Calgary Rose Society

During March we are going to feature roses named for famous people that have some connection to Canada. Are you a country music fan? This beautiful apricot blend floribunda rose was named in honour of Loretta Lynn as she celebrated 50 years in the music business. The Canadian connection? This rose was bred by Brad Jalbert of Select Roses in B.C. He is one of a group of Canadian rose hybridizers carrying on the tradition of Canadian bred roses. Enjoy! This rose is a favourite of many Calgary Rose Society members. What do you think?

Today we are featuring a selection of the roses our members plan to add to their gardens this summer. (Each photo is labelled with the rose name) Just the thing to raise the spirits after a week of bitter cold weather here in Calgary. Dreaming of warmer days to come! What rose or roses have you chosen to add to your garden? Enjoy and take care.

Many Canadian gardeners enjoy growing David Austin English Roses even though they need winter protection in our climate. Check out the new releases for 2021!! Eustacia Vye is mid pink with a touch of apricot, and Gabriel Oak is a deep pink. Both are named for characters created by the British novelist Thomas Hardy. Visit davidaustinroses.com if you are interested in ordering or learning more. Take care.

A new year brings a new Canadian winter hardy rose! Ontario based Vineland Research & Innovation Centre will be releasing the rose "Aurora Borealis" this spring across Canada. Vineland's press release states "Named for the Northern Lights, this rose captures the bright dancing lights of the aurora in its dramatic, sunset pink blooming clusters". This lovely rose has already been named 2021 Plant of the Year by Canada Blooms, Canada;s largest garden and flower festival, for the organization's 25th anniversary. "Aurora Borealis" will be the third rose in the 49th Parallel Collection of winter hardy roses. The other two roses are "Canadian Shield" and "Chinook Sunrise". Perhaps a new addition to your garden?

Happy New Year! As we start 2021 let's rejoice in hope for a better future. To celebrate we are featuring the Canadian bred winter hardy rose named Chinook Sunrise, from the garden of one of our members. It's colours really do reflect the beautiful sunrises we enjoy here in Alberta. Take care and have a wonderful New Year's Day.

Calgary is covered in a thick layer of snow today so we are featuring white roses to end the year. Seemed appropriate. Do you grow white roses? If not you might consider adding one to your garden next year. However you spend the holiday season take care and stay safe. We will be back on New Year's Day.

A selection of blended colour roses to brighten your day. Multi colour roses are becoming very popular and new varieties are released every year. They make a lovely addition to any garden. Enjoy!

Continuing with our theme of unusual roses we are featuring some strange looking blooms today. The pictures below show roses displaying proliferation or a vegetative centre. The rose bush's hormones have been disrupted causing a new stem with leaves and sometimes buds, to grow up through the centre of an existing flower. Commercial rose growers discard any bushes showing proliferation but the blooms are becoming a novelty in the cut flower industry. In Europe you will see bunches of roses with vegetative centres on display in florist shops or anywhere cut flowers are sold. Not so popular here in Canada. What do you think? The photos were taken in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2018.

Over the winter months we thought it would be fun to feature some unusual roses on our page. The ones that become "conversation pieces" in the garden. First up is the floribunda rose named Koco Loco. This rose starts out with blooms the colour of a cafe latte, but then the flowers slowly change to soft lavender. One description we found called it a coffee latte that goes "loco" to finish all lavender! We've been told this rose is popular with florists for wedding bouquets and arrangements. Yes, the two photos are of Koco Loco. One showing the cafe latte stage and one the lavender stage. To be truthful not all home gardeners like this rose. What do you think.

It may be October but here in Calgary our gardens are covered in snow! We are sharing some memories of our summer gardens to brighten the day. What summer rose memories do you have from your garden? Take care and stay safe.

It may be early October but here in Calgary, with the lovely weather we have been experiencing, our roses are still putting on a show. The red/orange is Brothers Grim Fairy Tale, the pale pink is Morden Blush, the yellow is Julia Child, and the white is Innocencia Vigorosa. Enjoy!!

Many of you may be familiar with the poem by Jenny Joseph entitled "When I Am An Old Woman". The first line "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple" was our inspiration for today's post as we feature purple/burgundy coloured roses. They add richness to the garden and the blooms are lovely in arrangements combined with other pink, blue or lemon flowers. How do you feel about this colour range? Enjoy and take care.

