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

The following is a detailed description of ‘Charlotte’ rose cultivar with color descriptions using terminology in accordance with The Royal Horticultural Society (London) Colour Chart, except where ordinary dictionary significance of color is indicated.

FLOWERING

Observations made from specimens grown in a garden environment at Albrighton, Wolverhampton, England in Jul. 1992.

Blooming habit: Recurrent.

Flower bud has size of 2.5 to 3.0 cm long when the petals start to unfurl; the flower bud has pointed ovoid form.

Color: When sepals first divide, bud color is yellow-orange (Group 14C/D). When half blown, 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.

Sepals have medium green (Group 143C) colour with deep pink blush; their surface texture is leathery, slightly puckered. There are three appendaged sepals. There are two unappendaged sepals with downy edges.

The receptacle is medium green (Group 143C) colour and narrow goblet shaped, it is slender, about 12 to 14 mm long and from 8 to 9 mm wide.

Peduncle has smooth surface, length about 3.5 to 4.0 cm in average. Surface is glandular, the colour is light to medium green; strength - erect, slender.

Flower: Flowers are medium, average open diameter is 8.0 cm. They are born in irregularly shaped clusters of 3 to 9 blooms. The stem has an average length is about 75 to 80 cm, normal strength. When the flowers first open, they are deeply cupped. As the flower ages in flattens somewhat, outer petal edges curl slightly. The number of petals under normal conditions is about 100. The upper side of the petals have medium yellow orange (Group 13C) colour, deepening to darker (Group 13B) toward base. The reverse side of the petals is medium yellow orange (Group 14C). The base of each petal has a dark yellow (Group 14A/B) tip. The major color on the upper side is medium yellow orange (Group 13C). Flowers have no variegations. 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 – light yellow (Group 10C).

Flowers have a moderate Tea rose fragrance.

Petals have firm texture. The shape of the outer petals is round, notched; inner petals are oval. Outer petals cupped, edges very slightly quilled. They are imbricatedly arranged (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.

The flowers last about 3 to 4 days on the plant and about 3 days as a cut flower.

Reproductive parts. Anthers are medium, they are many, golden yellow, tucked into calyx or partly so; mixed with petaloids. Filaments are golden yellow, sometimes pink blush at the base. Pollen is gold yellow. Styles are greenish white, sometimes with pink blush at the top. Stigmas are yellow, central stigmas/styles sometimes foliate.

PLANT

This rose variety grows as compact, medium sized shrub.

Foliage. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is 7, they are about 19 cm long and 13 cm wide; their quantity is normal. The new foliage has medium green (Group 144A) with dark purple red (Group 59A) blush on margins. Old foliage is dark brown-green (Group 147A).

Leaflets have pointed oval shape, have leathery texture on the upper side, edges are serrated, the serration is double. Petiole rachis is green and reddish at nodes. The underside of the petiole has 1 to 3 prickles per internode. Stipules are about 2.5 cm long.

‘Charlotte’ is resistant to mildew and blackspot under normal growing conditions at Albrighton, Wolverhampton, England.

The new wood has medium green colour (faint blush), bark is smooth; the old wood is green, and the bark is smooth.

The quantity of prickles on the main canes from base: few to ordinary; on laterals from main canes: very few. The prickles are medium, hooked downward; they are red when young with transparent tips; they are randomly distributed mostly on lower nodes of main stem. Small prickles are absent or very few on the main stalks and brown, on laterals – none observed.

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

English Shrub Roses

‘Charlotte’ is a cross between an unnamed seedling rose variety with the variety "Graham Thomas". 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. The objective was substantially achieved, along with other desirable improvements, as evidenced by the following unique combination of characteristics that are outstanding in the new variety and that distinguish it from its parents, as well as from all other varieties: 1. Orange/yellow flowers; 2. Repeat flowering; 3. Full, double flowers; and 4. Bushy growth.

Asexual reproduction of this new variety by budding, as performed at Albrighton, Wolverhampton, England, shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations.

Parentage: Seed parent -Unnamed seedling. Pollen parent -"Graham Thomas".

USDA zone 5 and warmer