Rose Redouté

'Redouté' is a sport of the excellent 'Mary Rose', sharing all its excellent qualities but with flowers in a softer, Alba-like shade of pink. This delicate color lends 'Redouté' a unique charm and enhances its individual beauty. Like the parent, it forms a free-flowering, bushy shrub with healthy green, Portland rose-type foliage and twiggy canes covered with many fine prickles. The fragrance is lighter, yet sweet and heavy.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Redouté' 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 'Redouté' rose variety are medium sized, about 2 - 2.5 cm long and 2.2 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is slightly pointed ovoid. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is dark red (Group 53B) with red pink (Group 53C). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are light blue pink (Group 56D) and the lower sides of the petals are light blue pink (Group 56C).

The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is downy on the upper surface and smooth on the lower surface. The colour on the sepals is medium green (Group 144A) and light green (Group 144B). There are 3 lightly appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with smooth, downy edges.

The receptacle is light green (Group 144B), goblet shaped and has a glandular surface. The size of the receptacle is small, about 8 - 10 mm long and about 6 - 8 mm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium, averaging to about 4 to 5 cm in length, is stiff, erect, and has a glandular surface. The colour of the peduncle is medium green with bronzy shades.

Bloom:

The flowers are medium sized, the average diameter of the open flower is about 7 - 7.5 cm. When first open, the flower form is cupped, quickly becoming flat, rosette shaped with quartered petals formation in the center and a prominent button-eye. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 97. They are born in small clusters, of 1 to 6 blooms together, having irregular shape. The flowering stem has normal strength, medium, and has an average length of about 70 - 80 cm.

When first open the colour of the upper and of the reverse sides of the petals is light blue pink (Group 56D) on the outer petals and light blue pink (Group 56B or 56C) on the inner petals. The base of the petals fades to white with a yellow tip. The general colour of the upper side of the flowers is light blue pink (Group 56D). Occasionally, it may produce flowers of varying shades, sporting back to both white colour as ‘Winchester Cathedral’ or of the same bright pink as the colour of the parent ‘Mary Rose’.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is less pink, more yellow paler than light blue pink (Group 56D). At the end of the third day the general tonality fading closer to white.

Petals:

The texture of the petals is thin, soft and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is notched, deltoid, the outer petals are more round to heart-shaped while the inner petals narrower, moderately cupped; the tips of the petals are slightly recurved. The arrangement of the petals in center is quartered and of the outer petals imbricated; inner petals caught into calyx, with medium petaloids in the center forming a button-eye.

The petals of this rose variety have good self-cleaning quality, normally outer petals drop off cleanly before drying while the inner petals hang on and dry. Under normal climate conditions the petals last fairly short, on the plant they last for about 3 - 4 days, and as a cut flower they last for about 3 days.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Redouté' is moderate to strong, sweet and heavy.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is ordinary per flower, the length is medium, they are mixed with petaloids.

The anthers have yellow colour.

The colour of the filaments is yellow.

The pollen has a golden yellow colour.

The colour of the styles is white or pale yellow-green.

Stigma is greenish white in colour.

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

PLANT

The rose variety 'Redouté' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is vigorous, powerful and upright. It is free-flowering, and forms a good shapely, bushy, twiggy shrub. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 120 - 140 cm and the width of about 120 cm.

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 usually 5, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is medium sized, about 16 cm long and about 11 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage is medium green (Group 144A) with reddish blush on margins and veins. The mature foliage is dark brown green (Group 147A).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium and the shape is pointed oval. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, matte. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is double and small.

The petiole has green colour, has 1 - 2 prickles per internode on the under surface.

The petiole rachis is green. The stipules are 2 - 2.5 cm long, have a medium to finely serrated surface. The venation pattern is reticulated.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has medium green colour and smooth bark. The mature wood is green, the bark remains smooth.

Prickles:

There are ordinary quantity of prickles present on the main canes from base and on the laterals from main canes. The shape of the prickles is straight or slightly hooked downward, the length is medium, they are evenly distributed around the stem. The colour of the young prickles is red; the mature prickles have a brownish colour.

Small prickles:

There are many small prickles on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety there. When they are young the colour is red and when mature they have brown colour.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Redouté' has good 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 5 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

Named after Pierre-Joseph Redouté, the renowned botanical artist, this cultivar honors his legacy as the "Raphael of flowers," celebrated for illustrating roses in Empress Josephine's garden.

English Shrub Roses

Modern Shrub Rose, Milwaukee Rose Society Show, 2000.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auspale’ / 'Redouté' is a discovered spontaneous mutation of the English shrub rose variety ‘Ausmary’ / ‘Mary Rose’ originated by David Austin.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to preserve this spontaneous mutation with good repeat flowering and old fashioned very pale pink flowers.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 Pale pink flowers;

 Portland rose-type leaves i.e., leaves usually smaller than those of a hybrid tea rose and having a non-shiny surface such as are possessed by "Comte de Chambord" and "Jacques Cartier" roses;

 Flat, rosette flowers;

 Very good repeat flowering.

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 ‘Auspale’ / ‘Redouté’ may be distinguished from its parent ‘Ausmary’ / ‘Mary Rose’ only in its flower color:

 ‘Ausmary’ / ‘Mary Rose’ having a deep pink color and ‘Auspale’ / ‘Redouté’ has pale pink flowers.

USDA 5