Rose Othello

Dramatic and powerfully fragrant English shrub rose, this rose stands out for its unusually large, deeply cupped blooms and intense, shifting colors. The center of the flowers are packed with countless small, ruffled petals. They open from rounded crimson buds into full, open cups that evolve in color with the weather. The predominant tone is a rich, dusky crimson that deepens to purplish-red or even near-black in cool conditions, with hints of cerise, mauve, and silver-pink at the petal edges and reverses. Sometimes the petals curl outward slightly, revealing a central cluster of golden stamens in more open blooms. Fragrance is one of its greatest attributes: strong, rich, and complex, blending Old Rose with fruity and spicy notes. Its stems are covered with prominent red prickles, and the foliage is a dark, textured green with bronze-tinted new growth.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Othello' is provided with color descriptions using terminology of the "Methuen Handbook of Colour" published by Eyre Methuen Ltd. (1963), 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 continual 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 'Othello' rose variety are medium sized, about 2 cm long when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is broad with a flat top. When half open, the upper sides and the lower sides of the petals are olive yellow (Group 3C8) at the base with ruby (Group 12C8) on the rest of the petal surface. Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back.

The shape of the sepals is lanceolate. The colour on the upper surface is light yellow and the surface is moderately finely hairy. The colour on the lower surface is medium green with red at the central axis. The tip is long and red at the end, the edges fairly hairy with glandular hairs and some sepals are pinnately branched.

The receptacle is medium green with raised yellowish green rim and is shallow cup shaped.

The peduncle is medium sized, averaging to about 6 - 8 cm in length, straight, rigid and has scattered small prickles on the surface. The colour of the peduncle is red-green.

Bloom:

The flowers are large, the average diameter of the open flower is about 12 cm. When first open, the flower form is rounded and moderately loose with regularly arranged petals. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 78 on average. They are born mostly solitary or in small clusters.

When first open the colour of the upper sides and of the reverse sides of the petals are vivid yellow (Group 3A8) at base with the majority of petals surface having a ruby colour (Group 12C8).

When fully open the color of the flowers on the upper surface of the petals is yellow / genet (Group 3A7) at base transitioning to greyish ruby (Group 12C7); the reverse sides of the petals are vivid yellow (Group 3A8) at base transitioning to red / fraise (Group 11C7), and the colours deepens to the center of the flowers.

When finishing blooming the flowers on the upper side of the petals are yellow / genet (Group 3A7) with sharp demarcation to greyish ruby (Group 12C7) and on the reverse sides of the petals the colour is light yellow (Group 2A5) at base transitioning to greyish magenta (Group 13C6).

Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers of the rose variety 'Othello'.

Petals:

The texture of the petals is silky and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is broadly ovate.

The petals of this rose variety have good self-cleaning quality, they normally drop off cleanly before drying.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Othello' is powerful, rich, and complex, blending Old Rose with fruity and spicy notes that linger long in the air. It's a scent that feels entirely in harmony with the rose’s bold character.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 38 on average per flower.

The anthers are yellow / genet colour (Group 3A7).

The colour of the filaments is pastel yellow (Group 3A4).

The number of pistils is 43 on average.

The colour of the styles is light green.

Stigma has a straw colour.

The hips of this rose variety have not been observed.

PLANT

The rose variety 'Othello' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is robust, upright and bushy. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 120 - 150 cm and the width of about 105 - 120 cm.

Although robust, the plant has a somewhat coarse appearance that may not suit more refined garden designs. That said, it offers great garden presence and excels when trained as a low climber, against fences or arches, or self-pegged to encourage lateral flowering.

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 typically 5, with 3 leaflets at base of the flower, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is medium sized.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is brown green while the lower side is reddish brown (Group 9E7). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark green (Group 29F8) and on the lower side is greyish green (Group 28E6).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium, the shape of the leaflets is ovate. The texture of the leaflets is dense dark green, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is dentate and medium.

The petiole on the upper side is concave, light green and glandular hairy at the margin; while the underside is light green and has very occasional prickles and glandular hairy surface texture.

The stipules are medium sized, with margin slightly serrate or glandular hairy.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has deep green colour (Group 28E8) and the bark is smooth. The mature wood is dark green (Group 28F8), the bark remains smooth.

Stems:

The stem pubescence is not observed on the stems of this rose variety.

Prickles:

The stems are covered with prominent red prickles. The shape of the prickles is slightly hooked downward and they are rather large.

Small prickles:

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

Disease resistance:

While generally reliable, rose variety 'Othello' may suffer from occasional outbreaks of mildew or rust, particularly in humid or shaded conditions. In very hot climates, flowering may slow, though the plant rebounds well with cooler weather. 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 character of a tragedy of the same name, written by William Shakespeare, circa 1603.

English Shrub Rose

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auslo’ / 'Othello' originated by David Austin by crossing female parent (seed parent) - English shrub rose ‘Ausli’ / ‘Lilian Austin’ with the male parent (pollen parent) - English shrub rose ‘Aussquire’ / ‘The Squire’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new rose variety with vigorous abundant and continual blooming and with the perfection of the very full flowers of an old-fashioned type.

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, dark crimson flowers;

 abundant, continual blooming;

 unusual blend of coloring and shaping of the flower.

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.

USDA zone 5 and warmer