Rose The Country Parson

'The Country Parson' produces abundant medium-large, almost flat rosettes of brilliant yellow colour. Flowers feature a soft, buttery hue, with the outer edges of the petals turning gracefully translucent to create an illuminated effect. The fragrance is delicious, medium-strong, fruity, with enticing notes of sweet apricot, green apple, and honey. Forms a robust, medium-sized, very healthy, rounded shrub reaches approximately 110 cm in both height and width, boasting small, greyish-green foliage interspersed with delicate prickles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'The Country Parson' is provided with color descriptions using terminology of the The Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society (2001), 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 'The Country Parson' rose variety are medium sized, about 2 cm long and 2 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is ovoid and broad based. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is light yellow (Group 150D). When half open, the upper sides and the lower sides of the petals are medium yellow (Group 6B).

Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back, the length is about 5 cm and the diameter is 5 cm.

The sepals have a length of about 2.2 cm and a width of 0.6 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 is dark brown green (Group 137B) and on the lower surface is medium green (Group 143A). There are 3 lightly appendaged sepals and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacle is medium green (Group 143C), funnel shaped and has a smooth surface. The size of the receptacle is medium, about 1.0 cm long and about 0.7 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is short, averaging to about 6 cm in length, strong and has a prickly surface. The colour of the peduncle is medium green (Group 143C).

Bloom:

The flowers are medium-sized, the average diameter of the open flower is about 7 cm. When first opened, the flower form is cupped, and as the flower fully opens the shape becomes almost flat rosette and the outer petal edges curl slightly. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions is 95. They are born in small clusters having rounded shape, of 4-14 blooms. The flowering stem is strong, medium, and has an average length of about 40 cm with a diameter of about 0.5 cm.

The colour of the upper sides of the petals is light yellow green (Group 2C) while the reverse sides of the petals are medium yellow (Group 3B); the base of the petals has medium yellow basal spot (Group 5B). Under normal growing conditions the flowers of rose 'The Country Parson' do not have any variegation of colour.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is medium yellow (Group 6B), at the end of the third day the general tonality becomes lighter, medium yellow (Group 3B).

Petals:

The texture of the petals is satiny and the surface is smooth; the shape of the petals is obovate, the margins are entire. The apex is rounded and the base of the petals is acute, and the petals form is incurved. Average length of the petals is about 2 cm and the width is about 1.2 - 1.5 cm. The arrangement of the petals is informal.

Normally there are few petaloids present in the center of the flowers, their number varies from none to 10. Petaloids have medium yellow colour (Group 8B), they are about 1.5 mm long and 0.4 mm width, have obovate shape with irregular margins.

The petals of this rose variety normally hang on and dry. Under normal climate conditions the petals last fairly long, on the plant they last for about 4 - 7 days, as a cut flower their lastingness has not been tested.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'The Country Parson' is moderate to strong, Fruity, with notes of sweet apricot, green apple and honey.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 15-20 on average per flower, the length is about 3 mm, and they are regular around styles.

The anthers have a length of about 2 mm and medium yellow colour (Group 5C).

The colour of the filaments is medium yellow orange (Group 17C), their length is 2 mm on average.

The pollen is medium yellow orange (Group 17B) the amount of the pollen is scarce.

The number of pistils is 60 on average, they are about 7 mm long.

The colour of the styles is light yellow green (Group 154D), the length is about 7 mm long.

Stigma are about 1 mm long and have a dark yellow colour (Group 15A).

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

PLANT

The rose variety 'The Country Parson' is classified as a Shrub rose. The growth character is vigorous and bushy. Forms a robust, medium-sized, very healthy, rounded shrub. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 110 cm and a width of about 110 cm.

'The Country Parson' provides a prolonged display of flowers throughout the growing season. Its classic appearance and unique, vibrant yellow blooms make it an excellent choice for mixed borders, rose hedges, and even shady areas, adding an elegant touch to any garden.

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 7 to 5, including the terminal leaflet. The average flowering stem has about 6 - 10 leaves. The foliage is small, about 10 cm long and about 6.5 cm wide.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 137B) while the lower side is medium brown green (Group 147B). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 147A) and on the lower side is medium brown green (Group 147B).

