#rosegardening – Rosalinda R Morgan

Early stage of bloom

Later Stage of Bloom

Class: Hybrid Tea

Year of introduction – 1992

Registration Name – JACpal

Parentage: Unnamed Seedling x Pristine

Hybridizer: William A. Warriner (United States, 1991)

Introduced in the United States by Jackson & Perkins Co.

This winner of the All America Rose Selection award in 1992 is categorized as a pink blend, a description that says nothing about its real color, a creamy blush spreading from the center into deep pink coral. At times, it looks like coral-orange with cream reverse. It’s wonderful seeing it changes color as it opens from bud to bloom.

Brigadoon has moderate, spicy, fragrant blooms produced one to a stem, and are best up to the halfway stage where the bud is perfection itself. As the flower opens, it holds its shape but does tend to drop the immediate central petals – something that will only bother an exhibitor. As a flower for decoration, it is a real eye-catcher. The bush is vigorous, upright, medium-tall, about 3’ and 28” wide, and well-branched with semi-glossy deep green, dense, leathery foliage that can be pretty large in cooler climates. The long, pointed, ovoid buds unfurl to double (35-40 petals), large (5” across) to high-centered, reflexed bloom form, and blooms in flushes.

Brigadoon can be grown in USDA zone 6b and warmer and used for beds and borders, as cut flower or container rose. For spring pruning, remove old canes and dead or diseased wood and cut back canes that cross. In warmer climates, cut back the remaining canes by about one-third. In colder areas, you’ll probably find you’ll have to prune a little more than that. It requires spring freeze protection but can be grown in the ground or in a container. In a container, it requires winter protection.

Tip of the day: Eat lunch outside – When sunlight hits the body, production of the neurotransmitter serotonin increases, which can make you feel happier, more alert, and more energized. (Be sure to wear your sunscreen!)

Queen Elizabeth was the first grandiflora rose, introduced in 1954, representing the best characteristics of its parent hybrid tea and floribunda rose. Winner of the AARS Award in 1955, the American Rose Society Gold Medal in 1960, Queen Elizabeth still ranks in the top 10 in popularity over the past 50 years. A classic rose, she was elected to the Rose Hall of Fame and deservedly so. Large trusses of blooms 3 ½” – 4” double on strong, straight stems, it has moderate fragrance and blooms continuously and profusely. The large flowers have lots of petals (35 petals) and are arranged individually or in clusters on the plant. They made great cut flowers. Color is clear, ranging from pale pink to rose or carmine, and is weatherproof in any climate. It has dark green, glossy foliage, very vigorous, and tall, about 4-6 feet or more and 3 feet wide. It likes to be tall, so do not prune drastically. It is winter hardy and very disease resistant. A climbing counterpart exists.

Queen Elizabeth at 3 yrs old – photo taken from my dining room window on the first floor.

Photo taken from the second floor window.

A year later – photo taken from my dining room window.

This is how tall Queen Elizabeth Climber has grown by its fourth year. My New York home has 7 steps to the first floor just to give you a perspective. The rose reaches the roof of my one-floor extension in back.

Grace Tedesco, an old friend from Oyster Bay, grew mostly Queen Elizabeth roses. She started with the mother plant that she said belonged to her mother. She had about 30 Queen Elizabeth roses in her garden, and she won the Grandiflora section of our rose show almost every year when she was alive. She passed away in 2012 at age 101, was married for 76 years, and exhibited Queen Elizabeth till she was 97. She fell that day picking up her roses for the rose show in 2007 and never seemed right afterward. I do miss her. She was a very good friend of mine who treated me like the daughter she never had. In Oyster Bay, where I lived, Grace was called the Rose Queen, and I was called the Rose Lady. I miss her and her constant advice that I should slow down

Well, Grace, I finally slow down and stop to smell the roses.

TIP OF THE DAY: Listen to classical music to calm you down. Close your eyes and just enjoy the soft music. You’ll be surprised how great you’ll feel after that short period of time when your brain is given a rest, free of those loud noises that surround us all day.