Rose Emily Brontë

Introduced in 2018, 'Emily Brontë' offers a fresh take on English Roses. It features flatter, pale pink flowers with a delicate apricot button eye at the center. While still very full, the blooms are less cupped in shape, allowing a glimpse of the golden center, and the petals quickly fade to a soft cream. It has a strong, captivating fragrance that begins with Tea notes and develops into a classic Old Rose scent, with hints of lemon and grapefruit. Exceptionally vigorous and healthy, it is a perfect choice for any garden.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Emily Brontë' 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 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 'Emily Brontë' rose variety are medium sized, about 2 cm long and 1.8 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is pointed ovoid and broad-based. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is light red pink (Group 38B) with medium purple (Group 67A) and light green (Group 157A). When half open, the upper and the lower sides of the petals are light blue pink (Group 69B).

Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back, the length is about 6.2 cm and the diameter is 1.3 cm.

The sepals have a length of about 2.9 cm and a width of 1 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 light green (Group 145B) and on the lower surface is light green (Group 144C) with some medium brown purple (Group 186A). There are 3 lightly appendaged sepals with medium extensions and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacle is light green (Group 144C) with medium brown purple (Group 186A), funnel shaped and has a smooth surface. The size of the receptacle is medium, broad, about 1 cm long and about 1 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 light green (Group 144C) with medium brown purple (Group 186A).

Bloom:

The flowers are large, the average diameter of the open flower is about 9 cm. When first open, the flower form is cupped. As the flower opens the form becomes a flat rosette. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 106. They are born in small clusters, of 3 - 5 blooms, having a rounded shape. The flowering stems are strong, medium, with average length of about 40 cm and a diameter of about 5 mm.

When first open the colour of the upper sides of the petals is light blue pink (Group 69D), the upper surface of the inner petals is light yellow (Group 9D). The reverse sides of the petals are light blue pink (Group 69D). The base of the petals has medium yellow colour (Group 9B). Under normal growing conditions there is no variegation observed on the flowers.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is light blue pink (Group 69D), at the end of the third day the general tonality becomes much lighter, nearly white (Group 155C).

Petals:

The texture of the petals and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is obovate, the margins are entire with medium undulations which are in the nature of frilling. The apex is rounded, slightly cuspidate and the base of the petals is pointed, the petals form is slightly incurved. Average length of the petals is about 4 cm and the width is about 2.3 cm. The arrangement of the petals is regular, with a button eye.

Normally there are many petaloids present in the center of the flowers, 50 on average. Petaloids have light yellow orange colour (Group 18C), they are about 2 сm long and 1 сm wide, their margins are entire.

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 4 days, and about the same tenor as a cut flower.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Emily Brontë' is strong, of a Tea character, later developing to Old Rose, with delicious hints of lemon and grapefruit.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 35 on average per flower, the length is about 8 - 9 mm, they are mixed with petaloids.

The anthers have a length of about 2 mm and medium yellow orange colour (Group 17B).

The colour of the filaments is medium yellow orange (Group 17B), their length is 7 - 8 mm on average.

The pollen is medium yellow orange (Group 17A).

The number of pistils is 85 on average, they are about 9 mm long.

The colour of the styles is light yellow (Group 150D), and they are usually about 7-8 mm long.

Stigma are about 1.5 mm long and medium purple red in colour (Group N66B).

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

PLANT

The rose variety 'Emily Brontë' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is very vigorous, powerful and upright. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 120 - 150 cm and the width of about 110 - 120 cm.

Foliage:

There is an abundant quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 5 mostly (on some 3 or 7), including the terminal leaflet. The average flowering stem has about 10 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 green (Group 144A) with medium brown purple (Group 185B) while the lower side is medium brown purple (Group 185B) with medium green (Group 144A). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark green (Group 137A) and on the lower side is dark brown green (Group 146B).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium, about 6 cm long and are about 4 cm wide. The shape of the leaflets is pointed oval, the shape of the leaflet tip is acute and the base shape is cordate. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and large.

The petiole has medium green colour (Group 144A) with some shading of medium brown purple (Group 185B), is about 4.5-5 cm long and 1.5 mm in diameter, has a smooth, with prickles surface texture.

The petiole rachis is medium green (Group 144A) with some shading of medium brown purple (Group 185B), and has prickles on the underside.

The auricle is lanceolate, has a length of about 9 mm and about 2 mm wide. The colour of the auricle is medium green (Group 144A).

The stipules are 2.6 cm long, have glandular surface and medium green colour (Group 144A).

The veins have dark green (Group 137A), the venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has medium brown purple colour (Group 185B) and a smooth bark. The mature wood is dark green (Group 137A), the bark remains 137a.

Stems:

The number of lateral branches is 12 on average, they have a length of about 60 cm and the diameter is 6 mm on average. The mature stem has an average length of about 50 cm and the diameter of 6 - 7 mm, the internode distance is 6 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 quantity of prickles present on the main canes from base and on the laterals from main canes, about 10 per 20 cm of the stem length. The shape of the prickles is deep concave, the length is about 5 mm. The colour of the young prickles is medium brown purple (Group 185B), the the mature prickles have the same medium brown purple colour (Group 185B ).

Small prickles:

There are medium quantity of small prickles on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety, about 10 per 20 cm of the stem length. The colour of the small prickles is medium brown purple (Group 185B).

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Emily Brontë' 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.

Named for The Brontë Society to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of the novelist, Emily Brontë.

Emily Brontë (1818–1848) was an English novelist and poet, best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights (1847), a masterpiece of English literature. Born on July 30, 1818, in Thornton, Yorkshire, England, Emily was one of the three famous Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—who are celebrated for their literary contributions.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausearnshaw’ / 'Emily Brontë' originated by David Austin by crossing an unnamed, unpatented seedling with an unnamed, unpatented seedling of Rosa hybrida.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new rose variety with a strong, healthy upright growth with distinctive blooms, which are neat and rather flat, each bloom being a lovely soft pink with a yellow-apricot center with a button eye, and having a strong fragrance with begins as Tea and becomes Old Rose.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 a healthy bushy shrub with strong upright growth ;

 blooms of a soft pink color with a yellow-apricot center and a button eye;

 strong fragrance that starts as Tea and develops into an Old Rose.

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 new rose may be distinguished from its pollen parent, by the following combination of characteristics: the paternal parent has ‘AUSearnshaw’.

The ‘Ausearnshaw’ / ‘Emily Brontë’ may be distinguished from its seed parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 The seed parent is a shorter bush and has uniformly deep pink flowers compared to the soft pink, apricot-centered blooms of ‘Ausearnshaw’ / ‘Emily Brontë’.

The ‘Ausearnshaw’ / ‘Emily Brontë’ may be distinguished from its pollen parent by the following combination of characteristics:

 The pollen parent has a larger growth and its blooms are more cupped with fewer petals than ‘Ausearnshaw’ / ‘Emily Brontë’.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

The most similar rose cultivar to the ‘Ausearnshaw’ / ‘Emily Brontë’ is the ‘Ausrimini’ / ‘Strawberry Hill’ and they may be distinguished by the following combination of characteristics:

 While the color of both are a similar soft pink, the ‘Ausearnshaw’ / ‘Emily Brontë’ may be distinguished from the ‘Ausrimini’ / ‘Strawberry Hill’ based on the apricot-colored center of the ‘Ausearnshaw’ / ‘Emily Brontë’.

  It may also be distinguished by the fact that the growth habit differs in that ‘Ausrimini’ / ‘Strawberry Hill’ is a short climber whereas ‘Ausearnshaw’ / ‘Emily Brontë’ is a shrub.

USDA 5