Rose Teasing Georgia

‘Teasing Georgia’ exemplifies one of the finest English climbing roses with its beautiful flowers of a soft yellow that does not fade, opening into perfect, slightly incurved, rosette-shaped blooms with great delicacy. It boasts an exceptional Tea Rose fragrance, earning the Henry Edland Medal in 2000 for the best scented variety in the Royal National Rose Society’s trials. It has also won numerous awards in trials both in the UK and worldwide.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this specification, color references and/or values are based upon the Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society (2001) except where common terms of color definition are employed.

FLOWER

‘Teasing Georgia’ has a very good repeat flowering habit, blooming is very profuse, in flushes, with very short breaks, from early summer until frosts. The number of blooms per plant during the growing season is profuse, but there are too many to count. This rose will cover a large area and yet produce as good a display in the autumn as it has in the summer.

Flower bud:

The fower buds are medium to large sized, they are about 2.6 - 3.2 cm long and 1.8 - 2.4 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The buds have pointed ovoid form.

When the sepals first divide, the bud color is soft yellow with magenta red tint on the edges. When half blown, the upper sides of the petals are of rich yellow colour, and the lower sides of the petals are slightly lighter.

The sepals are regularly arranged. The colour of the upper surface of the sepals is medium green with some purple-red intonations. The sepals have length of about 2.7 - 3 cm and they are about 0.7 - 0.8 cm wide. Their shape is lanceolate, the surface texture on the upper surface is pubescent while the lower surface is smooth and somewhat glandular. There are 3 lightly appendaged sepals, and 2 unappendaged sepals with downy edges.

The receptacles have medium-green colour (Group RHS 144A). The receptacles have chalice shape, they are medium sized, about 1 - 1.2 cm high and about 0.9 - 1 cm wide, the surface is smooth.

The peduncle is long, strong, averaging about 8 - 10 cm and about 3 -4 mm in diameter. The surface is smooth, somewhat glandular, the colour is medium green.

Bloom:

The flowers are large, average open diameter of the flower is about 9 - 10 cm. They are usually borne in clusters of 3 - 19 with blooms having an irregular shape. They display a perfect quartered rosette shape, and the flower form persists until the end, the most outer petals curl back. The flowers are very full, the number of petals varies from 110 to 130 under normal growing conditions.

The colour of the flowers on the upper and on the lowers sides display a rich shade of yellow, the outer petals falling back and fading to palest yellow, providing a most pleasing two-tone effect. Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers.

The general tonality of the flowers at the end of the first day is yellow, and at the end of the third day is pale yellow. Further the colour becomes lighter, light yellow closer to the end of the flowering.

Petals:

The petals have a smooth surface and silky texture. The petals are about 4.5 - 3.5 cm long and about 2.8 - 3.5 wide. The petals are heart-shaped, with a notched apex and rounded base, and the edges of the outer petals are slightly quilled. The margin of the petals is variable, some petals with entire margins and some with incisions. Petals have quite formal, quartered arrangement.

There are some petaliods present on the flowers of this variety, about 20 - 35 per flower. The colour of the petaliods is the same as the major colour of the flower rich yellow. They are usually 1.5 - 1.9 cm long and about 4 - 6 mm wide. The shape is obovate, with some of the petaloids folded, the margin is irregular.

The petals usually drop off cleanly before drying. They last on a plant fairly long, for about 5 - 7 days under normal weather conditions. The persistence as a cut flower is not tested.

Fragrance:

The fragrance is medium, with prominent tea character. ‘Teasing Georgia’ had received the Henry Edland Medal in 2000 for the best scented variety in the Royal National Rose Society’s trials.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens per flower is around 25 - 30, with the average length of about 4 - 5 mm.

The anthers have variable length of about 3 to 10 mm, their colour is orange-yellow transitioning to yellow closer to the base, some are mixed with petaloids.

The filaments have yellow-orange colour.

The pollen has orange colour.

The pistils are about 8 - 10 mm long, there are usually about 20 - 25 of them per flower.

The styles have white colour, their length is about 8 mm.

The hips are not observed yet.

PLANT

The variety is classified as a Climbing or a Shrub rose from David Austin’s English Climbing Roses collection. The variety has very vigorous and strong growth habit. Although it takes a few years to establish, it forms quite large, upright and bushy plant with slightly arching branches. When mature and will established able to occupy a large area, reaching to about 350 - 400 cm tall and about 150 -200 cm in width.

