Rose Edward

I think I have a sport of Rose Edward, a smaller version of it. Please have a look at the pictures below. Could this be a nutrient dificiency, or do you think it is a sport? I have always fed both the plants at the same time with same organic fertilizer.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The flowers are on a small twig. I would like to know how I can I propagate it.

Hi Alee What are the circumstances of you acquiring these two rose bushes? Is it possible that one was wrongly labeled? I have had that happen more than once.

I got these two plants from a friend. She only has Rose Edward. She rooted the cuttings and gave me.

Hi Alee,
it looks like nutrient dificiency. Push it up with a swallow of alfalfa tea with som epsom in it and look how it works.

regards Bemo

I would prune them back by 2/3rd's

What about fragrance? Does this'sport' have the same R. Edward's heady scent?
Girija and Viru

It has the same fragrance. I am planning to do air layering to make sure I propagate it. I just want to see if it really is a sport.

Hi Alee,

Is that shoot on the 'sported' one coming up from below the ground or is it joined to the stem above ground? If it is below ground check it for roots and you might be able to divide it off. If it is above ground you can partially ringbark (on the underside) that portion immediately where it joins the stem then add a little more potting mix or whatever you are using (can you get much potting mix over there? So much sand! Salinity must be a real problem) so that the ringbarked portion is now underground (looks like you have plenty of room to fill the pot up more). It should send out new roots fairly quickly from this spot after which it can be separated from the main plant. Both of them are very beautiful roses.

As an interseting 'aside'.. have you looked at 'Rose Edward' on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]? It too shows a lot of variation in both colour, form, and size. I've not seen this lovely rose in 'the flesh' but am thinking that it might just be a rose that has many different looks naturally.

As another intersting aside... did you notice how many descendants 'Rose Edward' has: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (you'll need to be logged in to HMF to see this). It has 339 unique descendants... very fertile too it seems... with a degree of remontancy already. A very important rose too (I know it as Rose 'Edouard')... It was used in the development of some of the Teas such as 'Adam' so might be an excellent choice to start breeding some roses for your tropical climate Alee. Have you got any China roses there Alee? These two toegther would be an excellent start.

As is well known, R. Edward is cultivated on a large scale in India as the flowers are used for making garlands. I have always been on the lookout for sports, but am yet to find one, though my search was extensive- from the area of the Himalayan foothills to the extreme south of India. So Alee's find could turn out to be something very rare (provided it is a sport and not a nutritionally deficient plant).
There is an interesting article by the doyen of Indian rosarians, Dr B.P.Pal , written in 1975 , and reproduced recently in the Heritage Roses of Australia Inc. journal, which points out that there are two types of R.Edward grown in India - the typical one and the one with slightly smaller flowers.
Attracted by the heat resistance of the variety, I have attempted many times to raise seedlings, but most of my efforts were defeated by the almost invariable appearance of mildew in the progeny. One interesting result was a cross with the climber Golden Showers, which produced a plant of extraordinary vigour and which rushed up to 15 feet in a year and a half, in the quite unfavourable climate of Madras city (now called Chennai) and produced lovely fragrant quartered blooms of a soft pink. The original plant is sadly lost, but I still have one of its descendants, with the parentage of ([Kalahari x Sterling Silver] x {Rose Edward x Golden Showers}) in a shade of purple. Attempts to breed with this are still on.
The original R.Edward cross dates to 1965.
Though my experience has been somewhat discouraging, most of the problems could have been due to the frequent transfers from place to place which I faced during my years in government service, when this breeding work was going on.
But an effort to incorporate R. Edward in a new breeding line still appears worthwhile for the rose breeder in a tropical climate, using preferably a variety capable of transmitting mildew resistance, of which many more are available nowadays.
R. Edward is only moderately fertile-- though the hips are small and contain just a few seeds, they germinate quite easily.
Girija and Viru

Simon, the shoot is above the ground, so I am going to air layer it. Today I have brought the plant home from work.

I have a Madam Lombard and Lady Hillingdon. I am planning to get Comtesse de Labarathe (Duchesse de Brabant), Hugo Roller, Monsier Tillier, Rosette Delizy, Francis Dubreuil, Marie Van Houtte, Mrs B R Cant, Lady Hillingdon Climbing, Cramoisi Superior, Cramoisi Supérieur Climber and Louis XIV.

This was all very interesting to read about Rose Edward. I will compare your photos to the unamed rose that belonged to my deceased friend's family for atleast 100 years, Ali.
I had decied that it must be a different rose, because I found I had a young bought bush of Rose Edward in my Bourbon row of my garden and the canes and thorns were different. But then again it could be a wrongly named bush.
I will have to go check the rose out again on my deceased friend's old farm and see if I can get some hips to count how many seeds they have in them. I think I have some cuttings from it that have struck.
Thanks for that imformation Girija and Viru about the hips only having a few seeds in them. This old rose does have a very lasting, sweet ( I think ) fragrance.
I will have to work out how to post photos again so I can post some recent ones here of my unamed rose bush. Could you look at it when I do Girija and tell me if you think it is Rose Edward seeing you know the rose well ? Also yourself too, again please, Ali. Could you look at my old photos in the Heritage identification section, please, Girija ?
I rooted a cutting off Mme Antoine Marie that I think was a sport. For ages it just had it fews half leaves on the very small cutting I had, but now it has finally shot some new leaves. Good luck Ali with the layering of your maybe sport. Has that bush had the Rose Edward blooms on it too, or were they its first blooms ?