Roses
Popular rose varieties - Damask Perpetual, China and Tea Roses
By
Nov 28, 2005 - 3:58:00 PM

Gosia Wajchert

Roses have been renowned for their beauty and fragrance for many centuries, and they have long been a symbol of love and romance. Growing roses is one of the most satisfying activities in which a grower can engage, and three of the most popular varieties of roses are the Damask Perpetual, China and Tea Roses. Each variety is discussed in more detail below.

Damask Perpetual Roses


The Damask Perpetual rose was the only repeat blooming variety known to the Europeans until the introduction of the China roses. It appears that the Damask Perpetual rose was known at least as far bar as ancient Rome.

These roses typically have a stocky bush, with many fragrant blossoms (sometimes doubles) among the leaves. There are several types of Damask Perpetuals, including the Biferas, with their long and arching growth pattern, the Portlands, which show a distinctively Gallica influence, and the Trianons, which grow tall and strong with clusters of flowers. The colors of Damask Perpetuals range from white to pink to the deepest and darkest reds.

China Roses

China roses have been selectively bred from the original R. chinensis. The R. chinesis rose had been grown in Oriental gardens long before the western world discovered them. There are competing claims to credit for their introduction into Europe, with Sweden, Italy and Britain all taking credit.

It is known that a pink and white variety entered the floral business in the 1790's, and selective breeding quickly began, particularly in France. The primary reasons for the popularity of China roses were their continuous bloom and the period rage for all things Oriental.
The biggest problem with the China roses was their lack of tolerance for cold. China roses generally create a bushy and twiggy plant, which is often very irregular in its shape. Blossoms range from the deepest maroon to the palest white, with many pink varieties in between. Some hybrid varieties crossed with the tea roses also contain shades of warm yellow, saffron, salmon and orange. The China group of roses is considered a place for decorative roses, in contrast to the exhibition roses favored by rose and flower show enthusiasts.

Tea Roses

The roses are named for the scent that many growers have compared to a newly opened bag of fine tea. The ancestry of the tea rose dates back to a cross between R. chinensis and R. gigantean. The R. gigantean is a climbing Chinese rose that features large primrose colored blossoms which quickly fade to white. The first two cultivars were introduced to the West by the British in 1810 and 1824, and the French then began creating new hybrids.
The most important and successful of these crosses were with the Bourbon roses. This cross started a new line of tea roses, with most of these quite different from the original varieties. The new tea roses were large and hardy and they grew on thick limbed shrubs with healthy, glossy foliage.
Tea roses can be found in all colors of the rose palette, including white, pink, red, blush, yellow and orange, but the most revered tea roses are the dawn colors like gold, warm pink and rose.

Gosia Wajchert is a garden writer from the UK.

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