Rose
of the Month #8
By Gaird Hamilton
LAVAGLUT
This rose of the month business
is pretty tricky. While I have truly loved all seven of the varieties
picked so far, there are a lot of roses out there which are very fine
and worthy of merit. So how do I pick these out of the crowd? Sally
Holmes did it by winning Best of Division at the Humboldt County Fair.
Gemini did it by being in bloom and having perfectly healthy leaves
back in January or some such time. I went out in the garden late today
for a stroll with the intent of finding a new winner, one which would
fit in with the winners of the past.
Lo and behold, once again my eyes didn’t let me down. There back
in the North part of the garden where conditions are the least desirable,
was a gem of a floribunda in a full mass of bloom. This is the way which
LAVAGLUT usually looks. It is a wonderful rose which has enormous flat
sprays which look too heavy to be held upright but yet they always are.
The flowers in each cluster make a solid mass which will last for an
incredible long time, literally until they turn dry in place without
losing color, and then if you touch the bush they will fall cleanly
to the ground.
The official description
in Modern Roses XI does not do justice to this rose. It says F dr 1978
(Intrigue, Lavaglow, Lavaglut):dbl., 24 petals, 2.5 in., globular, blooms
in clusters, slight fragrance; foliage glossy; vigorous, upright, bushy
growth; (Gruss an Bayem X Unnamed Seedling); Kordes, W. Sohne, 1979.
That description is about
like saying that the Mona Lisa has a nice smile. It’s true, but
it doesn’t tell the story. The foliage is so glossy and the stems
so strong that the clusters are always neatly placed in the bush with
the finest of greenery wherever it shows. If you are interested in rose
shows, it will win for you. If bouquets are your forte, you’ve
get a winner there. But if just enjoying roses in the garden day after
day in your walks is your thing, then be prepared for blooms which will
last longer than you ever dreamed possible, and then when they finally
do drop their petals or are deadheaded, there are more clusters in place
and ready to bloom. If you like dark red roses, you will love these!
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