What’s hot in roses

New roses, bred for Australian conditions, are coming onto the market all the time. Here are ten new releases to look out for.

‘Lady of Australia’

Roses have always been one of the world’s favourite flowers. Although there are more than 30,000 cultivars, breeders are still improving rose colours, perfumes, form, abundance and importantly, disease resistance. Many new releases in Australia undergo extensive trials here to prove their performance locally – that said, if you live in sub-tropical or tropical climates, growing roses will always be trickier than in areas without humidity. Here are ten of the new releases for this year.

‘Lady of Australia’, from Wagner’s Rose Nursery, won all the major prizes at the 2018 National Rose Trials including best rose overall, best floribunda and most disease tolerant rose. Australian-bred, it was chosen to celebrate the wives of the Governors General and $2 from each sale goes to Australian War Widows charity. Its clusters of fragrant blooms are yellow, fading to cream on the reverse, showing ruffled petals when fully open. ‘Singapore Far East Moon’, also from Wagner’s, commemorates the 80th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, honouring the victims of that war. Australian-bred, it’s a hybrid tea rose with blooms of soft yellow and apricot hints and a mild fragrance.

From Brindabella Roses, whose Blackspot Buster range focuses on disease-free and perfumed roses, comes ‘Prime Tiger’, a 1.2m tall modern shrub rose. Each fragrant, yellow and red striped and flecked flower has different markings so no two blooms are the same.

David Austin roses combine the charm and fragrance of old roses with the performance of modern roses. New this winter is ‘James L Austin’, a neat shrub bearing large, many-petalled deep pink rosettes with a fruity fragrance. ‘Dame Judi Dench’ features clusters of red-tipped buds that open to rich apricot, ruffled blooms on a vigorous growing plant. The blooms have fresh tea fragrance and are resistant to rain damage.

Treloar Roses has ‘Sweet Honey’, voted 2020 rose of the year by the Royal Horticultural Society. This floribunda produces large clusters of honey apricot blooms with up to 50 buds per stem and a fruity fragrance. It’s suitable for a low hedge or pots, reaching 1m. ‘My Little Angel’ is an exceptionally healthy miniature rose to 40cm, ideal for pots, that bears a sea of small mauve blooms, even late into winter. It’s nearly evergreen and very tough.

Among Knight’s Roses’ new releases are ‘Heidi Klum’, a compact patio rose suited to pots, with clusters of violet, very fragrant blooms, and ‘Climbing Misérable Les’, winner of the most fragrant rose award in the 2018 National Rose Trials. Reaching about 2.6m, it’s ideal for an arch or pillar and bears prolific, classic pink blooms. The climber ‘Lady in Red’ is among Swane’s new releases, a strong grower to 3m with abundant, bright red blooms.

Pre-order new release roses now as they sell out quickly. Bare root plants are shipped in June and July.

Know your roses

Hybrid tea: single, large blooms on each stem, perfect for picking.

Floribunda: clusters of blooms that open in turn, best for garden displays.

Modern shrub rose: somewhere in between the above two, on a rounded bush.

Standard rose: any rose grafted onto the top of a straight stem.

Q&A

I’m a new gardener with two potted citrus that are flourishing despite some recent caterpillar damage. What’s the best way to manage caterpillars and also ensure the trees bear fruit? Shira, Melbourne

Citrus butterflies are beautiful creatures so you might choose to tolerate minor damage and watch them develop. Otherwise pick the caterpillars off by hand or let natural enemies do their job. To fruit well, citrus need ample sun, water and fertiliser. Use a special citrus fertiliser and keep evenly watered, especially when small fruits are setting. Re-pot every two years.

My balcony faces north-east, about 500m from the beach, and can get strong winds. What can I grow on it for flowers and scent? Ann Hinkly, Sunshine Coast, Qld

For colourful, prolonged flowering try dwarf hibiscus, dwarf ‘Mediterranean Rose’ oleanders, New Guinea impatiens, Geranium ‘Big Red’, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana varieties, starcluster (Pentas), dwarf Chinese lantern (Abutilon), frangipani, Mandevilla ‘Aloha’ series and Osteospermum daisies. To add fragrance, try Carissa ‘Desert Star’, dwarf Buddleia ‘Buzz’ series and gardenias (with shelter), or climbers such as Stephanotis or Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac).

The prize for March

Send your questions to: [e-mail] or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. Website: helenyoung.com.au. The best question for March wins two self-watering, mesh protected Vegebags worth $178 from vegepod.com.au