Rose Marie Antoinette

A delicate floribunda with remarkably expressive clusters of flowers makes a noble impression through its colour and flowering behavior. The cup-shaped, old-fashioned blooms exhibit a delightful apricot-ivory hue, emit a strong and sweet fragrance, and displayed against dark green glossy foliage. ‘Marie Antoinette’ has a bushy growth habit, and blooms continuously, making it an ideal choice for crafting sophisticated rose borders.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

FLOWER
A rose variety ‘Marie Antoinette’ has recurrent blooming habit. Flowers abundantly, in flushes from summer until frosts.

Flower bud:
The flower bud are large, ovoid. When the sepals start to divide the bud colour is white green with apricot-red blush on some petals. When the sepals half open the bud colour is cream with apricot and green blush. They appear several together in umbrella-like large clusters, from 5 to 9 to 25 on the flowering stem.

Bloom:
The flowers are large and full, the diameter of the flower is about 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches). The flower have a cupped shape, slightly quartered in the center. The flower shape persists until the end. The petals have very thin and silky texture, they are large and broad.

The colour of the just open flower is deep apricot-ivory or apricot-cream, with much lighter outer petals and the colour intensifies closer to the center of the flower. As the flower opens the colour becomes lighter and softer, turning to rich mix of cream, ivory and white with apricot and pink shade. Closer to the end of the flower life the colour becomes almost pure white with cream shades. Flower of ‘Marie Antoinette’ last about 5-6 days on a plant under normal growing conditions. As a cut flower – not tested.

Fragrance:
This rose has a strong, sweet fragrance.

PLANT
The variety ‘Marie Antoinette’ is classified as Floribunda rose with upright, bushy and compact growth habit. The mature plant is about 50 - 80 cm in height and 40 to 60 in diameter.

Suitable for mix border and large beds, will create a luxurious picture when planted in large or in small groups.

Foliage:
The variety has very decorative and dense foliage. The leaves are large, dark green colour and is glossy, creating a perfect background for its noble flowers. The number of leaflets per normal mid stem leaf is 5.

Disease resistance:
The variety has good resistance to all main rose diseases, however in colder and more wet climate is somewhat susceptible to black spot and mildew. Therefore, in such climates it is better to add to your rose care routine preventive spraying with fungicides. Pest resistance – not tested.

The variety is winter hardy in USDA zone 6 and warmer, in colder climates requires a winter protection.

Named to honor Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the French Revolution, who was also adored flowers and her love for them is most apparent in the magnificent gardens she had cultivated in her name at Versailles and the Petit Trianon.

Information about the parantage of this rose is not available or commecrically protected.

USDA zone 6 and warmer