Aussie-bred roses

Story by Steve Falcioni

Although roses are native to the Northern Hemisphere, Australian-bred varieties have long captivated gardeners at home and abroad. Horticulturist Steve Falcioni has a delightful selection of Aussie-bred roses to inspire you.

Did you know that almost all the roses promoted each year in Australia come from overseas breeders? Without question, they are beautiful roses, but if you want to support home-grown talent, you may want to check out some Australia-based rose breeders who have equally amazing plants.

These locally bred roses really suit our climate, but we also think they deserve a mention because they’re simply stunning! Here are a few:

‘My Yellow’
The flowers on this rose are golden with a hint of pink on the outer petals (pictured above). They’re highly fragrant and don’t fade as they age. Winner of Best Australian Bred Rose in the 2014 National Rose Trial Garden, it grows to 80cm. Bred by Bruce Brundrett.

‘Joyce Abounding’
A charming rose with clusters of flowers in a blend of orange, yellow and pink. It flowers for months and has a light perfume. Growing to 60cm, it’s classified as a miniflora and is well suited to pots. Bred by Bruce Chapman.

‘Lorraine Lee’
This is a vigorous evergreen climbing rose that produces salmon-pink, highly fragrant flowers year round. It climbs to 3m but there’s a bush form that stops at 2m. Bred by Alister Clark, and arguably his best.