Rose Shocking Versilia

Very bright rose will be a vibrant addition to any garden and any bouquet. Like the summer sunset, it radiates with a very bright, hot or even electric pink colour on classically shaped high-centered flowers. The variety under proper care is able to produce flowers vigorously, all season long.

FLOWER
This variety is mainly bred for production of cut flowers in a greenhouse environment, therefore it has ability to produce flowers year-round. In the garden blooms in flushes from summer until frosts.

Flower bud:
The flower bud is large, elongated, has pointed ovoid shape. The colour of the petals when the buds just start to open is light pink to white with deep pink closer to the tip. When half open the bud colour is graish white pink closer to the base fading from the middle to bright hot pink. They appear on the plant mostly singly or in a small cluster of 3 to 5 flower buds.

The sepals are large, long, have medium yellow green color with some purple red intonations. The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the base shape is cuneate, and the apex is apiculate; the margin is entire; the texture of the upper and of the lower surface is smooth. There are 3 slightly appendaged sepals and 2 unappendaged sepals with smooth edges.

The peduncles are very strong and erect, having glabrous texture and medium green colour with some medium purple red intonation.

Bloom:
The flowers are large and tall, the diameter of the open flower is about 12 – 14 cm (4.7 – 5.5 inches). The flower form is typical for Hybrid Tea roses – high-centered, it is very double. As the flower fully opens the flower becomes flatter, however the form persists high-centered, almost never show the center of the flower. The number of petals per flower is 35 on average.

The flowers are very bright. The colour of the flower when just open on the upper side is bright deep pink or electric pink; and on the underside the colour is deep pink with intonations of white and grey, the colour is slightly dimmer closed to the base of the petal and brighter closer to the edge of the petal.

When the flower is open the colour remains unchanged, only the edges of the petals on the upperside become lighter, pink with silver and lavender shades. Closer to the end of the flowering the colour on the upper side becomes lighter, light pink with shades of white and gray.

There are sometime occasional variegation occurred on the some petals of white or apricot-cream colour.

The flowers are very resistant to rain and sun. They last on a plant long – about 10 – 14 days, as a cut flower 15 days on average. Petals hang on and dry on a plant, therefore the deadheading must be regularly done.

Petals:
The petals have smooth texture, they are quite thick and dense, hardy to any weather conditions.

Fragrance:
The fragrance is light to none, very common for a florists rose.

PLANT

The rose variety ‘Shocking Versilia’ is classified as a Hybrid Tea rose, a cultivar used for production of the cut flowers. The variety has vigorous and strong growth habit, actively produce new flowering stems in abundance all season long. Forms very upright, bushy and slightly outwardly plant. The mature plant has a height of about 80 – 130 cm (2.6” – 4.3”) and the width of about 50 – 80 cm (1.6” - 2.6”).

Foliage:
The foliage has alternate arrangement, compound with about 3 to 5 leaflets. On the normal flowering stem there are about 10 compound leaves. The leaves are large, have semi glossy and lathery texture, the edges serrated, type of serration is single.

Leaflets:
The new foliage has medium red brown green colour on the upper side of the leaflets and medium brown green on the underside. The mature leaflets are of medium green colour.

Stems:
The flowering stems are very strong and long. The flowering stems have a length of 60 to 80 cm (23.6 to 31.5 inches). The colour of the stems is medium green with purple gray green intonations.

Prickles:
There are few prickles on the main canes and on the laterals from main canes. There are about 2 prickles per 15 cm (6 inches) of the stem’s length.

Small prickles:
No small prickles observed on this variety.

Disease resistance:
The variety showed higher than moderate resistance to black spots and mildew under normal growing conditions in garden. The resistance to botrytis and rust is good.

The variety showed good winter hardiness in climate zones USDA 6 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

Unfortunately we do not have information about the origin of the name of this rose.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY
The variety ‘Nirpeter’ / ‘Shocking Versilia’ is a sport of the variety ‘Nirpventyel’ / ‘Versilia’.

USDA zone 6 and warmer