length of about 75 to 80 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 few to ordinary prickles present on the main canes from base, and on the laterals from main canes there are very few prickles. The shape of the prickles is hooked downward, the length is about medium. They are red when young with transparent tips; and they are randomly distributed mostly on lower nodes of the main stem.

Small prickles:

There are from none to few small prickles on the main canes of this rose, and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety there are no small prickles observed under normal growing conditions.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Charlotte' 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.

Dedicated to Charlotte, one of David Austin’s granddaughters.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auspoly’ / 'Charlotte' originated by David Austin by crossing an unnamed, unpatented seedling with the English shrub rose variety ‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this breeding was to produce a new shrub rose variety that is repeat-flowering and has yellow, old-fashioned-shaped flowers.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 Orange to yellow flowers;

 Repeat flowering;

 Full, double flowers;

 Bushy growth.

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 ‘Auspoly’ / ‘Charlotte’ may be distinguished from its pollen parent by the following combination of characteristics:

 The pollen parent ‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’ has darker yellow flowers with fewer petals and much larger plants comparing to ‘Auspoly’ / ‘Charlotte’.

USDA zone 5 and warmer