Rose Tess

If you’re seeking a red rose, Tess is 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. The are luxurious, velvety, and majestic, radiating understated elegance. Her flawlessly shaped rosettes unfurl to expose a delicate cluster of golden stamens. Although Tess’s 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.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATION
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.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY
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.

Flower characteristics:
Blooming habit – continuous, the number of blooms per plant during the growing season is profuse, but there are too many to count.

Flower bud:
The size is about 2.2 cm long and 1.8 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl.

Form: the bud form is pointed ovoid; color when sepals first divide is dark purple red (RHS 59B), when half blown - 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 the bloom is open and folding back against the stem; its length is about 7 cm and diameter is about 7 cm.

Sepals regularly arranged. Their color on the upper surface is medium green (RHS 143C), the lower surface is medium green (RHS 143B). Length is about 3 cm and the width is about 1.3 cm. The sepals have lanceolate shape, the surface texture on the upper and the lower surface is downy. There are 2 heavily appendaged sepals, and 3 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

Receptacles have medium green (RHS 143B) colour, funnel shape, they are broad, about 1 cm high and 1.3 cm wide. The surface is smooth. Peduncle’s length is medium, it is strong, averaging about 5 cm, has rough surface and medium green colour (RHS 143B).

Blooms:
The flowers are medium sized, with average open diameter is about 7 cm. Borne mostly singly. (Note: the inflorescence when the shrub is growing naturally may hold between 1 and 4 blooms, and then has 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 the flower first open the form is cupped. As the flower opens the form flattens and outer petals curl back, forming a perfect rosette.

Petalage:
The number of petals under normal conditions is 120. The upper sides of the petals are dark purple red (RHS 60A), the reverse sides of the petals are dark purple red (RHS 60B). The base of the outer petals is white (RHS 155B). The variegations are absent on this variety.

Discoloration: The general tonality at the end of the first day is dark purple red (RHS 60A), and at the end of the third day is dark purple red (RHS 60A).

Fragrance:
Very light. Character of the fragrance - with tea notes.

Petals:
The petals have velvety texture, the width is about 34 mm and the length is about 40 mm. Surface is smooth, have obovate shape, the margin is mostly entire, but with some frilled and some recurved. Apex’s shape is rounded, the base has obtuse shape. Form – the tips are slightly recurved, their arrangement is regular. Petaloids number on the flower is about 15, the dark purple red (RHS 60A), the average length is about 13 mm and the width is 9 mm. Shape is ovate, but curled over. The margin is frilled.

Persistence: Petals hang on and dry.

Lastingness: On the plant very good, about 14-18 days. As a cut flower - about 10 days.

Reproductive parts:
Stamens number – 6, they have length of about 6 mm.

Anthers have length of about 4 mm, they are medium yellow orange (RHS 16C) and mixed with petaloids.

Filaments have medium yellow orange (RHS 16C) colour, length of about 4 mm.

Pollen is medium yellow orange (RHS 16A), amount is scarce.

Pistils’ number is 60 in average, they have length of about 13 mm.

Styles are light green (RHS 157A) tinged with pink (medium blue pink RHS 62A), have length of 11 mm.

Stigmas are white (RHS 155B), their length is about 1.5 mm.

Hips - none observed.

Plant characteristics
Plant form – upright shrub.

Plant growth - medium.

Age to maturity - two years.

Mature plant has height of about 130 cm and width of about 60 cm.

Foliage:
Number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is 3. They are large, about 21 cm long and 17 cm wide. Their quantity on the plant is abundant. The number of leaves per flowering stem is 12. Color: the new foliage on the upper side is dark purple red (RHS 59B) with medium green (RHS 144A) and the lower side is dark purple red (RHS 59B; the old foliage on the upper side is dark green (RHS 139A and the lower side is medium brown green (RHS 139B).

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

Petiole is 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.

Petiole Rachis is dark brown green (RHS 137B), the underside with prickles.

Stipules length is about 2.5 cm, they have dark brown green (RHS 137B) colour, texture is glandular.

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

Vein colour is the Same as leaf color, venation pattern - reticulate.

Wood:
New Wood 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 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. Stem don’t have pubescence present.

Prickles:
On main canes from base the number of prickles is ordinary. Number per stem length is about 13 per 10 cm. Form - deep concave, the length is about 6 mm. Their colour when young is medium brown purple (RHS 181A), the colour when mature is medium grey green (RHS 195B).

Small prickles.
Smal prickles are absent on the main stalks and on the laterals.

Disease resistance:
In greenhouse environment ‘Tess’ is resistant to mildew (Podosphaera pannosa), resistance to blackspot (Diplocarpon rosae) and to rust (Phragmidium tuberculatum) - not tested.

In the garden ‘Tess’ has moderate resistance to mildew and to blackspot, the resistance to rust and botrytis is good.

Pest resistance - not tested.

Winter hardiness – USDA zone 6.

Preferred growing conditions - normal greenhouse conditions.

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.

David Austin Cut Rose Collection

ORIGIN OF INVENTION
‘Tess’ / ‘AUSyacht’ originated from the cross-pollination of the two unnamed and unpatented seedlings of Rosa hybrida.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of this breeding was to produce a rose variety suitable for cut-flower production with double, deep red blooms having many petals in the character of an old-fashioned garden shrub rose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Among the features which distinguish the new variety from others presently available and commercial rose cultivars known to the inventor is the following combination of characteristics: deep red, medium-large, saucer-shaped blooms having many petals.

Asexual reproduction of the new variety by budding as performed at Bowling Green Lane in Albrighton, Britain shows that the foregoing and other distinguishing characteristics come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding asexual propagations. ‘Tess’ / ‘AUSyacht’ may be asexually propagated by budding. The budding successfully occurred on the plant/rootstock Rosa ‘Inermis’ for the observed plants.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS
The seed and pollen parents of ‘Tess’ / ‘AUSyacht’ are two unnamed seedlings. The new rose 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 new rose may be distinguished from its pollen parent, by the following combination of characteristics: the parent is also red, but is more cupped with fewer petals than ‘Tess’ / ‘AUSyacht’.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR
The closest commercially available cultivars to the new variety are the ‘Darcey’ / ‘AUSchariot’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,206). The new rose may be distinguished from the ‘Darcey’ / ‘AUSchariot’ variety 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 zone 6 and warmer