The variety is perfect for decorating lage walls, structures, pillars and arches, doorways and pergolas. Also due to its strong growth it can be easily grown as a shrub, but will require a space.

Foliage:

The foliage of ‘Teasing Georgia’ is abundant and dense. The number of leaves per flowering stem is about 3 per 10 cm of the stem length. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is usually 7 (including terminal leaflet), but can vary between 3 and 5.

The leaves are large, with the average length of the mid stem leaf of about 16.6 - 17 cm and with the width of about 14 - 14.5 cm. The foliage has a rather semi-glossy appearance.

The new foliage on the upper and on the lower sides have medium green colour. The mature foliage on the upper side is green.

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets of this variety is variable, there are two sizes of the leaflets: first is larger, about 8 cm long and 4.5 cm wide, and the second type has a length of about 5.5 cm and the width of about 3.7 cm. The leaflets have a pointed oval shape, with rounded base and pointed apex. The surface texture is leathery, the edges are serrated, the type of serration is large and single.

Petiole has yellow-green colour, the length is about 4 cm and the width is about 2 mm. The surface texture is glandular.

Petiole rachis has yellow-green colour, the underside with prickles, about 1 - 2 power internode.

Stipules are about 1.8 cm long, yellow-green in colour and the surface is glandular.

Auricle has a lanceolate shape, is about 1.8 cm long and about 4 mm wide. The colour is yellow-green.

Veins have the same colour as leaf color, the venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The colour of the new wood is medium green, the bark is smooth. The old wood has grayish-green colour, the bark is smooth with some rough patches.

Stems:

The flowering stems have a normal length, the average length is about 60 - 80 cm and with a diameter of about 6-9 mm.

The internode distance usually is about 5-6 cm. The above measurements are all variable, depending on growing conditions in a season. On the branches of this variety the stem pubescence is not present.

Prickles:

The quantity of prickles on the main canes from base is many, the number per stem length is about 7 - 8 per 10 cm. On laterals from main canes there are also many prickles, about 7 - 8 per 10 cm of the stem length. They have pyramidal form, slightly hooked downward, the size is large and broad, about 1 - 1.3 cm in length with the base width of about 1 to 1.2 cm. The colour of the young prickles is yellow-green, the mature prickles have grayish-green colour.

Small prickles:

There are no small prickles on the main stalks and on the laterals from the main canes.

Disease resistance:

The variety ‘Teasing Georgia’ has good disease resistance to most common rose pathogens, it is resistant to mildew, black spot, botrytis and rust. Pest resistance has not been tested yet.

The winter hardiness is good, it is suitable for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 5 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

Named for Mr. Ulrich Meyer, after his wife Georgia Tornow – both are German media personalities.

Ulrich Meyer and Georgia Tornow, both prominent figures in the German media industry, remain active and engaged in various public and professional activities. Ulrich Meyer is known for his work as a journalist and television presenter, particularly with his long-running program "Akte" on SAT.1. Georgia Tornow, his wife, is also a well-known media personality, author, and former editor-in-chief of several magazines.

English Shrub Roses

Baden-Baden Gold Medal, Baden-Baden Rose Trials, 2000;

RNRS Edland Fragrance Medal, Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) Show or Trials, 2000;

RNRS Trial Ground Certificate, Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) Show or Trials, 2000;

Rome Bronze Medal, Rome Rose Trials, 2000;

Award of Garden Merit (RHS/RNRS), Award of Garden Merit (RHS/RNRS), 2000;

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

With its soft coloring and pale green leaves, this variety hints at the English Musk Rose, though its breeding and vigorous growth place it firmly in the Leander Group. This rose variety originated by David Austin from cross pollination of the seed parent ‘Ausfather’ / ‘Charles Austin’ with the pollen parent an un-named and unpatented rose seedling.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

‘Ausbaker’ / ‘Teasing Georgia’ can be easily distinguished from both of its parents:

 The seed parent ‘Ausfather’ / ‘Charles Austin’ is characterized by tall upright growth habit and rich apricot yellow cupped rosette flowers, while ‘Ausbaker’ / ‘Teasing Georgia’ has much larger plant and rich yellow quartered rosette shaped flowers.

 The pollen parent - unnamed and unpatented rose seedling has a rounded branching shrub with medium pink flowers while ‘Ausbaker’ / ‘Teasing Georgia’ has much larger plant and with rich yellow flowers.

USDA 5