Rose Notturno

Velvet-black buds open to sumptuous, very fragrant 35-petalled rosettes of deep garnet red that retain their colour even in midsummer sun. ‘Notturno’ forms a healthy, upright shrub with glossy dark foliage, reblooming freely from May to frost and providing flushes of stunning fragrant velvety flowers.

FLOWERING

Pointed, almost blackish buds sheathed in long mucronate sepals unfurl slowly, reaching the high-centred hybrid-tea shape with diameter of about 6 cm (~2.4 in) before expanding to large flowered rosette shaped flowers that measure of about 11 - 12 cm (~4 ½ - 4 ¾ in) in diameter or even larger under good care.

Petals are thick and velvety, coloured near black-crimson (RHS group 187A) in the depths, graduating to wine red (RHS Group 187B) at the edges and finally showing a dusky blue sheen as they age - an effect heightened by cool night temperatures and giving the cultivar its nocturne-like name.

Fully open flowers display a shallow-cupped, broad‐quartered form, sometimes with a conspicuous boss of golden filaments when viewed from above, yet blooms keep their symmetry well on the show bench. Fragrance is consistently ranked very strong, blending old-rose damask with hints of ripe blackberry.

The flowering is repeated, single blooms appear from late May, followed by regular five-to-six-week flushes until first frost, provided spent flowers are cut to the first five-leaflet. Individual flowers last 5–6 days on the plant. When cut at paint-brush stage they keep 8 - 10 days in water, their firm petal texture resisting bruising and botrytis.

PLANT

The rose variety ‘Notturno’ is classified as a modern Hybrid Tea rose. A mature and well-established plant has a height of about 90 - 110 cm (3 - 3½ ft) and width of about 60 cm (2 ft). This rose variety grows well on its own roots, forming upright, branching plants that rarely need staking.

New canes emerge mahogany, aging to olive-green colour. The canes of this rose variety are covered with normal quantities of straight prickles that are easily stripped for floristry. There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 5 to 7, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is semi-glossy and has deep hunter green colour, showing good resistance to black spot and powdery mildew in Tuscan field trials. It is rated by American growers as suitable for growing in climate zones similar to USDA zone 6b–9b.

Prefers a position on full sun with fertile, well-drained loam (pH 6.0–7.2); avoid overhead irrigation that can spot the dark petals. Prune in early spring to three or four basal buds, removing thin laterals. ‘Notturno’ responds to this with great long, exhibition-quality stems which are ideal for cutting. In very hot regions, the dark petals of this variety attract too much sunlight and can get burned in hot weather.

This rose will become a dramatic focal accent in mixed borders; it is a superb companion for silver Artemisia, lavender or pale clematis which set off its near-black petals, and for fellow Barni introduction rose ‘Magia Nera’ in high-contrast crimson beds.

Italian Notturno (‘Night-piece’ or ‘Nocturne’)” evokes the inky, almost black hue of the half-open bud and alludes to the dramatic nocturnal piano works of Chopin, which the breeder reportedly favoured while pollinating his seed parents.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Selbar 0130’ / 'Notturno' originated by Vittorio Barni (Pistoia, Italy) by crossing the unnamed and unpatented Barni rose seedling with the pollen parent Hybrid Tea rose ‘Papa Meilland’.

USDA 6