Rose Crown Princess Margareta

This is a robust and large shrub rose with graceful arching branches. The cupped rosette flowers display a rich apricot-orange colours, slightly larger than medium size. Their exquisite petals blending in a darker shades at the center, while the outer petals gracefully cascade and lighten in color. The scent is strong, fruity, with reminiscent of the Tea rose aroma. This resilient and reliable variety, boasts vigorous growth and abundance of dense, semi-glossy foliage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY
The following description of the rose variety is provided using a terminology in accordance with The Royal Horticultural Society (London) colour chart, except where ordinary dictionary significance of color is indicated. The following description is based on mature and well-established plant grown outdoors. Phenotypic expression may vary with environmental, cultural, and climatic conditions, as well as differences in conditions of light and soil.

FLOWER
Rose ‘Crown Princess Margareta’ has very good, recurrent blooming habit, flowers from summer until the frosts. The number of blooms per plant during the growing season is profuse, they are simply too many to count.

Flower bud:
The flower buds are medium sized, about 1.27 to 1.91 cm (½ to ¾ inches) long when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is pointed ovoid. When sepals first divide, bud color is light orange (Group 28C). When half blown, the upper sides of the petals are medium orange (Group 29A); and the lower sides of the petals are light orange (Group 28C) with light yellow orange (Group 18B) undertones.

The sepals have medium green colour (Group 144A) with dark purple red (Group 59A) blush where exposed to bright sunlight. The surface texture is slightly rough on appendaged sepals but smooth underneath. There are 3 normally appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacle is medium green medium green (Group 144A) with dark purple red (Group 59B) blush where exposed to bright sunlight. The receptacle is smooth, pitcher shaped, medium sized, about 1.27 cm (½ inches) by 1.27 cm (½ inches).

The peduncle is medium long, stiff, averaging of about 4.45 cm (1¾ inches). The surface is rough, prickly. The colour is bronzy light green (Group 145B) with dark purple red (Group 59B) overlay.

Bloom:
The flowers are medium to large sized, the average open size is about 7.6 to 9 cm (3 to 3½ inches). They are usually borne in small clusters of up to four blooms, having a rounded shape, or more rarely singly. The flowering stems are strong, slightly arching, with an average length is about 40.64 to 50.8 cm (16-20 inches).

When first open the flowers have cupped shape. As the flower fully opens the shape flattens, becomes more cupped rosette, the outer petals curve back. The flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 120 on average.

The colour of the upper sides of the petals are medium yellow orange (Group 21D) at outer portions blending down to medium yellow orange (Group 19A) in the middle of the petals and which extends to color spot at base. The reverse sides of the petals are medium yellow orange (Group 16C) at outer ends blending to light yellow (Group 15D) in the middle of the petals and which extends to color spot at base. The base of each petal has medium yellow orange (Group 13B) colour spot with dark yellow (Group 14A) tip. The major color on the upper side is medium yellow orange (Group 20B). The variegations is not observed on the flowers of this variety.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is medium yellow orange (Group 20B). At the end of the third day the colour becomes much paler, light yellow orange (Group 19D).

Petals:
The texture of the petals is smooth, the shape is rounded, slightly pointed, the edges are slightly quilled. The petals arrangement quartered, there are also present usually petaloids in the center are few and small. The length of the petals is about 3 - 4 cm (1.2 - 1.6 inches) and the width is about 2.5 - 4 cm (1 - 1.6 inches).

The petals drop off cleanly before drying. The petals last on a plant fairly long, about 7 days under normal growing conditions, as a cut flower – not tested.

Fragrance:
The fragrance of ‘Crown Princess Margareta’ is strong, fruity with of Tea rose notes.

Reproductive parts:
There are about 10-15 stamens per flower, they are regularly arranged around the styles.

The anthers are medium sized, have medium yellow orange colour (Group 13B).

Filaments have medium yellow colour (Group 9B).

Pollen is medium yellow orange (Group 17C).

The number of pistils is 10 on average per flower.

The styles have medium yellow colour (Group 12B).

Stigmas are medium yellow (Group 9B).

The hips of this variety have not been observed yet.

PLANT
The variety is classified as a shrub rose. Has vigorous, bushy and slightly arching growth habit. The mature and well-established plants can reach the height of about 180 – 375 cm (6 - 12 feet), width is 90 – 150 cm (3 - 5 feet). Plant is mature at three years of age.

‘Crown Princess Margareta’ is especially attractive when is grown as a climber on pergola, arch, doorway or grown on a wall.

Foliage:
There is a normal quantity of foliage on this variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 5 to 7. The leaves are large sized, with an average length of about 20.3 cm (8 inches) and the width of 12.7 cm (5 inches) at the widest point.

The new foliage on the upper surface has dark green colour (Group 137A) with dark brown (Group 187A) blush. The Lower surface of the young leaves is medium brown green (Group 137C) with dark brown (Group 187A) blush. The old foliage on the upper surface has dark brown green colour (Group 147A) while the lower surface has medium brown green colour (Group 147B).

Leaflets:
The leaflets have pointed oval, i.e., elliptic shape, the tips are aristate and the base is obtuse. The texture of the upper side is semi-glossy and the underside is matt. The edges of the leaflets are serrated, the type of serration is single and large.

Petiole rachis has reddish to near dark brown purple colour (Group 184A) with medium green (Group 144A) undertones. The petiole underside is smooth with prickles.

The stipules are medium sized, serrated, about 1.9 cm (¾ inches) long and wavy.

Wood:
The new wood has dark brown purple (Group 183A) with medium green (Group 143B) undertone; the bark is smooth. The old wood has dark brown green (Group 146A) and the bark is smooth.

Prickles:
The quantity of the prickles on the main canes from base and laterals from main canes is 1 per 6 cm (2 inches) of the stem’s length. They are quite evenly distributed up the stem. The prickles are medium sized, hooked downward, the underside is concave and the upper side is linear. The length of the prickles is about 1.6 cm (⅝ inch) on average.

The young prickles have medium brown purple colour (Group 184B) and light green (Group 144B) undertone. The mature prickles are dark purple red (Group 187B).

Small prickles:
There are few small prickles on the main canes and no small prickles on the laterals from the main canes. They have dark brown colour (Group 187A), and the length is about 0.64 cm (¼ inch).

Disease resistance:
The variety is resistant to mildew, blackspot, and rust under normal growing conditions. Pest resistance has not been tested.

The variety is recommended for growing in climate zones similar to USDA 5 or warmer. In more colder climates requires winter protection.

Named to honor Crown Princess Margareta, who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and an accomplished landscape gardener and artist. With her husband, King Gustavus VI Adolfus of Sweden, she created the beautiful gardens at their Summer Palace, Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden.

English Climbing Rose

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY
The rose variety ‘Auswinter’ / ‘Crown Princess Margareta’ was bred by David Austin by crossing an unnamed seedling with the variety ‘Auscot ‘ / ‘Abraham Darby’. Therefore the parentage of this rose is expressed as following:

Seed Parent (female parent) - Unnamed, unpatented seedling.

Pollen Parent (male parent) - ‘Auscot ‘ / ‘Abraham Darby’ by David Austin.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY
The primary objective of this breeding was to produce a new rose variety that is disease resistant, tall, strong growing plant, with apricot orange, fully double blooms of an old fashioned shape, with a strong, fruity, tea rose fragrance, and that repeat flowers well throughout the summer. 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. Tall, bushy, arching growth;

2. Quite large, neatly formed cupped rosette shaped blooms with a strong, fruity tea rose fragrance;

3. Very good disease resistance; and

4. Repeat flowering.

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

USDA zone 5 and warmer