If you have ever visited England or parts of Europe you may have seen fields of lavender being grown for the perfume industry. (The photo shows the Mayfield Lavender Farm in Surrey, England). The word lavender is also used to describe a light purple colour that can range from pink/lavender to a more intense colour almost bordering on mauve. Lavender coloured roses often have fragrance which makes them a lovely addition to the garden. They can look wonderful growing alongside pink or blue coloured perennials or annuals. Do you like the colour Lavender?

Orange can be a very strong and energetic colour. It certainly grabs the attention but people tend to either love it or hate it. Take a look at these orange toned roses and see what you think. Like or dislike?

When it comes to roses research has shown that red is the favourite colour. Here's a selection of red roses from our members's gardens. As you can see they come in all shapes and sizes. What do you think? Are red roses your favourite?

It is Heritage Day in Alberta. We decided this was an ideal day to celebrate "Agnes" the first rose hybridized (bred) in Canada back in the early 1900's by Dr. William Saunders. It is still commercially available but you often have to search for a nursery that stocks it. These photos were shared with us by a rose gardener in Quebec. Enjoy and have a wonderful day.

White roses to cool down a very hot day in Calgary!! Do you include white roses in your garden?

On July 19th astrophysicists unveiled the biggest ever 3D map of the universe. That got us thinking about space exploration and Canada's contribution. From there it was a short step from astronaut to rose! This lovely yellow climbing rose is named after Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut. Dr. Bondar was a member of the crew of NASA's space shuttle mission STS-42. What makes this rose extra special is the fact it was hybridized by Joyce Fleming, one of Canada's few female rose breeders. Enjoy.

Today we are celebrating miniature roses which grow an average of 1 to 2 feet tall. A mini rose is a perfectly scaled down version of a large flowered rose. The blooms, buds, leaves, stems and even prickles (thorns) should be in perfect proportion to each other. These mini roses were bred to be grown in the garden or in containers on the patio. They are not to be confused with the potted mini roses produced for the florist industry and the big box stores. We will be featuring more of these mini beauties over the summer.

A bright splash of colour to brighten a wet day in Calgary. This is the floribunda rose Julia Child named after the American chef. She is reported to have said "it is the colour of butter". Enjoy and take care.

In spite of the rain, rain and more rain of the past week roses here in Calgary continue to come into bloom. Here are a few more to enjoy from the gardens of our members. The red is the shrub rose Hope for Humanity (winter hardy). The medium pink single petal rose is Jeannie Deans (heritage rose bred prior to 1892). The bright yellow/orange is Bill Reid (winter hardy) and the lovely pink is Lady Diana (hybrid tea, tender in Calgary).

A white and a yellow rose to enjoy today from one of our members in the north west of the city. Both are species roses (related to wild roses) and bloom once a year in June. The yellow is called "Hazeldean" and the white is "Altaica". You often see large bushes of Hazeldean growing in our older communities so look out for it on your walks. As you can see, both grow large so you need space to accommodate these beauties.

Another first bloom for you to enjoy from a member's south east Calgary garden. This beautiful apricot/peach rose is the winter hardy "Olds College Centennial". It was named for the 100th Anniversary of Olds College. We believe this rose should be grown more often in Calgary. It is a vigorous grower, disease resistance, easy to care for, and blooms all summer. Planted among a selection of perennials the colour adds a real punch to a flower bed.

Happy First Day of Summer! To celebrate we have photos of the species rose Persian Yellow. This vigorous rose can reach up to six feet and blooms once a year in June with a blaze of colour. A real eye catcher! The picture comes from a member and was one of the first roses to flower in their garden. In the coming days and weeks we will highlight other roses as they come into bloom here in Calgary. Have a wonderful day.

With all the rain in Calgary over the last 48 hours we need some colour to cheer the spirits. Today we featuring roses with semi double blooms. Their flowers consist of 9 to 16 petals with the stamens clearly visible. The pink/yellow is the winter hardy rose Campfire and the other is the climbing rose Stormy Weather. Both were grown in Calgary gardens. Enjoy.