Rose Wildeve

‘Wildeve’ is an exceptionally hardy and vigorous rose with an arching, branching growth habit, forming a low, wide shrub that resembles a ground-cover rose. It has exceptionally beautiful, medium-sized, and perfectly rounded rosette flowers, with outer petals that surround neatly arranged inner petals. They are a soft pink, leaning towards salmon, with a touch of yellow at the base of the petals. The outer petals are nearly white with a faint blush, and the way light reflects off the petals enhances their overall appearance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY
Throughout this description, color references for the rose variety ‘Wildeve’ and/or values are based upon 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.

FLOWER
The rose variety ‘Wildeve’ has a very good repeat flowering habit. Blooms in flushes, the number of blooms per plant during the growing season is profuse, but there are too many to count.

Flower bud:

The flower buds are medium sized, about 3 cm long and 1.6 cm in diameter when the petals start to unfurl. The bud form is pointed ovoid. When the sepals first divide, the bud color is yellow-green (Group 144B). When the flower bud is half open, the upper sides of the petals on the outer two thirds are light blue pink (Group 56A) and the lower sides of the petals are a bit darker light blue pink (Group 56D).

The sepals have a pointed shape, the length is about 1.8 cm and the width 1 cm. The surface texture on the upper surface is slightly hairy and on the lower surface is smooth. The color of the sepals on the upper surface is yellow-green (Group 146C) while the lower surface is slightly lighter yellow-green (Group 146D). There are 3 lightly appendaged sepals with weak extensions, and there are 2 unappendaged sepals with hairy edges.

The receptacles are funnel shaped, about 2 cm long and about 1.6 mm wide. The colour of the receptacles is medium green (Group RHS 144A) and has a smooth surface.

The peduncle is medium sized, erect and moderately strong, the surface is smooth. The colour of the peduncle is light green (Group RHS 144B).

Bloom:

The flowers of ‘Wildeve’ are medium-sized, have an average open diameter of about 7.5 cm. When first open, the shape of the flower is flat and somewhat high centered. As the flower fully opens the form changes to quartered rosette, the outer petal edges curl back. The number of petals under normal conditions is 70 on average.

The colour of the flower from the upper sides are light red pink (Group Group 36D) at the outer part and slightly darker, light red pink (Group 36B) toward the base. The reverse sides of the petals are light red pink (Group Group 36D). The base of each petal is yellow (Group 3C). The major color on the upper side of the petals is light red pink (Group 36D). Under normal growing conditions no variegation is observed on its flowers.

The general tonality at the end of the first day is light apricot (Group RHS 29B), and at the end of the third day becomes slightly light pink (Group RHS 36B).

The flowers appear several together in rounded clusters, of about 5 - 9 blooms together. The flowering stems are moderately strong, with the average length of about 8.5 cm and with a diameter of 0.8 cm.

Petals:

The petals of this variety have quite thick and satiny texture, the surface is smooth. The shape of the petals is rounded and notched, with rounded apex and pointed base; the margins of the petals are reflexing and undulating, the tips of the petals are slightly recurved and moderately quilled. The petals arrangement is quartered. The average width of the petals is about 2.8 cm, the length is about 3.6 cm.

The petals usually hang on and dry on a plant, therefore timely deadheading is required to keep the plant tidy. They last on a plant for about 6 days. The persistence as a cut flower is about 4 days under normal climate conditions.

Fragrance:

‘Wildeve’ has a moderate fragrance with a fruity character.

Reproductive parts:

The number of stamens is approximately 37 per flower, their length is about 4 mm.

The anthers have a length of about 3 mm and they have yellow orange colour (Group RHS 21A), they are usually mixed with petaloids.

The length of the filaments is about 5 mm, the colour is medium yellow orange (Group RHS 19A).

The pollen has medium yellow orange colour (Group RHS 21A).

The number of pistils is 50 on average, their length is about 5 mm.

