Rose The Endeavour

The large, warm salmon-pink flowers of 'The Endeavour' move through apricot, yellow-gold and coral before softening toward pink as the blooms mature. Its broad, cupped to relaxed rosette flowers are borne generously on a vigorous, well-branched shrub, and the contrasting golden tones on the reverse and at the base of the petals give the individuality not often encountered among pink English Shrub roses. They emit a strong, fresh Fruity fragrance, excellent flowering capacity and healthy bushy growth, although fragrance intensity and disease performance have proved somewhat climate-dependent. Bred in England but better suited for a warm-climates.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

'The Endeavour' is a complex modern hybrid that combines the broad, cupped rosette full visual character associated with Old Garden roses with the repeat flowering, broader colour palette and garden behaviour of modern roses. Its strongest quality is colour: salmon and coral pink are laid over warmer apricot and yellow shades, while the reverse and basal petal spot contribute a golden undertone that gives the flowers notable depth. This warm bicolour effect separates 'The Endeavour' from many traditional pink English Roses.

Its continuing value lies in the combination of exceptionally free flowering, warm blended colour, large flowers and a shrub substantial enough for landscape planting without becoming an enormous climber under ordinary conditions. The cultivar has proved especially relevant in Australia and New Zealand, where contemporary commercial sources continue to list it and where regional rose assessments have recorded very good plant health and garden performance.

FLOWERING

'The Endeavour' is repeat flowering; in suitable climates it produces successive flushes from late spring through summer and into autumn. It is a very floriferous rose with many flowers open simultaneously on a bushy, healthy plant. The rhythm is that of a modern repeat flowering shrub rose: a substantial first flush is followed by renewed flowering from new laterals after spent blooms are removed and new growth matures. The breaks between cycles depend on temperature, moisture and nutrition. In mild or warm climates the intervals may be short enough to give an almost continuous impression, whereas in cooler regions flowering is more clearly divided into flushes. Deadheading is worthwhile where hips are not required. Removing spent blooms back to a strong outwardly bud or leaf encourages the plant to redirect energy into vigorous flowering shoots and helps maintain the rounded form of the shrub. Mature shrubs benefit from reliable moisture and adequate nutrition because the combination of large blooms and rapid repeat flowering imposes a considerable seasonal demand on the plant.

Flower bud:

The bud is broadly ovate with an elongated tip in the longitudinal section. When the sepals open the developing bud displays bright salmon-pink colour with warmer yellow to apricot colouring becomes particularly apparent, especially closer to the base, as the petals begin to separate. The bud is substantial rather than narrowly pointed, already suggesting the broad cup of the mature bloom.

The sepals have lanceolate shape, medium greed in colour slightly suffused with purple red anthocyanin closer to the edges, 3 of 5 sepals typically have weak extensions. The surface of the sepals is smooth and slightly glandular on the upper surface and hairy on the inner surface. The goblet shaped receptacle is medium in size, has medium green colour and smooth surface. The peduncle is long, stiff and strong, capable of holding heavy flowers well, has medium green colour and smooth surface. The flowering stems are capable of supporting several buds and generally carry the flowers as small clusters, although the considerable weight of a fully expanded blooms can give the flowering stem a graceful presentation.

Bloom:

The open bloom of the rose variety 'The Endeavour' is large to very large for an English shrub rose. The fully open flowers commonly reach approximately 9 - 12.5 cm (3½ - 5 in) in diameter, with 10 - 12 cm (3.5 - 4 in) flowers being most common. The flower begins as a substantial cup and develops into a broad, somewhat relaxed rosette, occasionally with a puff button-eye. Rather than having the extremely disciplined concentric structure seen in some later English Shrub roses, it possesses a softer arrangement of the petals that contributes to its old-fashioned character. The flowers may appear slightly quartered when they fully open, although quartering is not consistently strong enough to define every bloom.

Its colour is unusually dynamic. The newly opening flower combines warm salmon-pink with apricot and yellow influences; the outer or reverse surfaces and the petal bases carry distinctly warmer colouring. As the bloom continues to open, coral-pink becomes dominant. With age, the intensity generally softens toward pink, sometimes acquiring cooler or slightly mauve undertones. The formal colour recorded RHS group 52D as the main inner-petal colour, the RHS group 37C on the outer side of the petals and a small basal petal spot having medium-yellow colour. The flowers do not remain in one static shade: apricot and yellow develop into coral-pink, generally appearing salmon-pink. The flower may look almost apricot-coral while opening, richer pink at its prime, and softer or occasionally slightly mauve-pink as it ages. Temperature, light intensity and flower age can substantially alter the balance among these colours.

Flowers are sometimes produced singly, but most often they appear in small clusters of 3 to 7 blooms together on strong flowering stems. Their scale gives considerable impact even when only several blooms are open at once; when a mature plant enters a strong flush, the combination of large flowers and abundant bud production can produce a particularly rich landscape effect.

Petals:

The flowers of the rose variety 'The Endeavour' are full, having at least 49 - 50, although the formal descriptions do not count petaloids. Individual petals have obovate shape, medium in length and medium to broad in width. The petal margins show medium reflexing but little incision, while undulation is very weak to weak.

