Rose Sweet Juliet

A tall, upright English rose, named in homage to Shakespeare’s heroine, that combines elegant form with a rich, fruity‑Tea fragrance. Shallow‑cupped, rosette blooms whose apricot‑yellow centers gently fade to paler, peach‑tinged edges sometimes revealing a delicate button eye. There is a strong, delightfully fresh fragrance with prominent Tea rose character later developing a cool lemon note as the flowers develop.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'Sweet Juliet' 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 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 'Sweet Juliet' rose variety are medium sized, about 2.5 - 3.0 cm long and 2.5 - 3.0 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is rounded with a long cuspidate apex. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is brownish violet (Group 11D7) streaks fading through light orange (Group 6A5) to pastel yellow (Group 3A4).

Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back.

The sepals have a length of about 2.5 cm and a width of 1 cm. The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is slightly ridged with sparse red tipped glandular hairs on the upper surface and red tipped glandular hairs and ensiform protrusions on the lower surface. The inner margins have densely tomentose edges. The colour on the upper surface is greyish green / apple green (Group 29C7) widely shaded with brownish red (Group 10C6) and on the lower surface is greyish green / apple green (Group 29C7). There are 3 appendaged sepals and there are unappendaged sepals.

The receptacle is deep green (Group 29D8), smooth, very slightly hairy and goblet shaped. The size of the receptacle is medium, about 1 cm long and about 0.6 - 0.8 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium averaging to about 2.0 - 4.0 cm in length. 1st flowers tend to have longer peduncles than later flowers on the same stem group. The colour of the peduncle is greyish green / lettuce green (Group 30D7) shaded with grayish red (Group 9C5) and has medium dense red tipped glandular hairs on the surface.

Bloom:

The flowers are medium, the average diameter of the open flower is about 6 - 7 cm. When first open, the flower form is a compact flattened cup with tip slightly concave, the outer petals are curved down towards the petiole, the flower form persists until the end. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 90. They are born in small clusters having a rounded shape, of 1-5 blooms together.

The color of the flowers when opening on the upperside of the outer petals at the base is vivid yellow (Group 3A8) fading through light yellow (Group 3A5) to yellowish white (Group 3A2). The inner petals at the basal tip are vivid yellow (Group 3A8) fading through light yellow (Group 4A4) to pale orange (Group 5A3). The underside of the outer petals at the base is vivid yellow (Group 3A8) fading through yellow (Group 3A6) to pale orange (Group 5A3). The inner petals at the basal tip are vivid yellow (Group 3A8) fading through yellow (Group 3A6) to pale red (Group 7A3).

The colour of the flowers when fully open on the upper sides at the basal tip is yellow (Group 3A6) fading to pastel yellow white (Group 3A4). Most of the petal colour at the basal tip is yellow (Group 3A6) fading through pastel yellow white (Group 3A4) to light yellow (Group 4A4). The colour of the underside at the basal tip is yellow (Group 3A6) fading pastel yellow white (Group 3A4) to orange white (Group 5A2). The major colour of the petal at the basal tip is yellow (Group 3A6) fading through light yellow (Group 3A5) to pale orange (Group 5A3).

The colouring when flowers finish blooming on the upper side of the outer petals at the basal tip is yellow (Group 2A6) fading through pale yellow (Group 2A3) to white. The inner petals at the basal tip are yellow (Group 2A6) fading through pale yellow (Group 3A3) to yellowish white (Group 3A2). The underside of the outer petals at the basal tip is yellow (Group 2A6) fading through pale yellow (Group 2A3) to white with very very pale pink specks. The inner petals at the base are yellow (Group 3A6) changing through pastel yellow white (Group 3A4) to orange white (Group 5A2).

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

Petals:

The texture of the inner petals of the petals is soft, silky and outer petals are firm. The shape of the outer petals is rounded with top fairly bilobed, base cordate, slightly shouldered and the form of the petal is cupped (i.e. not flat); the inner petals is folded in half lengthways, top rounded, broad, roughly bilobed and base acute. The apex in the middle of the petal is ovate, top broad, rounded, base acute, slightly shouldered with petal slightly cupped.

The petals of this rose variety have good self-cleaning quality, dropping its petals quickly leaving a tidy looking rose plant. Under normal climate conditions the petals last fairly long, on the plant they last for about 10-14 days. As a cut flower their lastingness ranges from 8 to 10 days.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Sweet Juliet' is strong, very pleasant, sweet-fruit like.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 70 on average per flower.

The anthers have golden yellow colour.

The colour of the filaments is yellow, they have irregular heights.

The number of pistils is 55 - 60 on average.

The colour of the styles is greenish white (Group 30A2) with pale orange (Group 5A3), brownish red at top as style expands into stigma, hairy.

Stigma is straw colored.

The hips of this rose variety have not been observed.

PLANT

The rose variety 'Sweet Juliet' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is strong, bushy and upright, powerful and vigorous. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 100 - 140 cm and the width of about 100 - 125 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 varies from 3 to 5 and to 7, including the terminal leaflet. The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is greyish green / bracken green (Group 29E7) tinged with violet brown / garnet red (Group 11E8) at margins while the lower side is greyish green (Group 30D6) tinged with grayish red (Group 11D5), margins are garnet red (Group 11E8). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark green (Group 28F6) and on the lower side is greyish green / spinach green (Group 29E6) with violet brown / garnet red margins (Group 11E8).

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, large. The surface texture of the leaflets is fairly soft, a general effect of foliage medium dense, semi-glossy. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is medium and single.

The petiole has greyish green colour (Group 29D7), is about 9.5-11.5 cm long, and has hairs and thorns along groove margins and at nodes, groove sparsely lined with red tipped glandular hairs, there is a pale yellow (Group 1A3) mid line on the underside. The hairs and thorns are brownish red (Group 10C6), there are about 1 or 2 prickles per node.

The stipules are about 2.0 cm long and 0.6 mm wide, the angle of wingtips to petiole is about 45 degree to 90 degrees. The colour of the stipules is greyish green (Group 30C6), margins are finely toothed, red-tipped glandular hairs. The wings are greyish green / apple green colour (Group 29C7) with mid rib of brownish red (Group 10C6) colour.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has deep green colour (Group 29D8) with the youngest parts shaded with brownish violet (Group 11D7), the bark is smooth. The mature wood is deep green (Group 29E8), the bark remains smooth.

Prickles:

There is an ordinary quantity of prickles present on the main canes from base and on the laterals from main canes, about 1-3 per node. The prickles are about 9 mm long, and when young have violet brown / garnet red (Group 11E8) colour fading to rosewood / redish brown (Group 9D5) with sparse red glandular hairs. The mature prickles have brownish red colour (Group 10C6).

Small prickles:

There are occasional small prickles on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety, about 1 to 0 per node.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Sweet Juliet' has good resistance to blackspot and rust under normal growing conditions. However, it is often susceptible to mildew from the early season. The pest resistance has not been tested yet.

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

Named for the heroine of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausleap’ / 'Sweet Juliet' originated by David Austin by crossing female parent (seed parent) - English shrub rose ‘Ausmas’ / ‘Graham Thomas’ with male parent - English shrub rose ‘Ausmira’ / ‘Admired Miranda’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new rose variety with a vigorous abundant and continual blooming that occurs for 5 months and with the perfection of the very full old-fashioned 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:

 very full old-fashioned flowers peachy-apricot flowers with sweet Tea fragrance;

 vigorous and bushy growth character;

 vigorous, abundant and continual blooming.

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