Click on thumbnail images to enlarge
Alice Hamilton (1906)
Similar to Old Blush, but a more refined flower. Very prolific flowerer and grower. Very sweet scent. Makes a smallish, tidy twiggy bush. Very rare, but very popular in our circles as it shares a name with my daughter! available now
Anna Maria de Montravel (1879)
Darling little bush polyantha, of China ancestry, with a nonstop display of cute cupped pure white bunches. Unusual and delightful fragrance. Lovely for the front of the border or a pot. available now
Arathusa (1903)
China x Tea. Small double flowers – a mixture of sulphur yellow, lemon and apricot. Tidy bush flowers all year round. available now
Cecile Brunner (1881)
Technically a China, but fits in well with the Polyanthas too. Lovely little soft pink rose buds all season long on a twiggy very healthy bush. Known as “The Sweetheart Rose”. Also have white (actually lemon) and the climbing form. available now
Comtesse de Cayla (1902)
The over-all effect of this rose is similar to Mutabilis but with the added bonus of sweet scented semi-double pickable flowers. Like most Chinas is very disease resistant and thrives and flowers all year round. available now
Hermosa
Typical china growth habit, more compact than Old Blush, with flowers of the same colour but with much more petals and almost bourbon=like form. sold out this season
Indica Major (Ancient)
Another former understock well worth growing. This one doesn’t sucker, but spreads into a large arching shrub with delicate pink flowers reminiscent of Old Blush, but lighter colour. Technically a once flowerer, but it’s season lasts for about 3 months or more from very early in the season, so great value. sold out
Louis XIV (1859)
Certainly the darkest red of the Chinas, possibly as dark red as any, the colour is described as black red, in full sun this tends to age to brown red (not so attractive). However like the other china roses old Louis flowers all through the seasons and the winter flowers don’t burn! A spot that is shaded from the afternoon sun in Summer is ideal. A low, quite wide and not very beautiful bush,but the flowers make up for it . sold out
Mutabilis (pre 1894)
One of the most famous of the old fashioned roses, it is bigger than many of the Chinas, can be a large bush or short climber. Flowers pretty much 365 days a year in Auckland, so long as you don’t upset it by pruning too much. Blooms are messy singles, starting yellow, then turning pink and almost red. The darkening rather than fading of the blooms is a typical China characteristic. Hard to go wrong with this plant. available now
Old Blush (very old)
This is one of the four stud chinas originally bought out from China, which revolutionised rose breeding, with its ever blooming traits. All modern hybrid teas and floribundas have these china roses in their heritage. Old Blush bears many different names, one being The Monthly Rose, indicating it will bloom every month of the year. Flowers are mid pink, double-ish, and while nothing to write home about in spring, can be really appreciated in winter! The bush is small and twiggy, and in general very healthy. available now
Papa Hemeray (1912)
A very simple single rose, but charming in effect. Masses of cherry red single flowers throughout the season. A real toughie! sold out
Perle d’Or (1875)
Similar to Cecile Brunner but the flowers are soft apricot. Like Cecile Brunner she eventually makes quite a large bush, about 1.5m. small plants available now
Queen Mab (1896)
She’s a bit of a copycat in looks to 2 Tea roses, Mme Berkley and Francesca Kruger (may be the other way around!) with scrolled buds of pink and cream tones, often looking mainly apricot. Leaves and growth habit definitely more China. sold out
Rouletti (very old)
Miniature China. The first ever miniature rose, from which basically all modern minis descend. Cute little rose pink flowers. Very historical. Upright growth to about 18″. Flowers intermittently throughout the season. available now
Slaters Crimson China (very old)
The original red china rose, makes a tidy little bush with dainty crimson flowers all year round. The ancestor of all modern red roses. available now
Sophie’s Perpetual ( 1922)
Red to cream flowers on a small almost thornless bush. Described as “perpetual” for it’s flowering season, but sometimes I think it should be for how long each flower stays on the bush! . sold out
Viridiflora
The green rose. Thought to be a sport of Old Blush as the plant appears identical, except the flowers have no petals, just multiple sepals. Very cool. sold out