The arrangement of the petals is initially cupped, then loosens as the flower expands. Inner petals build the rosette without becoming extremely crowded, allowing the flower to retain a comparatively open, natural character. The edges may turn outward as aging progresses, enlarging the apparent diameter.

Colour development within each petal is important to the overall effect. The general salmon-pink or coral colouring is accompanied by a medium-yellow basal area, while the reverse can appear softer, warmer and more yellow-influenced than the upper surface. The contrast is most evident when petals curve or reflex and expose their undersides.

The petals have good self cleanliness quality, normally they drop off cleanly after flowers are spent. They last on a plant for about 3 to 4 days under normal weather conditions, but in extreme heat they tend to fade quicker. They have reasonably good persistence under warm, dry conditions, while prolonged moisture can increase the weight of the flowers and may affect presentation. As with many large English Shrub rose flowers, appearance is best where plants receive good air movement and blooms can dry reasonably quickly following rain.

Fragrance:

The fragrance of 'The Endeavour' is strong, fresh and Fruity, with a rich fruity perfume possessing a refreshing sharpness, and variety once was listed among the company’s fragrant roses. Fragrance expression in roses changes with temperature, humidity, flower age and time of day, and 'The Endeavour' appears particularly variable in this respect.

Reproductive parts:

The predominant colour of the outer stamen filaments is pink. 'The Endeavour' tends to set medium-sized, pitcher-shaped in the longitudinal section, rose hips if the spent flowers are left to develop fruits, however they do not add any decorative value to the plants.

PLANT

Rose variety 'The Endeavour' is classified as Shrub rose and is a part of the English Shrub rose collection by David Austin. The plants of this rose have vigorous and strong growth habit, eventually forming large upright and bushy, slightly arching plants. The mature and well established plants of 'The Endeavour' reach approximately 125 - 175 cm (4 - 5¾ ft) in height by 100 - 150 cm (3¼ - 5 ft) in width for a mature annually pruned shrub. In warm climates this rose may extend considerably beyond these dimensions, and could reach roughly 240 cm (8 ft) when allowed to develop as a short climber. Such extension should be regarded as climate-dependent rather than the normal form of the cultivar. Where strong canes are produced, they may be tied informally to a low fence or support; otherwise the rose is best treated as a substantial border shrub.

Pruning should be undertaken in late winter or early spring as vigorous growth begins. Remove dead, damaged and crossing wood, retain a balanced framework of strong younger canes and shorten the remaining shoots sufficiently to keep the shrub dense and productive. In colder regions, severe autumn pruning should be avoided because retained wood offers some protection and dieback can then be removed in spring. Plants being encouraged as short climbers should receive much lighter shortening, with long principal canes retained and lateral flowering shoots pruned rather than the entire framework reduced.

A sunny site is preferable for this rose to encourage most profuse flowering, especially in humid climates where rapid drying of foliage is important. Deep, fertile, well-drained soil with organic matter and regular moisture supports the heavy repeat-flowering habit. A spring feeding followed by supplementary nutrition after the first major flush is appropriate. Mulching the root zone moderates soil temperature, conserves moisture and reduces weeds and competition around the plant.

Foliage:

On the plants of the rose variety 'The Endeavour' there is a normal quantity of the foliage. The foliage provides an effective dark background to the luminous flowers. The foliage is medium to dark green, relatively large with a low to moderate glossiness. Young shoots show red anthocyanin coloration of weak intensity, however the mature leaves do not show such anthocyanin coloration and become green with time. In good health the foliage forms a dense leafy framework that helps the plant look polished and healthy.

Leaflets:

The leaves are pinnately compound, with normal medium sized leaves in the middle of the flowering stems bearing most often five leaflets, with variations from three to seven, including the terminal leaflet. The terminal leaflet is broadly ovate in shape with an obtuse base and acute apex. Margin undulation is absent or very weak; the edges are serrated, the type of serration is large and single. The venation pattern of the leaflets is reticulated, with a central vein deeply embossed.

Wood:

The shrub develops vigorous upright basal and framework growth, then branches sufficiently to form the rounded or well-filled plant. The young canes have medium green colour and smooth bark before maturing to dark green. The individual canes, especially in warmer climates, can elongate considerably and become more arching or lax, explaining why some gardeners have successfully formed this rose as a small climber. The best garden form of the plant is obtained by encouraging renewal from the base while preventing the centre of the shrub from becoming too crowded. Moderate rather than drastic annual pruning usually allows the rose to preserve enough mature framework to gracefully display its large flowers.

Prickles:

There is a medium number of prickles on the main canes from the base as well as on the laterals from the main canes of 'The Endeavour'. The prickles are medium sized, slightly hooked downwards in shape and with purplish coloration predominating.

Small prickles:

Under the normal growing conditions the small prickles are not observed on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this rose.

