Rose Huddersfield Choral Society

Profusely blooming floribunda rose with very distinctive and uniquely purple-colored flowers with strong wine shades and white reverse. This rose starts to flower, usually one of the first in your garden, shortly will repeat its flowering and continues to do so until the frosts. There is also a strong and sweet aroma. Keep in mind that such amazing colour comes with price, it does not survive the scorching sun well, so if you live in areas with very hot summer think about the shady areas for this rose.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

FLOWERING
Rose variety ‘Huddersfield Choral Society’ has recurrent blooming habit, flowers very abundantly and nearly continuously during the growing season, until the frosts.

Flower bud:
The flower buds are medium sized, before the calyx breaks, and has ovoid to somewhat pointed shape. The surface of the bud bears between 5 to 7 foliaceous appendages, very few stipitate glands and usually with slender entire foliaceous parts extending beyond the tip of the bud about ½ or more of its length. Bud color is between medium green and medium purple red. They are several together, of 5 to 9 or more per stem.

The sepals medium sized. The outer surface color of the sepal is between medium green and medium purple red. The outer surface of the sepal is pubescent and bears between 1 to 5 foliacious appendages with few stipitate glands. The inner surface color of the sepal is near dark brown green. The inner surface of the sepal is covered with fine wooly tomentum; sepal margins are lined with many stipitate glands and some hairs.

Bloom:
The flowers are medium to large sized. The diameter of the open flower is about 11 cm (4.5″). Upon opening the flowers have cupped shape, which persists until the end. Closer to the end of the flowering the outer petals curl back. The flowers are full, under normal growing conditions there are about 35 – 40 petals on a flower.

The colour is very unique due to its shades and ability to change dramatically depending on the growing conditions. Usually, the colour of the upper side of the petals is medium purple with strong wine and mauve shades, the colour transitions to a much lighter shade closer to the very edges of the petals. The underside of the petals is almost white, with strong purple, silver and mauve shades and much darker veins. As the flower develops the upper sides of the petals become much lighter. The colour might change in hot weather to more pink and lilac shades, and in colder weather becomes much dark purple.

The flower lasts fairly long on a plant, about 7 days under normal growing conditions. However, in hot weather the petals tends to get sunburns which shortens the lustiness of the flowers significantly. The lastingness as a cut flower – has not been tested.

Fragrance:
The fragrance of ‘Huddersfield Choral Society’ is strong and sweet, has fruity character.

PLANT
The variety is classified as a Floribunda rose with strong and moderately vigorous grow habit. Forms upright, compact, slightly outwardly plant. The mature and well-established plant reaches the height of about 80 – 140 cm and the width of about 50 – 60 cm.

Foliage:
The number of leaflets on the normal mid stem leaves varies from 5 to 7. The foliage has medium green colour, semi-glossy and leathery texture. The edges serrated, the type of serration is single and large.

Wood:
The color of the young wood is near medium brown green often lightly suffused with dark brown purple and dark purple red, the bark is smooth. The color of the old wood is medium brown green and the bark is smooth.

Prickles:
There are few prickles on main canes and the laterals from the main canes, about 2 per 10 cm of the stems length. They are large, almost straight and angled slightly downward with a medium length moderately broad oval base. The colour of the young prickles is between medium yellow green and medium yellow brown and purple green; the colour of the mature prickles is medium brown green.

Small prickles:
The small prickles is not observed on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes.

Disease resistance:
The variety has good resistance to black spot, mildew, and rust. Pest resistance – not been tested.

It has sufficient winter hardiness for growing without winter protection in climate zones similar to USDA 6 and warmer.

Huddersfield Choral Society is a choir based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, The UK. It was founded in 1836, and is recognised as one of Britain's leading choirs.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY
The rose variety ‘Rawchor’ / ‘Huddersfield Choral Society’ was bred in the UK by Ronnie Rawlins by crossing the rose variety ‘Pejamblu’ / ‘Blue For You’, a Floribunda rose by Peter J. James, 2007 with the rose of unknown origin, called ‘Jambi’.

USDA zone 6 and warmer