Alister Clark

Alister Clark is a man whose name you may recognize less than his floral creations. This is a sad testament to the passage of time, as in his lifetime he was known and loved by many. Rose breeder Sam McGredy has said that Alister Clark was a rose breeder ahead of his time.

Alister Clark's influence as a rosarian is inestimable

Species Rose by group and location

Species roses fall into five distinct groups: Cinnamomeae, Caninae, Synstylae, Pimpinellifoliae and Carolinae. Almost all the species roses fall into one of these categories.

Cinnamomeae (Cassiorhodon)

Centifolias

Also known as the ‘Great Holland Rose’,Provence Rose’ ,‘Cabbage Rose’ and the ‘Rose des Peintres’, they have a history of intrigue and mystery. Initially R.centifolia (which botanically should be centipetala)was classified as a species rose and thought to date back to around 300BC because of references from that era to a ‘hundred petalled rose’. It has never been found growing in the wild and recent examination of the chromosomes show it to be a complex hybrid of four species. These species are- R.gallica,R.phoenicia,R.moschata and R.canina.

Species Roses For The Garden

If you want a 'no care' garden consider some of the species roses which are grown for perfumed flowers or for their ferny,coloured or fragrant foliage, and in some species the hips are the major feature. They can be used as hedges, ground covers, climbers or specimens. There are Species roses that will suit every climate within Australia from cold and wet to extremely hot and dry.

Species roses tolerate poor soils and the only maintenance they need is cutting out any dead wood annually when they are dormant.

Old Garden Roses

Gallicas are the jewels of Old garden Roses. They bloom in the most amazing colours from pale translucent pink to magenta, crimson, burgundy, grape, mauve through to violet and in some cases all these colours are blended together with grey tones appearing as the blooms age.

BELLE DE CRECY

In The Garden

When I first picked up a hoe I was often at a loss and wished there was somewhere handy to go for lessons in home gardening - like you can to TAFE for a lesson in decoupage or photography - a long time ago - before the www was invented and everything I wanted to know was handy on a PC near me.

Modern Roses

There is much confusion and incorrect information surrounding the birth of the Hybrid Tea. For many years “La France” has been cited as the first Hybrid Tea. This rose was introduced in 1867 and consequently this year was officially designated the beginning of the ‘Modern Rose’ era. However the confusion arises because throughout the 1800’s it was the practice for breeders to recognize only the seed parent when classifying a seedling.

Definition of Species Names

These names are usually Latin or Greek. Those that don’t have a botanical base and usually ending in ‘ii’ or 'ae' are named after botanists or finders: eg; R. davidii and R helenae

acicularis: needle-like (prickles)

agrestis: growing in the fields

Sporting Roses

Sporting is genetic mutation as is Proliferation and Fasciation however roses ‘sport’ in several different ways:

1. The flower changes colour

2. The flower develops stripes

3. The flower becomes a bicolour

4. The flower changes form

5. A bush sports to a climber

6. A climber sports to a bush

7. A once bloomer sports to a repeating rose

8. Moss appears on stems,buds and calyx

Proliferation in Roses

Proliferation is caused by an error in the usual genetic sequence. The normal process of cell multiplication and division stops when the flower bud is produced. In proliferation, the apical cells of a flowering cane multiply and divide long after they should have stopped,therefore causing foliage and buds to grow from the centre of the existing flower. As far as roses are concerned, any rose can show a case of proliferation,either once or spasmodically. Other roses have the predisposition to proliferate-“Spray Cecile Brunner” aka “Bloomfield Abundance” is one.

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