Rose Summer Song

The distinctive quality of this fascinating rose lies in its unique color, best characterized as burnt orange. This shade is a novelty among English shrub roses and is rarely observed in any rose variety. The color remains remarkably vibrant, maintaining its intensity until the end. The bloom is exquisitely shaped, medium or large sized, cupped, and generously filled with petals. It emits a delightful, strong fragrance with notes of chrysanthemum leaves, ripe banana, and tea. Forms tall, upright, bushy shrub.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY
The following is a detailed description using terminology in accordance with The Royal Horticultural Society (London) Colour Chart (2001), except where ordinary dictionary significance of color is indicated.

FLOWER
The plant blooms repeatedly, producing a profuse number of blooms during the growing season, too numerous to count.

Flower bud:
The flower buds are medium to large sized, about 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) long and 2.1 cm (0.83 inches) in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The form of the bud is urceolate. Initially, when sepals first divide, the bud color is dark red (Group 42A). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are orange-red (Group 33B), and the lower sides are orange-red (Group 34C) with dark red (Group 45A) at the base.

The sepals on the lower surface have pigmentation of some dark purple red (Group 53A), some medium green (Group 144A) with light green (Group 144B) at the base; on the upper surface the colour is medium brown green (Group 148C). The average length of the sepals is 2.8 cm (1.1 inches), and the width is about 1.2 cm (0.5 inches). They have subulate shape, the texture of the lower surface is smooth with a strong raised central ridge running to the apex, the upper surface is pubescent. There are three normally appendaged sepals and two unappendaged sepals with canescent edges.

Receptacle is medium green (Group 143B) with irregular patches of dark purple red (Group 53A). The shape is campanulate, surface is smooth, medium sized, with length of about 1 cm (0.4 inches) and width is about 1.2cm (0.5 inches).

Peduncle is medium, has normal or weak strength, averaging about 8 cm (3.2 inches), having glandular surface. The colour of the peduncle is light green (Group 144B) on the shaded surface, and dark brown purple (Group 184A) on the surface exposed to the sun.

Bloom:
Flowers of ‘Summer Song’ are medium to large, with the average open diameter of about 9 – 10 cm (3.8 - 4 inches). They are borne several together in rounded, small clusters of 7 to 9 together.

When first open, the flowers are very full and have cupped form, which is retained until the end. The number of petals under normal conditions is about 80-90.

The upper sides of the petals are dark orange (Group 31B), and the reverse sides are light red pink (Group 35B). The bases of the petals are medium yellow (Group 9B) on the lower surface and medium yellow (Group 9A) on the upper surface. The major color on the upper sides is dark orange (Group 31B). Flowers do not have any variegations.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is orange-red (Group 35B), and at the end of the third day, it is red (Group 37B) on the upper side and orange-red (Group 31C) on the underside.

Petals:
The texture and the surface of the petals is smooth, the average length is about 3.7 cm (1.5 inches) and the width is 5.3 cm (2 inches) in average. They have obdeltoid / broad elliptical shape with flat margin, and with gentle undulation on inner petals, and some slightly reflexing. The apex of the petals has a rounded shape with some outer petals emarginated). The shape of the petals’ base is cuneate / pointed. The general petals form is incurved, tips slightly recurved on some. The arrangement of the inner petals are informal, and the outer ring of petals is imbricated.

The number of petaloids on a flower is few. The colour of their anther is light yellow (Group 12C), length is about 1 mm (0.04 inches); filament is medium yellow orange (Group 17A), the length is about 7 mm (0.28 inches); and the petal’s colour is medium red (Group 34A), has irregular shape, with length of about 16 mm (0.63 inches).The general shape of petaloid: the petal is joined to the filament, and the anther is fused to the margin of the petal.

Petals drop off cleanly before drying. The lastingness of the petals on the plant is fair, about 4 days, and as a cut flower is short, about 4 days.

Fragrance:
‘Summer Song’ has wonderful, strong fragrance with distinctive fruity character, and hints of chrysanthemum leaves, ripe bananas, and Tea.

Reproductive parts:
The number of stamens is 35 on average, having length of 11 mm (0.43 inches) on average.

Anthers regularly arranged around the styles, have medium yellow orange colour (Group 17A )and length of 3 mm (0.12 inches).

Filaments are bout 8 mm (0.31 inches) and medium red (Group 42C).

Pollen is medium yellow orange (Group 17A).

