Rose Tess

If you’re seeking a red rose, ‘Tess’ should be your choice. Her rich crimson blooms are abundant in drama and passion, yet add an obvious refinement to a garden styled flower arrangement. They are luxurious, velvety, and majestic, radiating understated elegance. Her flawlessly shaped rosettes unfurl to expose a delicate cluster of golden stamens. Although her fragrance is subtle, her overall allure remains unblemished. Each rose starts as a rounded bud with graceful waved edges and as she opens the outer petals surround smaller ruffled petals giving the rose great depth and forming magnificent cupped rosettes.

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. Observations of budded ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’ specimens were made at the nursery at David Austin Roses Limited in Albrighton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. The following description is of 6 year-old potted rose plants, of the new variety grown indoors in a greenhouse in Albrighton, Britain in the month of June. 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 continuous flowering habit. In the greenhouse it is able to flower year round, and in a garden it 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 'Tess' rose variety are medium sized, about 2.2 cm long and 1.8 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is pointed ovoid. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is dark purple red (RHS 59B). When half open, the upper sides of the petals are dark purple red (RHS 46A), and the lower sides of the petals are dark purple red (RHS 60A).

Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back, the length is about 7 cm and the diameter is 7 cm.

The sepals have a length of about 3 cm and a width of 1.3 cm. The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is downy on the upper surface and glandular on the lower surface. The colour on the upper surface and on the lower surface is medium green (RHS 143C). There are 2 heavily appendaged sepals and there are 3 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacle is medium green (RHS 143B), funnel shaped and has a smooth surface. The the receptacle is broad, about 1 cm long and about 1.3 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is strong, medium, averaging to about 5 cm in length, and has a smooth surface. The colour of the peduncle is medium green colour (RHS 143B).

Bloom:

The flowers are medium-sized, the average diameter of the open flower is about 8 cm. When the flower first open the form is cupped. As the flower opens the form flattens and outer petals curl back, forming a perfect rosette. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 120. They are born mostly singly or may hold between 1 and 4 blooms, and then have a rounded shape. When grown commercially for cut-flower production the stems are disbudded to ensure the blooms are grown singly. Stems’ strength is strong, the average length is about 90 cm, diameter is about 7 mm.

When first open the colour of the upper sides of the petals is dark purple red (RHS 60A) and the reverse sides of the petals are dark purple red (RHS 60B), the base of the petals is white (RHS 155B). Under normal growing conditions the variegation is not observed on the flowers of this rose variety.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is dark purple red (RHS 60A), at the end of the third day the general tonality does not change, remaining dark purple red (RHS 60A).

Petals:

The texture of the petals is velvety and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is obovate, the margins are mostly entire, but with some frilled and some recurved. The apex is rounded and the base of the petals is obtuse, the tips slightly recurved. Average length of the petals is about 3.4 cm and the width is about 4.0 cm. The arrangement of the petals is regular.

Normally there are few petaloids present in the center of the flowers, 15 on average. Petaloids have dark purple red (RHS 60A), they are about 1.3 mm long and are about 9 mm in width. Petaloids have ovate, but curled over shape and frilled margin.

The petals of this rose variety normally hang on and dry, therefore the deadheading of the faded flowers is required for this rose variety. Under normal climate conditions the petals last fairly long, on the plant they last for about 14-18 days, as a cut flower their lastingness is also about 10 days.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'Tess' is very light, with tea notes.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 6 on average per flower, the length is about 6 mm, they are mixed with petaloids.

The anthers have a length of about 4 mm and have medium yellow orange colour (Group 16C).

The colour of the filaments is medium yellow orange (Group 16C), their length is 4 mm on average.

The pollen is medium yellow orange (Group 16A).

The number of pistils is 60 on average, they are about 13 mm long.

The colour of the styles is light green (Group 157A) tinged with medium blue pink (Group 62A) and are about 11 mm long.

Stigma are about 1.5 mm long and have white colour (Group 155B).

The hips of this rose variety have not been observed yet.

PLANT

The rose variety 'Tess' is classified as a Shrub rose and is a part of David Austin’s Wedding and Event Roses collection. The growth character is vigorous, bushy, upright, and outwardly. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 130 cm and the width of about 60 cm.

Foliage:

There is a abundant quantity of the foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is typically 5, including the terminal leaflet. The average flowering stem has about 12 leaves. The foliage is large, about 21 cm long and about 17 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is dark purple red (Group 59B) overlaid with medium green (Group 144A) while the lower side is dark purple red (Group 59B). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark green (Group 139A) and on the lower side is medium brown green (Group 139B).

Leaflets:

The leaflets are large, about 10 cm long and about 5.5 cm wide. The shape of the leaflets is ovate, with cordate base shape and acuminate apex shape, the texture is leathery, edges are serrated, the serration is single.

The petiole has dark brown green (RHS 137B), the average length is 6 cm and the average width is 2 mm, the surface texture is smooth with small occasional prickles underneath, strength is medium.

The petiole rachis is dark brown green (RHS 137B), the underside with prickles.

The auricle is lanceolate, with length of about 8 mm and width of about 1 mm, the color is dark brown green (RHS 137B).

The stipules are about 2.5 cm, they have dark brown green colour(RHS 137B), and their texture is glandular.

The veins have the same colour as the leaf, the venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has dark purple red (RHS 59B) colour, the bark is smooth. The old wood’s colour is medium green (RHS 143C), the bark is rough.

Stems:

Mature stems have an average length of 90 cm with diameter of 7 mm. Internode distance is about 6 cm. The above measurements are all variable, depending on growing conditions in a season. Stems don’t have pubescence present.

Prickles:

There is an ordinary quantity of prickles present on the main canes from base and on the laterals from main canes, about 13 per 10 cm of the stem length. The shape of the prickles is deep concave, the length is about 6 mm. The colour of the young prickles is medium brown purple (RHS 181A), the colour when mature is medium grey green (RHS 195B).

Small prickles:

There are no small prickles observed on the main canes as well as on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'Tess' is disease resistant, particularly to mildew (Podosphaera pannosa), blackspot (Diplocarpon rosae) and rust (Phragmidium tuberculatum) in greenhouse conditions, with on average day temperature maintained at 17.5 degrees C. In the garden conditions it is somewhat susceptible to black spot and mildew. The pest resistance has not been tested yet.

Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 7 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

The name is inspired by David Austin’s English Shrub rose ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’, which is named after the main character of the Thomas Hardy’s novel of the same name.

Wedding and Event Roses collection

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’ originated by David Austin by crossing an unnamed, unpatented seedling with an unnamed, unpatented seedling of class Rosa hybrida.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new English Rose variety suitable for cut-flower production with very full, deep red blooms having many petals in the character of an old-fashioned garden shrub rose.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 deep red, medium-large, saucer-shaped and very full blooms;

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.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

The ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’ may be distinguished from its seed parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 the seed parent has a deeper cup and a dark pink color compared with the deep red and flatter bloom of ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’.

The ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’ may be distinguished from its pollen parent by the following combination of characteristics:

 the pollen parent is also red, but is more cupped with fewer petals than ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

The most similar rose cultivars to the ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’ is the rose variety ‘Darcey’ / ‘Auschariot’ and may be distinguished by the following combination of characteristics:

 the ‘Darcey’ / ‘Auschariot’ slightly larger blooms which are more domed in shape, whereas the blooms of ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’ are a more flat-topped cup shape which flattens with age.

 In addition, ‘Darcey’ / ‘Auschariot’ is much more fragrant than ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’ having quite a strong musk fragrance compared with a very light tea fragrance of ‘Tess’ / ‘Ausyacht’.

USDA 7