The colour of the styles is yellow (Group 10B), they are about 5 mm long on average.

The stigmas are about 3 mm long and have dark yellow colour (Group 10B).

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

PLANT

This rose variety is classified as a Shrub rose from David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. The growth character is moderately vigorous, quite branching. It tends to form bushy and broad plant, often wider than taller, with slightly arching branches growth type. The mature and well established plant has a width of about 120 cm and a width of about 90 - 150 cm.

Foliage:

There is a normal quantity of the foliage on the plant, The leaves are medium sized, about 12 cm long and about 8.5 cm wide. The number of leaflets per mid stem leaf is variable, from 5 to 7, but 5 most often. The new foliage on the upper and lower sides is yellow-Green (Group 146A) with a margin and mid-rib of grayed-orange (Group 176B). The mature foliage on the upper side is dark brown green (Group 147A) while the lower side is yellow-green (Group 146B).

Leaflets:

The leaflets of this variety are medium-sized, they are about 4.5 cm long and 2.8 cm wide. The shape of the leaflets is pointed oval with an obtuse base and acuminate apex. The surface texture of the leaflets is leathery and the appearance is glossy, the edges are serrated, the type of serration is large and single.

The colour of the petiole is light green (Group RHS 144B). Petiole rachis is also light green (Group RHS 144B), the underside with prickles.The auricle is pointed, about 2.5 mm along and bearded.

The veins have the yellow green colour (Group RHS 146B), the venation pattern is net-veined.

Wood:

The new wood of this rose variety has medium green colour (Group 143B) with blush of greyed-orange (Group 176B), the bark is smooth. The old wood has yellow green colour (Group 144A), the bark is smooth.

Prickles:

There are few prickles on the main stems - about 16 prickles per 30 cm of the stem length, And on the laterals from the main canes there are also few prickles, about 6 per 30 cm of the lateral length. They have hooked downward form, the length is about 35 mm. When young they have yellow-green colour (Group 143B) with blush of grayed-orange (Group 176B). When mature, the colour of the prickles is changing to darker medium green (Group 144A) with blush of grayed-orange (Group 176B).

Small prickles:

There are usually few small prickles on the main canes and on the laterals from the main canes of this variety. When young the small prickles are medium red (Group 42C), becoming brown red (Group 178B) when they are mature.

Disease resistance:

‘Wildeve’ is resistant to mildew, rust and blackspot under normal growing conditions. Pest resistance has not been tested yet.

The cold hardiness is good, recommended for growing in climates similar to USDA 5 and warmer.

Named after the character in Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native. Damon Wildeve, fictional character, an innkeeper who is secretly involved in a passionate affair with Eustacia Vye though engaged (and later married) to Thomasin Yeobright.

English Shrub Roses

Award of Garden Merit (RHS/RNRS), 2001.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ’Ausbonny’ / ‘Wildeve’ was bred by David Austin and originated from the cross-pollination an unnamed and not patented seedling, with the variety ‘Ausgold’ / ‘Golden Celebration’.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The primary objective of this rose breeding was to produce a new rose variety being very robust and healthy, very free flowering, having blush pink blooms touched with apricot, and a pleasing fruity fragrance.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The objective was substantially achieved, along with other desirable improvements, as evidenced by the following unique combination of characteristics that are outstanding in this rose variety:

 Blush pink blooms, touched with apricot;

 Rosette shaped flowers, distinctly quartered;

 Free and continuous flowering;

 Arching branches, providing a wide, mounding shrub;

 Pleasing fruity fragrance.

Asexual reproduction of this variety by budding, as performed at Albrighton, England, showed that the foregoing and all other characteristics and distinctions came true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS

The rose variety can be easily distinguished from its pollen parent by the shape of the large, cupped flowers and its golden yellow colour, which is so distinctive in ‘Ausgold’ / ‘Golden Celebration’, comparing to blush pink medium sized rosette shaped flowers of ‘Ausbonny’ / ‘Wildeve’.

USDA 5