Rose Mistress Quickly

Graceful and easy to grow shrub rose, admired for its natural charm and versatility. Its full, medium pink flowers with lilac undertones bloom in clusters above the foliage, creating a delightful display that sways elegantly in the breeze. The flowers, while small for an English Rose, are lightly scented with a delicate fragrance and offer continuous blooms throughout the growing season. The foliage is matte, dark green with a hint of gray, and forms a sturdy and bushy backdrop to the flowers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Mistress Quickly' 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 'Mistress Quickly' rose variety are medium sized, about 2 cm long and 2 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is short, pointed ovoid, fairly broad based. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is red pink (Group 53C) with red pink (Group 53D). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are medium purple (Group 61B/C) to medium blue pink (Group 61D) and the lower sides of the petals are medium purple red (Group 58C) to medium blue pink (Group 58D).

The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is smooth, slightly leathery. The colour on the upper surface is medium green (Group 144A) and light green (Group 144B) with an overlying blush of medium brown purple (Group 182A). There are 5 lightly appendaged sepals with slightly hairy edges.

The receptacle is medium green (Group 144A) with an overlying blush of medium brown purple (Group 182A), goblet shaped and has a smooth surface. The size of the receptacle is small, about 0.7 cm long and about 0.6 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is variable, medium long, averaging to about 4 cm in length, erect, slender and has a smooth surface. The colour of the peduncle is light green with bronzy shades.

Bloom:

The flowers are small, the average diameter of the open flower is about 5 cm. When first open, the flower form is high centered, later becoming flatter. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 90-100. They are born in small clusters, up to 25 blooms, having irregular shape. The flowering stem has normal strength, it is rather short.

The colour of the upper sides of the petals give the overall appearance of medium blue pink (Group 62B) and light blue pink (Group 62C) with inner petals being darker medium purple red (Group 58C) than the the outer petals that have light blue pink colour (Group 62C and 62D). The reverse sides of the petals are light blue pink (Group 65B). The base of each petal is white with pale light yellow midline (Group 4D). The general tonality of the flowers when looked from above is medium blue pink (Group 62B) and under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is paler than light blue pink (Group 69A). and light blue pink (Group 65B). At the end of the third day the general tonality becomes lighter, light blue pink (Group 69B).

Petals:

The texture of the petals is thin and the surface is smooth; the shape of the inner petals is oval, the outer petals are notched, deltoid, heart shaped. The arrangement of the petals is informal, with a few, small petaloids in the center.

The petals of this rose variety have good self-cleaning quality, they normally drop off fairly cleanly before drying. Under normal climate conditions the petals last on the plant for about 3 to 5 days, as a cut flower their lastingness has not been tested.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Mistress Quickly' is light.

Reproductive parts:

There are many stamens present on the flowers, they are medium sized, tucked in calyx or partly so, mixed with petaloids.

The anthers have yellow colour.

The colour of the filaments white.

The pollen is golden yellow.

The colour of the styles is pale green.

Stigma is greenish white in colour.

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

PLANT

The rose variety 'Mistress Quickly' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is vigorous, upright, branching, fairly compact. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 120 cm and the width of about 80 - 100 cm.

This rose is remarkably tough, disease-free, and resilient, making it an excellent choice for challenging garden conditions. It thrives in mixed borders, holding its blooms high above other plants, and performs well even in competitive planting scenarios or semi-wild settings. Ideal for the back of mixed borders, where its tall stature and profusion of blooms create a naturalistic effect. It can also be grouped in clusters of three for semi-wild plantings or used as a standalone feature to provide structure and color.

Foliage:

There is an abundant to normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is typically 7, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is medium sized, about 12.7 - 15.2 cm long and about 9 - 10 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 146B) while the lower side is medium brown green (Group 146C). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 146A) and on the lower side is dark brown green (Group 146B).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium, the shape of the leaflets is pointed oval, elliptic. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, fairly smooth, and matt. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and small.

The petiole has reddish colour, rough, with prickles, 1 - 2 per internode. The petiole rachis is reddish as well.

The stipules are 2 cm long, serrated. The venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has dark brown purple colour (Group 183A), the bark is smooth. The mature wood is dark brown green (Group 146A) and has a fairly smooth surface, with some rough patches.

Prickles:

There are ordinary or few prickles present on the main canes from base. On the laterals from main canes there is few quantity prickles. The shape of the prickles is straight or very slightly hooked downward, they are medium sized, located mainly on the lower nodes. The colour of the young prickles is green at the point and red at the base.

Small prickles:

There are very few small prickles on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety. The colour of the small prickles is grey brown (Group 199C).

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Mistress Quickly' has 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 6 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

Named after the proprietor’s wife of the Boar’s Head Tavern in Shakespeare’s Henry V. Mistress Quickly, the good-hearted character who embodies resilience and simplicity.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausky’ / 'Mistress Quickly' originated by David Austin by crossing a Shrub rose ‘Martin Frobisher’ with a Climbing rose ’Blush Noisette’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new rose variety having the extreme disease resistance of ‘Martin Frobisher’ with the very excellent repeat flowering qualities of ‘Blush Noisette’.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 No observed disease susceptibility;

 Excellent repeat flowering;

 Attractive strong pink, small flowers held in large bunches;

 Attractive shrubby 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 ‘Ausky’ / ‘Mistress Quickly’ may be distinguished from its seed parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 ‘Martin Frobisher’ forms larger plants and has lighter pink flowers which are gathered in smaller clusters compared to ‘Ausky’ / ‘Mistress Quickly’ which has darker and smaller flowers gathered in larger clusters and forms smaller plants.

The ‘Ausky’ / ‘Mistress Quickly’ may be distinguished from its pollen parent by the following combination of characteristics:

 The pollen parent ‘Blush Noisette’ has lighter cupped light pink flowers with fewer petals and forms a much larger plant, while ‘Ausky’ / ‘Mistress Quickly’ has darker and fuller pink flowers and has a more compact plant.

USDA 6