Rose The Countryman

Heritage-inspired rose with true Old-rose charm. Enchanting English shrub rose that combines the old-world elegance of the Portland roses with the vigor of modern English rose breeding. The blooms are very full, domed rosettes packed with slender, quilted petals that create a charmingly casual yet refined look. Flowers open from rounded deep pink buds and mature into glowing rose-pink blooms with lighter reverse, hints of cream at the base, and occasional golden tones at the center. Their form and soft coloration are often compared to peonies in classical Asian paintings. Fragrance is strong, sweet, and classically Damask, with delicious notes of strawberry and fruit, especially rich in warm weather.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Throughout this description of the rose variety 'The Countryman' 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 'The Countryman' rose variety are medium sized, about 2.5 - 3.0 cm long and 1.0 - 1.2 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is oval with cuspidate apex. When half open, the upper sides of the petals are dark red / deep red (Group 11C8) at top changing through light yellow (Group 4A4) to light yellow (Group 3A5) at the base. Calyx is star-shaped when fully opened with the sepals folding back.

The sepals have a length of about 2.5 - 3.0 cm and a width of about 1 cm. The shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the surface texture is glabrous, with ensiform protrusions with glandular hairs on the upper surface and densely tomentose on the lower surface. The colour on the upper surface is greyish green (Group 29D7) and on the lower surface is greyish green (Group 29D6) with some pastel green / light green (Group 30A4).

The receptacle is greyish green (Group 29D7) with lake red / brownish red (Group 9C8) when they are young, jug-shaped and has a glandular surface with hairs mostly absent at dehiscence surface. The size of the receptacle is medium, about 1.2 - 1.5 cm long and about 0.8 - 1.0 cm in diameter.

The peduncle is medium sized, averaging to about 1.5 - 3.5 cm, but most often is about 3 cm in length, straight and has some prickles on the surface. The colour of the peduncle is greyish green / lattuce green (Group 30D7) when young, deepening to deep green (Group 29D8) in mature buds. More or less shades with a reddish tinge, this is more pronounced in young buds.

Bloom:

The flowers are medium-sized, the average diameter of the open flower is about 6.0 - 8.0 cm. When first open, the flower form is flattened deep cupped, the outer petals recurved towards the stem, the inner petals inwardly curved. Flowers are very full, the number of petals under normal conditions varies from 100 to 110. They are born in small clusters of 3 to 7 blooms together.

When first open the the upper sides of the petals is grayish rose (Group 12B6) with some patches of yellow / genet (Group 3A7) toward center; the reverse sides of the petals greyish ruby (Group 12C4) yellowing through pale orange (Group 5A3) to light yellow (Group 3A5) at the base.

When fully open the color of the flowers on the upper surface of the petals is grayish rose (Group 12B5) with light yellow (Group 4A4) streaks which occur in all petals and are always along the mid-point of the petal, and there is a midline on the base of petal of light yellow (Group 3A5). The reverse sides of the petals are greyish ruby (Group 12C3) yellowing to pale yellow (Group 4A3) at the base.

When finishing blooming the flowers on the upper side of the petals are pale red / rose pink (Group 12A3) with pale yellow (Group 4A3) at the center. The reverse sides of the petals are greyish ruby (Group 12C3) yellowing to yellowing white (Group 4A2) at the base.

Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on the flowers of the rose variety 'The Countryman'.

Petals:

The texture of the petals is leathery and the surface is smooth; the shape of the outer petals is rounded with roughly bilobed top and cuneate base, the inner petals are narrower, still bilobed with retuse apex and pointed base, the flowers exhibit staminody to varying degrees. The petals of this rose variety have good self-cleaning quality, they normally drop off before drying.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of the rose 'The Countryman' is very good, very strong, of Damask Old Rose with fruity strawberry notes.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is 100 - 110 on average per flower.

The anthers have vivid yellow colour (Group 3A8).

The colour of the filaments is yellow (Group 3A6)and they are of irregular heights.

The number of pistils is more than 110 normally.

The colour of the inner styles is greenish yellow (Group 1A8) tomentose, they are of the irregular height, The outer styles have purplish red / fuchsia red (Group 13A8) streaks near the apex.

The central stigmas are normally straw colored (Group 3B4) and the outer stigmas are with fuschia streaks (Group 13A8).

The hips of this rose variety have not been observed.

