Harkness will be introducing a number of new rose varieties at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
The firm’s Garden Party range of easy-care roses are bred for disease tolerance with low maintenance in mind. They aim to bring ‘a touch of fun’ into the garden. The varieties repeat bloom, and are suitable for colourful container gardening and planting out in summer borders.
The first Garden Party introductions include: Simply Sally, with apple-blossom blush, set off by a golden eye; Sheer Silk, a broad dome of pure white; Belle of the Ball, with cupped apricot blooms on masse; Lemon Twist, which features a drift of pure yellow; and Ruby Ribbon, with a cushion of rich, deep red.
Other new roses for 2007 include Parky, a garden shrub-rose in ivory which owes its existence to an initiative of rose trade association Roses UK, whereby new varieties are named after well-known personalities. Parky is named after TV chat-show host Michael Parkinson.
It features flowers borne in the floribunda style in clusters of up to five blooms per stem. Each bloom is mid-sized and contains a ruffle of petals in the loosely cupped form. The perfume is fresh, light and pleasing, according to Harkness, making it a good choice for both indoor and general purpose planting.
Also new and supporting various charities are Rosa Belmonte, a robust and perfumed pearl floribunda, which benefits The Prince’s Trust; Carris, a red hybrid tea, which supports BBC Children in Need; Cherie, a scented, dark red floribunda for Cherie Booth, in support of Refuge; and Henrietta Barnett, a perfumed amber floribunda, supporting Hampstead Garden Suburb’s Centenary.
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