By R. T. Hamilton, Heidelberg,
Vic.
The perfect rose has not yet been
raised. In thinking of the characteristics the
perfect rose must possess, one must look at the
plant which bears the bloom as well as the bloom
itself. While not everybody would be in agreement as
to the desirable features of the perfect bloom,
there can scarcely be any disagreement on the
necessity for a really strong plant bearing ample
foliage reasonably resistant to the two main plant
diseases in Australia, -
mildew
and black spot. The plant
should preferably break into growth quickly after
the removal of the previous crop of blooms. All
rosarians can recall varieties which seem, shall we
say, sullen - which take a long time to make up
their minds to again break into growth. They can
also recall other sorts which break into new growth
low down on the stem even before the first flower is
fully out. Such a variety is Souvenir de Madame
Boullet, and the quick breaking into growth means
that the plant is seldom out of bloom - a very
desirable characteristic.
Coming back to the flower, some
people prefer single or semi-double varieties, but I
think the majority like a reasonably double flower
which, of course, usually lasts longer than the
single. Sorts having thirty to thirty-five petals
would seem ideal. Varieties having too many petals
(some can have eighty to one hundred) frequently
fail to open properly, especially in cold wet
weather.
The perfect bloom must have the
traditional form. It must be circular in outline
with an abundance of petals gracefully and
symmetrically arranged around a high pointed centre.
While there is frequently some beauty in roses which
do not measure up to this high standard, the
majority of visitors to our shows seem to spend most
of their time around the exhibits which contain
roses of form.
What colour shall our perfect
rose have? Here we shall encounter much divergence
of opinion. I do not think we can tie ourselves down
to any particular colour, but, whatever the colour
is, it must be clear and preferably bright under
artificial light. The length of stem is of great
importance to the exhibitor and the flower arranger,
but may be of lesser importance to the person who is
only interested in a garden display. We can safely
say that the ideal variety would produce slender
graceful stems at least fifteen inches in length,
and strong enough to hold the flower boldly erect.
The variety Josephine Bruce falls down somewhat on
this requirement. Its stem is often somewhat short
and a trifle thick.
The foliage may make or mar a
variety. Shining glossy foliage always looks well
(and is often resistant to mildew!). It should be
reasonably large and the leaves should not be too
far apart on the stem, the topmost leaf being only
an inch or two below the flower.
