Rose Sophy's Rose

Bears crimson-pink, rosette-shaped flowers; the petals are small at the centre and increase in size, by degrees, until the outer petals are quite large, resulting in broad, rather flat blooms. It forms an upright, bushy shrub with compact, twiggy growth.

FLOWER
Observations made from specimens grown in a garden environment at Albrighton, Wolverhampton, England, July, 1996.

Blooming habit: Recurrent.

Flower Bud:

About 2.5 cm (1”) long when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is short, pointed ovoid. When sepals first divide, bud color is red pink (Group 53D). When half blown, the upper sides of the petals are medium purple red (Group 66A) and medium purple red (Group 61C), and the lower sides of the petals are dark blue pink (Group 63B).

Sepals are light green (Group 144B). Surface texture on the upper side hairy; under side slightly prickly and waxy. There are three normally appendaged sepals and two unappendaged sepals with hairy edges. There is a medium brown purple (Group 181A) stripe down through center of sepal.

Receptacle light green (Group 144B), funnel shaped, medium 7.1mm - 9.5 mm (about 2/8 to 3/8 inch) long and 7.1mm - 9.5 mm (2/8 to 3/8 inch) wide; surface is smooth, very slightly hairy.

Peduncle is medium, averaging about 25mm – 139.7 mm (1 to 11/2 inches); the surface is smooth, prickly. Color is medium brown purple (Group 182A) and light green (Group 144B). Strength - erect.

Flower: Flowers are large to medium. Average open size is 4-10 cm (31/2 to 4 inches). Borne singly or \ several together in pyramidal clusters of two to three blooms. Stems have normal strength, their average length is about 20 – 60cm (8 to 24 inches).

When the flower first opens it has cupped form, and outer petals curl back as the flowers ages, resulting in broad, rosette-shaped, rather flat blooms. Number of petals under normal conditions: 82.

The upper sides of the petals are medium purple red (Group 57A) and a bit darker (Group 57C). The reverse sides of the petals are dark blue pink (Group 64C) and medium blue pink (Group 67C). The base of each petal is medium yellow (Group 3C). The major color on the upper sides is medium purple red ( Group 57A). Flowers have no variegations. The general tonality at the end of the first day: medium purple red (Group 57A), at the end of the third day: same.

Flowers have moderate, light tea fragrance.

Petals have lathery texture and oval shape. The tips slightly recurved on outer petals. Moderately quilled on central petals. Petals arranged irregularly; petaloids are few and small in the center. As the petals dry out they remain on the flower.

On the plant flowers last about 5 days, as a cut flower – not tested.

Reproductive parts. Anthers are medium-sized, many, medium yellow (Group 8A), partly tucked in calyx. Filaments are medium yellow (Group 10A); pollen is dark yellow (Group 15A); styles are light green (Group 149D). Stigmas have medium yellow orange colour (Group 23B).

Forms compact bushy shrub, has vigorous growth type. Mature plant is 110 cm in height and 110 cm in width (3.5” by 3.5”).

Foliage. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves: five to seven; they are medium 12.7cm – 17.8 cm long (5-7") and 10cm – 15.2 cm wide(4”-6"); quantity is normal. The new foliage has light green (Group 144A) colour on the upper side and medium brown green colour (Group 146C) on the lower side. Old foliage is dark green (Group 137A) on the upper side and dark brown green (Group 146B) on the lower side.

Leaflets have oval shape, they are leathery on the upper side, semi-glossy, with serrated edges, serration is small and single.

Petiole rachis is light green (Group 144B), their underside is smooth and with prickles. Stipules are medium, about 1.9cm (3/4 inch) long

Disease resistance is good, the variety is resistant to mildew, blackspot and rust under normal growing conditions at Albrighton, Wolverhampton, England.

Wood: New wood has dark brown purple colour (Group 183B) and the bark is smooth. The old wood has light green (Group 144B) and medium green (Group 143B) colour, from the mid-stem upwards medium brown purple (Group 184B), the bark is smooth.

Prickles: On main canes from base and on laterals from main canes there are ordinary quantity of prickles. They positioned mainly just underneath where the leaflet joins the stem. The prickles are medium to short, hooked downward. Their colour when young is dark purple red (Group 185A) and light green (Group 144B) at tip; when they mature the colour is light brown (Group 165B).

Small prickles: Quantity - on the main stalks are few and many on the laterals; they have medium brown colour (Group 165A).

Named after Sophy, daughter of Wendy Fisher, who founded the Dyslexia Institute in 1972.

English Shrub Roses

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of shrub rose plant of the Rosa hybrida class which was originated by David Austin by crossing the variety ‘Prospero’ with an unnamed seedling.

The primary objective of this breeding was to produce a new shrub rose variety having good disease resistance, repeat flowering of old-fashioned shaped red flowers on a strong growing plant with a bushy habit. The objective was substantially achieved, along with other desirable improvements, as evidenced by the following unique combination of characteristics that are outstanding in the new variety and that distinguish it from its parents, as well as from all other varieties: 1. Bushy habit; 2. Strong growth; and 3. Large, dome-shaped, red-purple flowers.

Asexual reproduction of this new variety by budding, as performed at Albrighton, Wolverhampton, England, shows that the foregoing and all other characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations.

Parentage:
Seed parent – ‘Auspero’ / ‘Prospero’.
Pollen parent - Unnamed seedling of unknown parentage.

USDA zone 5 and warmer