Rose Country Living

'Country Living' once was called the epitome of the English Rose definition with its full, quartered rosette blooms with a delicate blush-pink color that fades to the palest pink. The flowers often have a charming green "button eye," enhancing their Old Rose appeal. This compact and well-balanced shrub has bushy and compact plants decorated with small leaves, making it ideal for small gardens or intimate spots in larger landscapes. Although it may appear modest in the garden, its charm lies in its refined beauty and classic form.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Country Living' 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 'Country Living' rose variety are medium sized, about 2.5 to 4 cm long and 3.5 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 purple red (Group 61C). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are medium blue pink (Group 73C) and the lower sides of the petals are light blue pink (Group 73D).

The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is glandular. The colour on the sepals is medium green (Group 144A) with light green (Group 144B). There are 3 heavily appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacle is light green (Group 144B), funnel shaped and has a smooth or slightly glandular surface. The size of the receptacle is medium, about 5-6 cm long and about 7-8 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium, averaging to about 5 - 7 cm in length, erect, and has a glandular surface. The colour of the peduncle is medium green.

Bloom:

The flowers are medium-sized, the average diameter of the open flower is about 7.5 cm. When first open, the flower form is cupped, later the form flattens, outer petal edges curl slightly. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 130, varying from 110 to 140. They are born singly or several together in small clusters, of 3 - 7 blooms together, having irregular shape. The flowering stem has a normal strength, medium sized, and has an average length of about 70 - 90 cm.

When first open the colour of the upper sides of the petals is light blue pink (Group 62D) and the reverse sides of the petals are light blue pink (Group 65D). The base of the petals has light yellow orange colour (Group 19D). The major color on the upper side is light red pink (Group 36C). Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers of this rose variety.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is light red pink (Group 36C), at the end of the third day the general tonality does not change, remaining light red pink (Group 36D).

Petals:

The texture of the petals is medium thick and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is round notched, the tips slightly recurved. Average length of the petals is about 1.5 - 4.5 cm and the width is about 1.5 - 4.0 cm. The arrangement of the petals is quartered, with few, small petaloids in the center forming a button-eye.

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 5 days, as a cut flower their lastingness is 4 days on average.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Country Living' is moderate to strong, of a Fruity character.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is few per flower, the length is medium, they are tucked in calyx or partly so, mixed with petaloids.

The anthers have yellow colour.

The colour of the filaments is very pale yellow.

The pollen is lemon yellow.

The colour of the styles is light green (Group 144C).

Stigma has a greenish white colour.

The hips of this rose variety are formed rarely.

PLANT

The rose variety 'Country Living' is classified as a Shrub rose. The growth character is moderately vigorous. The rose plant of this variety is very branching in the upper part of the plant. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 105 - 150 cm and the width of about 75 - 90 cm.

In cool climates this rose tends to grow smaller, it takes longer to establish and reach of about 100 cm. In hot climates it grows to about 200 cm and is very narrow and upright in shape, almost fastigiate. It also often has an issue with flowers that seem to ball and not open, even in hot weather. It is a delicate, fragrant rose that requires tender loving care if it is to show its true potential. Plant it at the front of a border where you can appreciate its charms to the full.

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 5, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is large, about 18 - 20 cm long and about 15 - 16 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage is light green (Group 144D). The mature foliage also has light green colour (Group 144D).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is large, the shape of the leaflets is pointed oval, and the surface texture of the leaflets is smooth, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is double or single and small.

The petiole has reddish colour, and is covered with prickles.

The stipules are 2.5-3.0 cm long, and the venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

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

Prickles:

There are ordinary quantity of prickles present on the main canesand on the laterals from the main canes of this rose. The shape of the prickles is straight and slightly hooked downward, they are medium sized and evenly distributed on the stem. The colour of the young prickles is green.

Small prickles:

There are no small prickles observed under normal growing conditions on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Country Living' has normal resistance to most common rose diseases, in particular it is resistant to blackspot and rust under normal growing conditions. In colder climates it is also somewhat prone to mildew. Also this variety is prone to downy mildew. 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.

'Country Living' is named for the popular British magazine of the same name.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auscountry’ / 'Country Living' originated by David Austin by crossing the variety ’Ausbath’ / ‘Wife of Bath’ with the variety ‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new rose variety having the repeat flowering of its parents with old-fashioned-type 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:

 Old-fashioned-style flowers having pale pink color and green centers resulting from enlarged green-colored styles that extend above the small petals in the middle of the flowers;

 Repeat flowering;

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 ‘Auscountry’ / ‘Country Living’ may be distinguished from its seed parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 ’Ausbath’ / ‘Wife of Bath’ has cup-shaped flowers of a slightly darker pink colour than ‘Auscountry’ / ‘Country Living’.

The ‘Auscountry’ / ‘Country Living’ may be distinguished from its pollen parent by the following combination of characteristics:

 The pollen parent ‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’ has golden-yellow, cup-shaped flowers and possesses vigorous, bushy growth while ‘Auscountry’ / ‘Country Living’ has fuller blush-pink coloured quartered rosette flowers with a button-eye and forms much smaller plants.

USDA 5