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Archiduc Joseph (1872)
A wonderful old tea rose, does particularly well on it’s own roots. Flowers all year round with high centred buds opening to rosettes in a mixture of pink, red and cream. I have also bought this rose labelled as General Schablikine, but I think this is another case of “tea confusion”, a big problem in the heritage rose world!!! small plants available
Blackboy (1919)
An Australian climber from Alistair Clark. Gorgeous, fragrant, deep red tea flowers. Medium climber, minimal thorns. Repeats all year round. sold out
Catherine Mermet (1869)
Light pink elegant flowers with a lovely scent. her colour is a lot more stable than most of the teas.
sold out
Colonel Sharman Crawford (1933)
Lovely crimson red bush, hardy and prolific. Flowers semi double, loosely formed. sold out
Dainty Bess (1925)
Hybrid Tea. Exceptionally beautiful salmon pink large single flowers. Hard to walk past, she’s a show stopper
Available grafted at nursery
Duchesse de Brabant (1857)
Simply the best. A tidy, moderate shrub (1.5m) that flowers nearly all year round once established. Cup shaped double flowers in light pink. Delicate but very sweet scent. Like most Teas, she loves the Northern climate and doesn’t need any coddling to look fabulous. small plants available
She also has a white sport, known as “White Duchesse de Brabant”. Pretty much identical but for a paler flower. sold out
Her climbing sport is identical in every way but is a vigourous climber to 3m small plants available soon
First Love (1950)
A very “Tea-ish” Hybrid Tea. The buds are very large, stunningly elegant things, the bloom relatively disappointing as it opens to a very loose light pink very quickly. Very prolific and tough .sold out
Francis Dubreuil (1894)
This is one of my absolute favourites. Such a well behaved smallish tidy bush, nearly always has at least one beautiful crimson bloom on offer to sink your nose into! small plants available soon
Francesca Kruger (1873)
A another lovely blended tea in soft yellow/apricot/pink. High centred and highly scented. small plants available soon
General Gallieni
Old tea, mostly red flowers with what I describe as “spasticated” form! Very hardy once established and will eventually make a wide “tree”. small plants available
La France (1867)
Heralded as the first ever Hybrid Tea, but it looks more like a Tea to me. However, ours is not to reason why…which makes this rose of extreme historical importance in the rose world. It is a slightly gawky grower, but produces loads of graceful silvery pink flowers all season. small plants available soon
Lady Mary Fitzwilliam (1880)
Soft pink fragrant flowers, one of the very first hybrid teas.(flowers and growth more like it’s hybrid perpetual parent) Vigorous. not available this season
Lady Hillingdon (1910)
The classic we all know and love. Bush form sold out
Lorraine Lee
Another excellent climber from Alister Clarke reminiscent of Souvenir de Mme Leonie Viennot. sold out
Mme Antoine Mari (1901)
This rose does not appear to be nearly as popular as many of the other teas available and it’s beyond me why not. As far as I’m concerned she is a paragon in every way and my personal favourite of all the teas. She’s not going to grow into a huge tree like some of the others, but she makes an elegant bush of 1-1.2m on which to display her almost non stop production of elegant flowers in shades of pink and cream. Quite slow on her own roots, but will steadily increase. I’m thinking maybe she’s not cool because she’s a 20th century rose!!! sold out
Maman Cochet (1892)
Big creamy pink to carmine blooms. Great perfume. Can ball. sold out
Mme Berkley (1898)
Less well known than some of the teas, but an excellent plant for the North and grows quickly into a good sized bush on its own roots. The flowers are sweet scented and the typical tea mixture of pink/apricot/cream in quite delicate shades. Very floriferous. small plants available soon
Mme Falcot (1839)
An old battler amongst the roses, Mme Falcot is a lot less showy than many of the other teas, but more showy than it’s seed parent, Safrano. She makes a sturdy, wide shrub , with the trade mark plum coloured leaves and apricot/ yellow flowers of fairly loose form. sold out
Mme Gregoire Stachelin – Climber (1927)
Old hybrid tea. Mme Gregoire makes a huge statement in late spring, with her abundance of wavy pink petalled flowers. They cut for the vase beautifully and have an unusual and delicious fragrance. small plants available
Marie Nabonnand
This is the climbing tea that we used to call Sylvan Beauty and has been confused with Mons Tillier in the past. whatever its name, it’s a joy in winter as it never stops flowering. A small climber that will not get out of hand. sold out
Mrs Herbert Stevens – Climber (1922)
This is a wonderful old rose, classified as a Hybrid Tea, but like so many of the older varieties, she has thrown much more to the tea side of her ancestry. She especially shows her tea tendencies by her willingness to flower all through winter, when her delicate pure white scrolled flowers with a lovely scent are even more treasured. The plant itself is anything but delicate…she is a vigorous and tough old lady! sold out
Miss Ellen Wilmott (1935)
A very vigorous daughter of Dainty Bess, the flowers are not quite as beautiful, but the plant makes up for it with her vigour and high health. She grows quite upright to about 1.5 m or more and is generous with her basal shoots. I have also found this rose does well in some shade which can be a useful attribute. sold out
“Mum’s Old Red” = Roundelay (1953)
One of our mystery roses we’ve been growing for many years, an expert is yet to recognise and name it for me, so Mum’s old Red it remains. UPDATE!!! An expert(haha),called me, recently recognised this rose at the Botanic gardens in Auckland and it is indeed ROUNDELAY a 1953 Hybrid Tea…Large leathery hybrid tea type leaves, but quite full flattish flowers. Very reliable flowerer. sold out
Nancy Hayward (1937)
Climbing Tea. Famous, Australian bred climber with huge, single dark pink flowers on strong growing bush. Good in hot climates .sold out
Old Red Hybrid Tea (? pretty sure I have it!! )
Would appreciate confirmation from someone who grows Uncle Walter…Another of my “Mystery” roses I’ve grown from a cutting at some stage and lost track of where the cutting came from. This is a vigorous healthy grower to about 1.2m. Very consistent repeater and really covers itself in blooms every time, making a bright red impact in the border. Only has a moderate scent . small plants available soon
Papa Gontier
A very old (1882) tea rose. Interesting as he looks his best in winter and early spring, preferring the colder months. A mass of deep red growth tips are almost handsome enough without flowers however the antique pink to apricot blooms are a delight, classic tea scent and a nice sized shrub for the smaller garden. A gem. sold out
Restless (1938)
An old Alistair Clarke rose from Australia, this rose is classified as a Hybrid Tea, but looks and acts more like a Tea rose to me. It grows into a “tree”, revels in the heat , and flowers all winter. The flowers have some of the classic red rose scent, though only loosely semi double. Similar colour to Blackboy, another Clarke creation. sold out
Souvenir de Mme Leonie Viennot
The toughest of all the climbing Teas, she’ll grow and flower anywhere! Thrives around Auckland where she became known as “The Dunny Rose” as cuttings were often put in outside the Longdrop to cover the ugly building and maybe the ugly smell as well! A true paragon of a rose, her virtues too many to list! small plants available soon
Squatter’s Dream (1923)
Bred by Australian rosarian, Alistair Clarke, this lovely rose is a cross from r.gigantea the “original” wild tea rose. It is not a giant though, a medium sized shrub with the lovely red stems and leaves that set off the apricot flowers well. sold out
Triomphe de Luxemburg (1835)
Totally over the top, full creamy pink flowers in spring and autumn. Once established, is free flowering and very tough. One of the fancier teas but very easy in the Auckland climate. small plants available soon