MODERN ROSES FOR A TROUBLED EARTH
by Lothar Behnke Weeks Roses
2018 marks the 80th year in business since Ollie and Verona Weeks started this venture. Today, we are the only major rose supplier in the US still hybridizing and bringing new products to the marketplace.
Here are the new 2018 introductions:
- Top Gun – red shrub rose, probably our most-anticipated intro, as Top Gun raises the diseaseresistance to a new level, including RRD. Will one ever be able to say total resistance to RRD? Probably not, but just as we heard of “Bullet-proof” terms of roses before, there is no such thing.
- Easy Spirit – white Floribunda added to our “Easy-to-Love Roses” collection. This will be the best white Floribunda for years to come (30-40 petals).
- Easy on the Eyes – Outstanding disease-resistance highlights this proliferous Hulthemia-based rose with pink-magenta colors.
- Parade Day – Fuchsia-pink, striped with white Grandiflora, strong fragrance.
- Lady In Red – Old-fashioned English-flowered climber. Profusion of good-sized red blooms.
- Rosie the Riveter – Orangey-gold/pink with gold reverse Floribunda. Moderate frag. Great name.
- Frida Kahlo – Scarlet-red, striped gold, with red blush on finish, Floribunda. Mild fruitiness.
- Hot & Sassy – Novel smoky, dark-orange Miniature rose
Turns out that all 2018 introductions are from the works of both Christian Bedard and Tom Carruth; none of the new entries come from “outside” breeders, which is a bit of a rarity as we tend to scour all corners of the globe for outstanding new crosses.
The 8 new introductions come from crosses up to 10 years ago and more, so the incidence of finding Top Gun with such strong RRD resistance is pure chance, as RRD only reared it’s ugliness since that time, and North Texas seems to be the epicenter of the issue.
Please take good care of those beautiful roses.
