Rose Glamis Castle

This exceptional rose displays white blooms of a typical Old Rose character and charm and delicate, compact growth habit light, twiggy branches. The flowers sometimes can also have just a hint of buff colour in the center on the newly opened flowers, they have deeply cupped shape with loosely arranged petals and a robust myrrh fragrance. The growth type is compact, rounded and bushy. The flowers are produced abundantly and consistently, making it well-suited for use in a mix borders, rose borders as well as in containers.

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

FLOWER
‘Glamis Castle has recurrent flowering, in flushes from early summer until the frosts. It blooms generously and consistently, reminiscent of a Floribunda, while maintaining the timeless allure of an Old Rose. The blossoms create a delightful, airy display when massed together.

Flower bud:
The flower bud is medium, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in length and about 2 cm (0.8 inches) in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is pointed ovoid. The colour when sepals first divide is medium yellow (Group 5A). When half open, the upper and lower sides of the petals are slightly lighter than light yellow orange (Group 19D).

The sepals have smooth surface texture and medium green/ light green colour (Group 144A/B). There are 3 lightly to normally appendaged sepals and 2 unappendaged sepals.

The receptacle is small and slender, about 8-10 mm (0.3-0.4 inches) long and 6-7 mm (0.2-0.3 inches) in diameter, has narrow funnel shape and smooth surface. The colour of the receptacle is light green (Group 144B).

Peduncle is bending, about 4 - 4.5 cm (1.6-1.8 inches) long, the surface is glandular, the colour is light green, slightly bronzy.

Bloom:
The flowers are medium sized, the average open diameter is about 6-7 cm (2.4-2.8 inches). Flowers are borne in small clusters of 2 to 4 flowers having irregular shape. When the flower first opens, the form is globular. As the flowering continues the flower flattens and forms a deep cup with very outer petals gracefully curl slightly.

The flowering stems are medium in length, have normal strength; the average length is about 60-75 cm (24-30 inches).

The colour of the petals when the flower just opens is light yellow orange (Group 11D) on the upper side of the petals and almost white on the outer petals and light yellow (Group 11C) on the inner petals. The reverse side of the outer petals is less yellow and more white than light yellow (Group 11D) of the outside of the upper petals, and the reverse side of the inner petals is light yellow orange / light yellow (Group 11D/C). The base of the petals is yellow slightly toward the tip. The major color on the upper side is pale light yellow orange (Group 11D). There is no variegations on the flowers of ‘Glamis Castle’.

The general tonality of the flowers at the end of the first day is that the petals lose yellow tinge. At the end of the third day the petals continue to pale toward white.

Petals:
The number of petals under normal conditions is 120 on a flower. They have silky texture, slightly notched shape and slightly, deltoid, edges quite smooth, almost entire; tips slightly recurved; the form is fairly flat. The outer petals imbricated; inner petals tucked into calyx to form button, with few petaloids in the center.

The outer petals drop off cleanly before drying. Under normal growing conditions they last on a plant about 3 - 4 days and about 3 days as a cut flower.

Fragrance:
The fragrance of ‘Glamis Castle’ is moderate, sweet, rich with myrrh character.

Reproductive parts:
The anthers are medium sized, many numbered, mixed with petaloids and have yellow colour.

The filaments have yellow (reddish occasionally) colour.

The pollen is golden yellow.

Styles are white or pale green.

Stigmas have yellow with pink tinge.

PLANT

The variety ‘Glamis Castle is classified as Rosa hybrida and categorized as a shrub rose forming small shrub. It has moderately vigorous and bushy growth habit, forms a compact, rounded plant. The mature and well-established plant has height of about 90 to 120 cm (3 to 4 feet) and is about 60 – 120 cm (2 to 4 feet) wide.

This variety excels in warmer areas but prefers lower humidity. With its modest height, it proves to be an ideal choice for smaller gardens, the front of borders, or as a bedding rose.

Foliage:
The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is 7 most often. The length is about 16-17 cm (6.3-6.7 inches) and the width is about 9 - 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 inches). The quantity of foliage on a plant is normal.

The colour of the young foliage is yellow green (Group 146A/B). The older foliage has dark brown green colour (Group 147A).

Leaflets:
The leaflets have round, broadly oval shape. The upper side of the leaflets is fairly smooth, the edges are serrated, type of serration – double.

Petiole rachis is yellow green with a reddish blush. The underside is armed with prickles, 3 to 5 prickles per internode.

Stipules are about 2.5 to 3.5 cm long, broadly serrated.

Wood:
The colour of the new wood is light green with reddish blush, the bark is smooth. Old wood has medium green colour and streaky appearance, the bark is smooth with rough parches.

Prickles:
The variety has many prickles on main canes from base and an ordinary quantity on laterals from main canes. The prickles are medium to long in length, straight. The colour of the young prickles is pale red, transparent; the older prickles are grayish-brown in colour. They are evenly distributed around the stems.

Small prickles:
There are also many small prickles present on main stalks and on laterals, have brown colour.

Disease resistance:
‘Glamis Castle’ is resistant to mildew and botrytis under normal growing conditions. Unfortunately, it lacks significant resistance to blackspot. Nevertheless, with appropriate spraying, the results will be evident and they will be worth the efforts considering its qualities. Pest resistance not tested.

‘Glamis Castle’ was named to honor the Scottish estate belonging to the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Functioning as a royal residence since 1372, it served as the childhood home of the late HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the birthplace of HRH The Princess Margaret, and also the events of the Shakespeare's ‘Macbeth’ took place there.

English Shrub Rose

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY
‘Glamis Castle’ is categorized as a shrub rose, originated by David Austin by crossing the variety ‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’ with the variety ‘Ausmary’ / ‘Mary Rose’. Therefore the parentage of this rose can be summarized as following:

Seed parent - ‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’ by David Austin, 1983.

Pollen parent - ‘Ausmary’ / ‘Mary Rose’ by David Austin, 1983.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY
The primary objective of the breeding David Austin stated was to produce a new rose variety having repeat flowering with old-fashioned-type flowers. The objective was substantially achieved along with other desirable improvements as evidenced by the following unique combination of characteristics which are outstanding in the new variety and which distinguish it from its parents:

1. White, slightly creamy flowers;

2. Bushy, vegetative growth; and

3. Large number of petals.

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

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS
‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’ is characterized by having cupped, golden yellow flowers on a large plant with upright habit, about 125 – 185 cm (4” – 6”) tall with moderate quantity of prickles, while ‘Auslevel’ / ‘Glamis Castle’ has white flowers which positioned on a relatively small shrub of about 90 – 120 cm (3”-4”) tall and is really well armed with prickles.

‘Aausmary’ / ‘Mary Rose’ has rosette, rose pink flowers on a plant of bushy habit, 110 cm to 150 cm tall, while ‘Auslevel’ / ‘Glamis Castle’ has white cupped flowers and smaller height of about 90 – 120 cm (3”-4”) tall.

USDA zone 5 and warmer