Mid-term report on Swane's Sightsaver

My beautiful, super-perfumed young Sightsaver (that Finbarr picked out his very self from the back room!)  has been with me for eight months now. Do I love this plant or what?

The blooms aren't just flat boring pale pink, they glow a bit with a whisper of apricot, most visible near dusk. The fragrance is strong, classic rose with a dash of grapefruit.

Now here's the real kicker: in a no-spray garden,  it's the ONLY strongly scented rose I have that is continuously 98% spot-free. Like Pope John Paul II, SS manages to combine power perfume with extraordinary disease resistance. It's a rare combination, but it CAN be done, folks.

I wish silky or Dan were here to take the pix, but it's just me, so be forgiving of the plant even if the shots are thudly dull. I couldn't wait until all 20 buds were open, so I have only captured two of the early starters. You can see in the second pic how strong and well clothed the young plant is - this despite losing one big cane to the wind, and one smaller one to a clumsy guest.

Only downsides: 1) this rose is extremely attractive to pests, borer/earwig bud- destructive types in particular, and 2) the 5" blooms come in 2- 3 month flushes (so far), with no in-between bursts of flower. As the plant matures, repeat should increase. As it is, you 'd never, ever label this lovely girl as stingy.
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I purchased Sightsaver last year specifically as a rose for the three full bloom class on the show bench and although I haven't had it on the show bench as yet I have high hopes for it in the coming Autumn.

Betsy your Sightsaver looks like a beauty. Strongly perfumed and super healthy? Wowee! And well clothed into the bargain. Pity about the time it takes to recharge its batteries but you're right, this will probably improve with a bit more time. Pity too about losing canes. Isn't it a bugger? Yesterday we had "gale' gusts with the cool change after a scorching day. A few trees in the neighborhood lost large limbs. I lost a few big canes with heaps of buds, even though some were staked and tied.

It certainly does look to be a very pretty rose , ahh another in the memory bank !!

Not only is it a magnificent rose I believe a certain amount of the purchase price goes towards a worthwhile charity.

Betsy, it looks beautiful, that is on my list next year

thanks for sharing

Wow, a show rose? I didn't see that coming, Ausrose. I'm impressed. Hope she does you proud.

Lost canes: silky, I am with you in spirit. Like a death in the family, isn't it? Makes me melancholic. Potential cut down in its prime. Mind you, the damn borer holes in the buds don't make me sad, they enrage me. In a fury, I reach for the Yates Rose Gun (checking to make sure there are no bees around).

Dan, I look forwad to your opinion next year. . Maree, pinks are one of your specialties. You should consider ;-))))))))

Another  pink I have a very high opinion of for the show bench is the exhibition rose Admiral Rodney. Not only does it have excellent classical hybrid tea form but it has fragrance as well which is not often found in an exhibition bloom. The only other rose that comes to mind is Pope John  Paul II. As you can see by the photo it is available through Treloar Rose.

I can assure you both Admiral Rodney and Sightsaver are not JAP roses.

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"....it has fragrance as well which is not often found in an exhibition bloom."

I find that very sad, very bad. Once upon a time, fragrance was a rose's most renowned and sought after quality, a centuries-old metaphor and symbol for perfume.

Absolutely no criticism of you or any other honoured exhibitor here, Ausrose, but I have to ask: when did beauty (in imagined form) obliterate soul in rose shows? So many dog breeds have gone the same way, bred to conform to some arbitrary ideal form that ruined the breed's original fine qualities.

Betsy, I will not get involved with this bit, other to say a couple of words. "Improvement in the eye of the beholder(breeder)(judge)(marketing)
Nothing here to do with you Doug in your judging capacity), as we have had similar conversations other than here.

True. And a conversation that shoudl be another thread, anyway.

But hey, on the bright side, isn't it great that John Paul II and Sightsaver are getting show ring exposure via Ausrose? It is, it is!

So this tread isn't hijacked I am starting another thread titled Judging Exhibition Blooms as I would like add to the discussion.

Ausrose , what do you mean by JAP roses ? thanks

Let me take a guess: Just Another Pink?   

Probably not, but might apply. The Admiral looks very fine, indeed

Correct

Lol ha ha Betsy , well done , you're one ahead of me lol ...

Betsy you're such a bright spark! I was trying to puzzle it out. JAP - who would've thunk it? Lol

I thought JAP stood for "Jackson and Perkins" rose breeders from the USA.   

J&P are usually abbreviated just like so, with an ampersand separating the J and the P

Not really a bright spark, silky, although your kind remark goes immediately to the near-empty bag of compliments ;-)) Two expressions regarding pink roses have been in circulation like, forever: one is "what the world really needs is another pink rose" (irony), and "it's just another pink" . It was a very, very short hop to Ausrose's meaning, especially as I keep saying that Sightsaver isn't just another tiresome pink.

Thanks for sharing the pics betsy. The little half circle cut-aways on your rose leaves are from leaf cutter bees (Australian native) and very desirable.. have you seen them at work in your garden i wonder? my eldest daughter saw one flying with the little bits of leaves clasped in its mouth.. she was very lucky to see this.. I have unearthed their nests accidently but reburied them..