With the Olympics in full swing as I write this, what better to write about then some excellent yellow and gold roses that you can plant in your own garden. Yellow is a popular colour among roses and there are some excellent varieties worthwhile growing.
What better yellow rose to start with that one named ‘Gold Medal’ It is one of the most popular varieties of its type in New Zealand and has been so since its introduction in the 1980’s. The deep golden yellow blooms are flushed with orange on the ends of the petals. A tall grower with plenty of flowers, it does not have many thorns so an ideal rose for the novice rose grower.
‘Glorious’ is a more recent introduction which has proved to be very popular and is ranked 4= among Hybrid Tea roses by members of the New Zealand Rose Society. Large blooms of mid yellow blooms and glossy foliage are hall marks of this rose. There is even a noticeable fragrance and the blooms are excellent for picking.
Few deep yellow roses have a strong fragrance compared to those that are lighter in colour. One exception to this is ‘Friesia’ which first graced gardens back in the 1970’s and has remained popular ever since. It is one of the first to start flowering each season and produces masses of deep yellow blooms.
If you are looking for a good all round performer, ‘Serendipity’ is a fantastic rose which does not disappoint unless you are a fan of fragrant roses. The best attribute of this rose is its superb disease tolerance – it looks good all year round in the garden when other roses can struggle in late summer. Otherwise the bright yellow blooms appear throughout summer.
An even more recent release has been ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ and this promises to be a great rose to grow. The butter yellow blooms have the appearance of some of the old fashioned roses – quartered in form with plenty of petals. There is a decent fragrance as well. In 2011, it won the overall Gold Star of the South Pacific presented by the New Zealand Rose Society at its rose trials in Palmerston North.
In the climbing roses, ‘Kaiteri Gold’ is a standout rose if you are wanting a bright yellow rose growing against a fence, pergola or archway. Large blooms of golden yellow cover the plant which is well covered with great foliage. Good climbing roses should cover the supporting structure well and this one does.
The David Austin rose ‘Graham Thomas’ is best suited to be grown as a climbing rose in New Zealand conditions. It has been one of the most popular Austin introductions of all time and was inducted by the World Federation of Rose Societies into its Hall of Fame in 2009.
If you don’t have much room in your garden, then consider ‘Beehive Gold’ has long lasting blooms of golden yellow which create a stunning show in the garden or container. It is a great variety grown on a short standard too.
There are some great options if you are looking to plant a yellow or gold rose in your garden. Yellow is a great colour to use, either mass planted on its own in with other contrasting colours such as reds, oranges or even purple. I have seen ‘Friesia’ grown with ‘Burgundy Iceberg’ in Australia and it look amazing.
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