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is small, about 3.5 cm long and are about 2.5 cm wide. The shape of the leaflets is pointed oval, the shape of the leaflet tip is acuminate 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 small.

The petiole has dark brown green colour (Group 146B), is about 3 cm long and 2 mm in diameter, and has a glandular surface with prickles on the underside.

The petiole rachis is dark brown green (Group 146B), has smooth surface with prickles on the underside.

The auricle is lanceolate, has a length of about 0.5 cm and about 1 mm wide. The colour of the auricle is medium brown green (Group 146C).

The stipules are 2 cm long, have glandular surface and medium brown green colour (Group 146C).

The veins have dark brown green (Group 147A), the venation pattern is reticulate.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has medium green colour (Group 143C) and smooth bark. The mature wood is light green (Group 144B), the bark remains smooth.

Stems:

The number of lateral branches is 1-2 on average, they have a length of about 60 - 70 cm and the diameter of 6 mm on average. The mature stem has an average length of about 80 cm and the diameter of 7 mm, the internode distance is 5 - 6 cm. The stem pubescence is not observed on the stems of this rose variety. The above measurements are all variable, depending on growing conditions in a season.

Prickles:

There are many prickles present on the main canes from base and on the laterals from main canes, about 20 per 10 cm of the stem length. The shape of the prickles is deep concave, the length is about 6 - 11 mm. The colour of the young prickles is medium yellow green (Group 150B) and the mature prickles have light green colour (Group 151B).

Small prickles:

There are many small prickles on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety, about 25 per 5 cm of the stem length. The colour of the small prickles is the same as the color of the large prickles, when they are young the colour is medium yellow green (Group 150B) and the colour of the mature small prickles light green (Group 151B).

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'The Country Parson' has good resistance to most common rose diseases, in particular it is resistant to powdery mildew (podosphaera pannosa), downey mildew (peronospora species), blackspot (diplocarpon rosae) and rust (phragmidium tuberculatum) under normal growing conditions. 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 after James Woodforde’s diary ‘The Diary of a Country Parson’.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausclergy’ / 'The Country Parson' originated in the nursery of David Austin Roses Limited (UK) by crossing the two ‘unnamed’ and unpatented seedlings of class Rosa hybrida.

David Austin is mentioned as the breeder of this rose according to the patent for this rose.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a very healthy and robust rounded medium sized rose shrub bearing fully open, medium large, almost flat rosettes of pure yellow having a medium-strong fruity fragrance with notes of apricot, green apple and honey.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 repeat flowering with medium-large, very full blooms;

 pure yellow colour;

 very high quantity of prickles on the stems;

 good disease resistance.

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 ‘Ausclergy’ / ‘The Country Parson’ may be distinguished from its seed parent, by the following combination of characteristics:

 the seed parent is of a pink color compared to the yellow of ‘Ausclergy’ / ‘The Country Parson’ and has flowers of semi-double form.

The ‘Ausclergy’ / ‘The Country Parson’ may be distinguished from its pollen parent by the following combination of characteristics:

 The pollen parentis also of a pink color and has smaller blooms that are less disease resistant when compared to ‘Ausclergy’ / ‘The Country Parson’.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

The most similar rose cultivar to the rose ‘Ausclergy’ / ‘The Country Parson’ is the ‘Auswalker’ / ‘The Pilgrim’ and they may be distinguished by the following combination of characteristics:

 While both blooms are yellow in color ‘Auswalker’ / ‘The Pilgrim’ has a significantly higher petal count;

 The bloom diameter of ‘Auswalker’ / ‘The Pilgrim’ is also larger than that of ‘Ausclergy’ / ‘The Country Parson’.

 In addition, the growth habit of ‘Auswalker’ / ‘The Pilgrim’ is very tall and upright and may grow as a climbing rose while ‘Ausclergy’ / ‘The Country Parson’ in contrast is much shorter and more spreading.

  Finally, ‘Ausclergy’ / ‘The Country Parson’ has a significantly higher count of prickles when compared to ‘Auswalker’ / ‘The Pilgrim’.

USDA 6