Rose Swan

Elegant rose with swanlike grace. Tall, upright shrub rose that offers a refined presence in the garden, combining the modern vigor of its parent ‘Charles Austin’ with the classic charm of ‘Iceberg’. The flowers are beautifully formed flat rosettes with short, ruffled, and quilled petals arranged in perfect symmetry. Buds begin a soft butter yellow or buff and open slowly into creamy white or ivory flowers, sometimes retaining a faint warmth of yellow or peach at the center. In cooler conditions, the blooms may appear richer in tone, while in warm, dry climates they fade to a luminous, swanlike white. They also last well in water, retaining their form and elegance for several days. With proper feeding and irrigation, 'Swan' offers a long season of flowering and adds an element of elegance and height to borders and rose gardens.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Swan' 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 recurrent flowering habit. Blooms repeatedly in flushes 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 'Swan' rose variety are medium sized, about 3 - 4 cm long and 1.5 - 1.8 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is oval with a long pointed apex. When half open the petals have a pale yellow colour (Group 4A3) with straw yellow (Group 3B4) at the base. Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back.

The sepals have a length of about 2.5 - 3.0 cm. The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is smooth on the upper surface and densely tometose on the lower surface. The colour on the upper surface is deep green (Group 29D8) with pale red / pastel red blush (Group 10A4) with ensiform protrusions and coral (red) (Group 9B7) glandular hairs. On the lower surface the sepals are greyish green / apple green (Group 29C7) and densely tometose.

The receptacle is greyish green (Group 30D6), goblet shaped and has a glabrous, dull surface. The size of the receptacle is medium, about 1 cm long and about 1.2 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium-sized, averaging to about 2 - 6 cm in length, and has few red tipped glandular hairs (Group 10C8) of medium density. The colour of the peduncle is greyish green (Group 29D6 to 29D7).

Bloom:

The flowers are large, the average diameter of the open flower is about 7.5 - 10.0 cm. When first open, the flower form is flattened cap with rounded base and flattened top, the outer petals recurved towards the stem in mature flowers. As the flowers fully open the shape becomes more flat, rosette shaped. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 90 on average. They are born in small clusters of 1 - 6, mainly 3 blooms together on long, upright stems, making them excellent for cutting.

When first open the the colour of the upper sides of the petals is milk white (Group 1A2) and primary yellow / primrose (Group 2A6) at the base and the inner petals are pale yellow (Group 2A3) deepening to pastel yellow (Group 3A4) and to light yellow (Group 3A5). The reverse sides of the petals are milk white (Group 1A2).

When fully open the color of the flowers on the upper and on the reverse sides of the petals is pale / yellowish white (Group 2A2) deepening towards centre and base of petal to pale yellow (Group 2A3).

When finishing blooming the flowers on the upper side of the outer petals is milk white (Group 1A2) at the base, the margins of the outer petals are brown / light brown (Group 6D6) and shrivelling; while the inner petals are pale / yellowish white (Group 2A2) and light yellow (Group 2A5) at the base. The reverse of the petals is milk white (Group 1A2).

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

Petals:

The texture of the petals is firm and the surface is smooth; the shape of the outer petals is generally round with mucronate apex and base and the inner petals have oval shape with mucronate apex and cuneate base.

The petals of this rose variety have medium good self-cleaning quality, they tend to hang out and dry out on the plants. Under normal climate conditions the petals last fairly long, on the plant they last for about 14 days, as a cut flower their lastingness is about 13 - 16 days.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Swan' is light, sweet and pleasant.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 90-100 on average per flower.

The anthers have a normal length and are vivid yellow coloured (Group 3A8).

The colour of the filaments is light yellow (Group 3A5), they are of irregular heights.

There are also numerous pistils on the flowers of this rose variety.

The colour of the styles is light green (Group 30A5) with outer styles having a fuchsia top, they are of irregular heights.

Stigma is straw yellow (Group 3B4).

The hips of this rose variety have not been observed.

PLANT

The rose variety 'Swan' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. ‘Swan’ is particularly well-suited to warm, dry gardens where its blooms stay pristine.

The shrub itself is tall and vigorous, with upright, cane-like stems and broad, glossy, Hybrid Tea-style leaves. It has a modern, robust appearance and can be lightly trained or pegged for additional structure and bloom. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 140 - 150 cm and the width of about 140 - 150 cm. The plant is nearly thornless, with only scattered light green prickles.

Regular deadheading will enhance repeat flowering, as spent blooms often cling to the plant and may need manual removal.

Foliage:

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. Foliage is medium to dark green, sometimes flushed bronze on new growth. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 3 to 5, but most often there are 7 leaflets, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage has medium density, semi-glossy. The foliage is medium sized.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is greyish green / grass green (Group 30E7) with reddish brown veins (Group 8D7) while the lower side is greyish green (Group 30D6) with English red / reddish brown veins (Group 8D8). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark green (Group 28F6) and dark green (Group 28F7) and on the lower side is greyish green (Group 29E5) and greyish green / spinach green (Group 29E6).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium, the shape of the leaflets is oval, the shape of the leaflet tip is cuspidate and the base shape is rounded. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is single and medium.

The petiole has brownish red tipped (Group 10C8) glandular hairs, the colour of the petiole on the upper surface is deep green (Group 29E8) and on the lower surface is greyish green (Group 29C6). The petiole is densely tometose when young, and glabrous when old, with occasional brownish red (Group 10C7) on the tip of the hairs.

The stipules are 2.5 cm long and are 4 - 6 mm wide, have angle of wingtips to petiole of about 80°, slightly recurved towards the stem, the margins minutely serrate with glandular hairs. The shape of the stipules is linear, and the colour is greyish green (Group 29D7) fading to light yellow (Group 4D4).

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has greyish green / lattuce green colour (Group 30D7) with garnet brown / reddish brown (Group 9D8) shading on underside, the bark is glabrous, smooth, semi-shiny. The mature wood is deep green / parrot green (Group 30E8) and the bark is glabrous, smooth, semi-shiny.

Stems:

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

Prickles:

There are very few occasional prickles present on the main canes from base and on the laterals from main canes, about 0 to 3 per node. The colour of the young prickles is green; the mature prickles have brownish red colour (Group 10C7) fading to light yellow (Group 4A4).

Small prickles:

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

Disease resistance:

In humid or rainy climates, the flowers may suffer from spotting, thrips damage, or balling. The rose also shows a tendency toward rust and mildew in spring, so preventative care and good air circulation are essential in vulnerable areas.

Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 6 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

This cultivar was named for the swanlike purity and grace of its white flowers.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Auswhite’ / 'Swan' originated by David Austin by crossing:

 female parent (seed parent) - English shrub rose ‘Ausfather’ / ‘Charles Austin’

  X

 male parent (pollen parent) - an unnamed and unpatented rose seedling of the following parentage: [seed parent - unnamed and unpatented rose seedling x Floribunda rose ‘KORbin’ / ‘Iceberg’].

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new rose variety with an improvement in this class of roses.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 abundant and continual blooming;

 very full and old-fashioned flowers;

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 6