Disease resistance and stress tolerance:

Rose 'The Endeavour' is generally regarded as very healthy, having excellent growth, healthy foliage and a bushy, non-leggy plant. There is, however, a contrary experience regarding black spot. Growers in wetter or humid climates may experience significant black-spot infection, including instances in which 'The Endeavour' was appreciably more affected than neighbouring roses. This suggests that climate and leaf-wetness duration matter considerably. The variety should therefore not be described as universally black-spot resistant. In humid gardens, full sun, open spacing, good air circulation, avoidance of unnecessary overhead irrigation and sanitation of infected foliage are prudent.

Heat performance is one of its stronger practical attributes. Australian gardeners consistently describe it as well suited to warm conditions, and its foliage handles a dry climate well. Large flowers may nevertheless appreciate some protection from extreme heat in very hot sites to prevent quick fading.

In terms of winter hardiness, it is recommended for growing in climates similar to USDA zones 6 to 9 and its winter survival is more dependable with a sheltered position, good drainage, mulching or mounding around the crown and protection of the graft union. In cold temperate climates, grafted plants can be planted with the union slightly below soil level where local rose-growing practice recommends this, providing additional protection against severe frost. In temperate maritime climates the greater concern may instead be fungal pressure from prolonged dampness.

The sales name 'The Endeavour' refers to HMS Endeavour, the Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first Pacific voyage, undertaken from 1768 to 1771. David Austin Roses Australia explicitly links the name with Cook’s Endeavour and the voyage associated particularly with New Zealand and the eastern coast of Australia. The name was therefore especially appropriate for a rose whose commercial development became closely associated with Australia.

'The Endeavour' received a Certificate of Merit in 2007 from the National Rose Trial Garden of Australia. It was entered as a shrub rose bred by David Austin Roses and exhibited by Siebler Publishing Services of Victoria.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Variety 'Ausdisco' / 'The Endeavour' was bred by David Austin Roses at Albrighton, England. It originated from a controlled pollination carried out in 1996 between an unnamed seedling as the seed parent and another unnamed seedling as the pollen parent. The best seedling was selected in 1997. It was subsequently propagated on Lax rootstock, and in 2001 budwood was sent to Australia for further propagation and trials. The record states that the selection remained stable during eight years of observation, with no off-types detected. And the rose variety 'The Endeavour' was introduced on the market in 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

'Ausdisco' / 'The Endeavour' belongs to a mature phase of the David Austin breeding programme, by which time the concept of the English Shrub rose had moved well beyond the initial objective of merely recreating Old Rose flower forms on repeat-flowering plants. Later breeding increasingly sought vigorous shrubs, improved repeat, richer colour combinations, better foliage and adaptation to distinct international climates. Its warm salmon, apricot and yellow colouring makes it part of an important line of Austin roses in which pink is enriched by yellow-derived pigmentation. Such cultivars can change markedly with temperature and bloom age, creating far more complex garden colour than a simple classification such as “pink blend” suggests.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Rose 'Ausdisco' / 'The Endeavour' is a vigorous repeat-flowering English Shrub rose with large old-fashioned flowers, unusually warm salmon-pink colouring and strong capacity to repeat over a long season which incorporated the following unique combination of characteristics:   lLarge, broad-cupped to rosette-shaped salmon-pink flowers enriched with apricot, coral and yellow-gold tones;

  distinctive warmer reverse and medium-yellow basal colouring of the petals;

  strong repeat flowering and high floriferousness on a substantial bushy shrub;

  good adaptation to warm temperate and relatively dry-climate cultivation;

  generally Fruity fragrance whose strength varies appreciably with climate and growing conditions.

Rose 'The Endeavour' can be propagated from vegetative cuttings and by budding or grafting.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

Precise seed and pollen parent documentation for 'Ausdisco' / 'The Endeavour' was never publicly disclosed; therefore, a formal parent-by-parent comparison cannot be made reliably.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

Another commercially available English Shrub rose Jubilee Celebration' ('Aushunter') is the most useful for comparison. It is not merely similar in appearance but was the official comparator used to establish the distinctness of ‘Ausdisco’, and it remains commercially available. Both roses occupy almost the same warm part of the English Shrub rose colour spectrum. 'Jubilee Celebration' bears large, domed coral-pink flowers with golden colouring on the undersides, whereas 'The Endeavour' tends to show a broader transition from apricot and yellow through salmon and coral-pink. The latter often gives a warmer, more mutable bicolour impression, particularly during opening.

The flower form of the two roses is also different: 'Jubilee Celebration' is famously domed and densely arranged, producing a more globular, rounded flower. 'The Endeavour' tends toward a broad cup and increasingly relaxed rosette whose petals are somewhat looser at maturity. Also 'Jubilee Celebration' is much fuller and has more petals compared to 'The Endeavour'.

Their plant growth habits differ: 'Jubilee Celebration' develops graceful, arching plants that are similar in height and spread. 'The Endeavour' is usually narrower, taller and has more thicker canes and plant structure. Under warm conditions 'The Endeavour' can also send out unexpectedly long canes and may be accommodated against a low support. Both can be strongly fragrant, but 'Jubilee Celebration' has a particularly well-defined Fruity character with fresh lemon and raspberry notes. 'The Endeavour' is generally more broadly Fruity, fresh, sometimes with a sharper quality.

USDA 6

USDA Zone 6 - hardiness guide