Friday, June 22, 2007

Hazeldean Rose

I've had my heart set on a yellow rose (a rambler) to climb along the backyard fence (somewhere). My hope is to have both Compassion (apricot pink) and a yellow climber back there. I have no doubt about Compassion - it's just a matter of ordering one now, however deciding on, and locating, a yellow rose has been difficult.

Yellow roses in our zone 3 range are few. Most tend to be on the pale yellow side, like J.P. Connell - and from what I've seen of Golden Showers, the blooms vary in shade from a pale yellow to a deep buttery color. I thought my heart was set until I learned an important lesson in rose hunting:

Along the road to finding a hardy yellow climbing rose, one should never forget to stop to smell the roses, especially on campus - because sometimes you find what you've been looking for right under your nose!

I hadn't even thought about the yellow rose I had taken pictures of last year, but returning to the blooming sight outside the university's greenhouse this year, I have fallen head over feet for Hazeldean, an old fashioned hybrid rose, with multiples of gorgeous yellow blooms. This campus shrub is currently covered in large buds and bloom after bloom which fill the air with their sweet spicey fragrance.











Hazeldean
Lakehead University campus greenhouse
June 21 (summer solstice) 2007


Bred by Canadian Percy Wright (1898 -1990) in 1948 (R. spinosissima altaica X Persian Yellow), this very hardy rose produces quantities of double yellow roses in June. The
bush is upright and will grow to 180 cm. It is absolutely striking in bloom!!

'Hazeldean Yellow' is a spinosissima hybrid which produces semi-double, fragrant yellow flowers. It is extremely thorny, suckers freely, but is also extremely hardy. Leaves are typically medium to dark green, glossy and ovate, with finely toothed edges.

Cultivar: Hazeldean Yellow
Family: Rosaceae
Size: Height: 1.5 ft. to 5 ft. / Width: 1.5 ft. to 4 ft.
Plant Characteristics: edible flowers,
Foliage Characteristics: deciduous / color: green
Flower Characteristics: double, erect, fragrant, long lasting, showy
Flower Color: yellows
Tolerances: deer
Bloomtime Range: Early Summer
USDA Hardiness Zone: 2 to 9
AHS Heat Zone: 3 to 9
Light Range: Sun to Full Sun
pH Range: 4.5 to 8
Soil Range: Sandy Loam to Clay Loam
Water Range: Normal to Moist

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