PLANT

The rose variety 'The Countryman' is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is dense, vigorous and bushy.

The plant begins with upright growth but quickly develops a spreading, arching form as the season progresses. In warm climates, it may reach 180 (6 feet) in height and makes an excellent candidate for pegging, self-training, or creative staking to encourage more blooms and shape. In cooler climates, it forms a dense, leafy mound around 120 cm (3 feet) tall and wide. Mature and well-established plant has a height of about 120 - 180 cm and the width of about 90 - 120 cm.

The new growth emerges bronze before maturing to deep forest green. The canes are densely studded with mixed green and reddish prickles. Deadheading encourages continued blooming, but if left alone, the plant will form attractive round hips in autumn, adding to its seasonal interest.

Foliage:

The foliage is another nod to its Portland heritage - long, widely spaced leaflets with pale undersides, often folded slightly along the midrib. There is a dense foliage on the plants of this rose variety. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves varies from 5 to sometimes to 3 in the upper part of the stems, including the terminal leaflet. The foliage is medium sized.

The colour of the juvenile foliage on the upper side is olive (Group 1E8) with reddish tinge, more pronounded at margins, while the lower side is greyish green (Group 29D6) with reddish tinge, more pronounded at margins. The mature foliage on the upper side is dark green (Group 29F6) and on the lower side is greyish green / spinach green (Group 29E6) with red tint.

Leaflets:

The size of the leaflets is medium, the shape of the leaflets is oval, with the obtuse tip and rounded base. The surface texture of the leaflets is dull and leathery. The edges are serrated, the type of serration is dentate with sparse glandular hairs on very young leaves. The general effect of the foliage is dull and medium dense.

The petiole is slender, about 7 cm in length, on the upper surface has brownish red colour (Group 10D7) fading to greyish green (Group 29D7) when mature and has red glandular hairs. The underside of the petiole is greyish yellow (Group 1B6) tinged with brownish red colour (Group 10D7) when they are young and maturing to greyish yellow (Group 1B6).

On the leaves there are some sparse downwardly curved thorns, on the young leaves thorns are brownish red (Group 10D7), later changing to milk white colour (Group 1A2).

The stipules are medium sized, have average length of about 2.3 cm and the width of about 3 - 5 mm. The colour of the mid line of the stipules are brownish red colour (Group 10D7) in young wood turning to yellowish white colour (Group 3A2) in mature wood. Angle of wingtips to petiole is less than 45 degrees, the wingtips are moderately long, about 3 - 5 mm. The margins are densely lined with red glandular hairs. The underside of the stipules is dotted sparsely with red glandular hair while the upper side is glabrous.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has greyish green colour (Group 29D7) widely shaded with a garnet brown / reddish brown (Group 9D8), the bark is smooth, dull. The mature wood is greyish green (Group 29D6) and has dull barkl.

Stems:

The stem pubescence is not observed on the stems of this rose variety.

Prickles:

There are many prickles present on the main canes from base and on the laterals from main canes. The shape of the prickles is downward pointing on all but the largest with glandular ends, the length is of various sizes, from 1 to 6 mm long. The colour of the young prickles is reddish brown (Group 9E6) to champagne (Group 4B4) at tips. The mature prickles have reddish brown colour (Group 9E6) fading to pale yellow (Group 4A3) underneath.

Small prickles:

There are many small prickles on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose variety. When they are young the colour is red turning to yellowish white when mature.

Disease resistance:

The rose variety 'The Countryman' has good resistance to most common rose diseases, in particular it is resistant to mildew, blackspot and rust under normal growing conditions. Although some mildew may appear in humid or crowded conditions. The pest resistance has not been tested yet.

Rose variety is recommended for growing in climate conditions similar to USDA 5 and requires winter protection in more colder climates.

Introduced by David Austin in 1987 and named after the popular British countryside magazine The Countryman.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Ausman’ / 'The Countryman' originated by David Austin by crossing female parent (seed parent) - English shrub rose ‘Ausli’ / ‘Lilian Austin’ with the male parent (pollen parent) - old Portland rose ‘Comte de Chambord’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose variety breeding was to create a new rose variety with very full flowers, of greyish-rose colour with light yellow streaks and abundant, continual blooming and with the unusual blend of coloring and shaping.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

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

 abundant and continual blooming unlike its parent ‘Comte de Chambord’;

 perfection of the very full flowers of an old-fashioned shape;

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 5