Rose Happy Child

The rose ‘Happy Child’ is a distinctive English Rose known for its unique, deep sunshine-yellow blooms, a rarity among its kind. The flowers are large, shallowly cupped, and feature elegant rosette centers that gradually fade from brilliant yellow to pale yellow and finally to buff white. The petals reflex back gracefully, enhancing the beauty of the blooms. It has a delicious Tea Rose fragrance and shiny, light green, camellia-like foliage that provides a striking contrast to its vibrant flowers. This medium-sized shrub with slightly arching branches, embodying the graceful growth habit typical of English Roses.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Happy Child' 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 the 'Happy Child' rose variety are medium sized, about 3 cm long and 3 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is pointed ovoid, broad-based. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is light green (Group 145B and 145C). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are medium yellow (Group 12A) and the lower sides of the petals are medium yellow (Group 12B).

The sepals have leathery, slightly puckered on the upper surface texture. The colour on the upper and on the lower surface is medium green (Group 144A) with light green (Group 144B). There are 3 normally appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with smooth or somewhat downy edges.

The receptacle is medium green (Group 144A) with light green (Group 144B), funnel shaped and has a smooth surface. The size of the receptacle is large, broad, about 1.2 cm long and about 1.5 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium averaging to about 3 - 4 cm in length, of a somewhat bending strength and has a smooth surface. The colour of the peduncle is light green with bronzy blush.

Bloom:

The flowers are medium to large, the average diameter of the open flower is about 9.5 cm. When first open, the flower form is cupped. As the flowers fully open the form flattens, the most inner petals and petaloids tucked into calyx, forming a button eye while the outer petals curl back. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions varies from 150 to 160. They are born in small clusters, of 4 to 7 blooms, having irregular shape. The flowering stem has normal strength, long, and has a length of about 60 to 70 cm.

The upper sides of the petals are medium yellow (Group 12B) and the reverse sides of the petals are light yellow (Group 12C) and the base of the petals has a dark yellow colour (Group 13A). The major color on the upper side is medium yellow (Group 12B). The variegation is not observed on the flowers of this variety.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is slightly paler than at the beginning of the day. At the end of the third day the general tonality becomes even paler, more lemon, less gold, tending to light yellow (Group 6D).

Petals:

The texture and the surface of the petals is smooth; the shape of the outer petals is cupped, round, notched while the inner petals are more deltoid; the edges of petals pucker when aging. The edges of the petals are slightly quilled, the inner petals and petaloids tucked into calyx to form a button. The arrangement of the petals is informal, with many large petaloids in the center.

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 3 to 4 days, as a cut flower they also last about 3 to 4 days.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Happy Child' is moderately strong, of a sweet Tea rose character with a touch of lemon.

Reproductive parts:

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

The anthers have yellow colour.

The colour of the filaments is also yellow.

The pollen is golden yellow.

The colour of the styles is white transitioning to deep pink to the top.

Stigmas are yellow.

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

PLANT

The rose variety 'Happy Child' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is vigorous and powerful. This medium-sized shrub with slightly arching branches, embodying the graceful growth habit typical of English Roses. The mature and well-established plant has a height of about 105 -120 cm and the width of about 75 - 100 cm.

While it thrives best in drier climates due to its susceptibility to blackspot, extra care, such as disbudding during early growth cycles and shielding it from the hottest sun, can help establish a strong and healthy bush. ‘Happy Child’ is an exceptional choice for adding a vivid yellow accent to any garden.

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 on average, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is medium sized, about 16.5 cm long and about 14 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage is dark brown green (Group 146A). The mature foliage is dark brown green (Group 147A).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium, the shape of the leaflets is elliptic. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and medium.

The petiole has green colour with reddish blush, has a mostly smooth surface with one or two prickles per petiole.

The petiole rachis has green colour with reddish blush, serrated on the underside.

The stipules are 2.5 to 3 cm long, have serrated surfaces. The venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has light green colour and smooth bark. The mature wood is smooth and has a green colour.

Prickles:

There are few prickles present on the main canes from base, on the laterals from main canes there are very few or none prickles. The shape of the prickles is straight or slightly hooked downward, the length is medium to long. The colour of the young prickles is red, they are randomly distributed, mainly on lower nodes on main stems.

Small prickles:

The small prickles are usually not present on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Happy Child' has a normal 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 to support Population Concern’s global Planned Parenthood efforts. Population Concern (now Population Matters) is a UK-based charitable organization that aims to promote family planning, reproductive health, and sustainable development worldwide. It works to raise awareness about issues related to population growth, access to contraception, and women's health, supporting Planned Parenthood and similar initiatives globally.

The rose ‘Happy Child’ was named by David Austin in partnership with this organization to help raise funds for its efforts. The rose's name symbolizes the organization's mission to ensure every child is born into a world where their needs can be met. While the trust itself no longer operates under this name, its objectives and work continue to resonate through related organizations and efforts to promote reproductive health and education worldwide.

English Shrub Roses

Modern Shrub Rose, Pacific Rose Society Show, 2010;

Modern Shrub Rose, San Diego Rose Society Show, 2010;

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auscomp’ / 'Happy Child' originated by David Austin by crossing:

 The seed parent - unnamed seedling with semi-double, creamy white flowers resulting from a cross of the variety ‘KORbin’ / ‘Iceberg’ with another unnamed seedling;

 The pollen parent rose variety ‘Aushero’ / ‘Hero’.

Therefore the parentage of this rose can be expressed with the following formula:

[Unnamed seedling x ‘KORbin’ / ‘Iceberg’] x ‘Aushero’ / ‘Hero’

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new repeat flowering rose variety with yellow 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:

 Very full flowers;

 Bright yellow flowers;

 Moderately to strong, sweet fragrance;

 Repeat flowering;

 Bushy growth;

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 ‘Auscomp’ / ‘Happy Child’ may be distinguished from its seed parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 ‘Auscomp’ / ‘Happy Child’ has deep yellow very full flowers while the seed parent variety has semi-double, creamy white flowers.

The ‘Auscomp’ / ‘Happy Child’ may be distinguished from its pollen parent ‘Aushero’ / ‘Hero’ by the following combination of characteristics:

 The pollen parent has fresh pink cupped flowers with a strong myrrh fragrance, while ‘Auscomp’ / ‘Happy Child’ has bright yellow rosette flowers with moderately strong sweet Tea fragrance.

USDA 5