The number of pistils is 80 on average, the length is about 10 mm (0.39 inches).

The styles have length of about 9mm (0.35 inches) and are light green (Group 157A) with orange red (Group 35A) below stigma.

Stigmas are dark yellow (Group 14B) and are about 1 mm (0.04 inches) long.

Hips not observed.

PLANT
‘Summer Song’ is classified as a shrub rose. It has medium vigor, upright, bushy growth type. The mature plant has height of about 125 – 150 cm (4 - 5”) and width of 90 – 125 cm (3” – 4”).

Can be trained as a lovely short climbing rose in warmer climates, however doesn’t really like to much heat, in very hot areas flowers tend to fade really quickly.

Foliage:
The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 5-7 (including terminal leaflet). The foliage is large, about 19.4 cm (7.64 inches) long and 14.5 cm (5.71 inches) wide. There are normal quantity of foliage on a plant, the average number leaves per flowering stem is 12.

The colour of the new foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 146A) and dark purple red (Group 53A) on a margin; the lower side is dark brown green (Group 146B).

Old foliage is dark green (Group 139A) on the upper side and dark brown green (Group 146A) on the lower side.

Leaflets:
The normal mid-stem leaflets have length of about 7.6 cm (2.99 inches) and width of about 5.2 cm (2.05 inches). The shape of the leaflet is pointed oval with rounded base and acuminate apex. The texture is leathery, edge is serrated, type of serrations - single, large.

Petiole is light green (Group 144B) with a smooth surface and a few glands present. The length is approximately 4 cm (1.57 inches), the width is approximately 2 mm (0.08 inches).

Petiole rachis is also light green (Group 144B), smooth on the underside, and with a few glands.

The average length of the stipules is 1.9 cm (0.75 inches), margin is glandular, and colour is dark brown purple (Group 178A).

Auricle shape is elongated awl; venation pattern is reticulate, vein colour is light green (Group 144B).

Wood:
The new wood has dark brown purple colour (Group 178A) and smooth bark. The old wood has dark brown green colour (Group 146B), smooth bark with rough pathes.

Stems:
The length of the mature stem is about 45 cm (17.7 inches), and diameter is about 5 mm (0.3 inches). The internode distance is about 4 cm (1.57 inches). The above measurements are all variable, depending on growing conditions in a season.

Prickles:
The quantity of prickles on the main canes from base is ordinary, 4 per 10 cm (3.94 inches) of the stem length. On laterals from main canes is also ordinary, about 5 per 10 cm (3.94 inches) per stem length.

Prickles of ‘Summer Song’ have concave curved inward form, their length is about 9 mm (0.35 inches). The colour when young is dark purple red (Group 185A) with medium brown green (Group 146D) at tip. The colour of the mature prickles is light brown (Group 164A) at base, medium brown purple (Group 184B) at tip and along the upper edge.

Small prickles:
The small prickles are not observed on main stalks and on the laterals from main stalks.

Disease resistance:
Disease resistance: Resistant to powdery and downy mildew, blackspot, and rust in normal growing conditions. Pest resistance: Not tested.

Winter hardiness: Not tested.

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

English Shrub Rose

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY
Shrub rose ‘Austango’ / ‘Summer Song’ was originated by David Austin by crossing an unnamed, unpatented seedling with an unnamed, unpatented seedling.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY
The primary objective of this breeding was to produce a bushy, repeat flowering, upright shrub with large, full cupped blooms that have burnt orange colour.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY
The objective was substantially achieved, along with other desirable improvements, as evidenced by the following unique combination of characteristics:

1. Medium to large sized, very full, cupped flowers of an unusual burnt orange color.
2. Tall, bushy and upright shrub.
3. Strong mixed fruity fragrance with banana and tea.

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

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS
The seed parent has pink blooms in rosettes compared with the burnt orange, cupped blooms of ‘Austango’ / ‘Summer Song’ and has stronger growth. The pollen parent is a taller shrub than ‘Austango’ / ‘Summer Song’ and its blooms are pale pink rosettes.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR
‘Ausmum’ / ‘Pat Austin’ has blooms that are brighter orange than those of ‘Austango’ / ‘Summer Song’ and mixed with yellow, and it makes a broader, more arching shrub. ‘Austango’ / ‘Summer Song’ has smaller leaves and fuller blooms than ‘Ausmum’ / ‘Pat Austin’.

USDA zone 5 and warmer