Photo taken June 17th showing growth since previous photos. Obviously this is a very vigorous hybrid. I am so excited to be using this cultivar for further hybridizing. I want to use it as a replacement for china roses in places where chinas are used too frequently. For instance, I will make a replica Bourbon rose with Autumn Damask crossed with this to create a cross that skips the blackspot problems but has really strong rebloom and good foliage. Then I would proceed to introduce that line into tetraploid roses. Also, I'd cross this with Felix Leclerc and Kordesii roses.
Paradise is a gorgeous lavender color that is very pure and clean. Definitely on the blue side of mauve like Blue Girl, but the blue color is very faint and reads as a bright white on first glance. The outer petal edges react to ultraviolet light from the sun by blushing a bright fuschia magenta color. In a greenhouse, protected from UV, the bloom is a solid lavender. Paradise is very unique and it grows well for a lot of people. It should be grown on its own roots if you live in a cold climate. It is quite cold hardy due to the influence of Rosa foetida bicolor in its ancestry. Hardy to zone 4 own roots, budded it is not reliably hardy.
File uploaded June 13th, 2018. Photo taken roughly around that time. This photo is basically just a young plant showing its glossy foliage. It survived completely neglected in a band sized plastic pot over winter. Imagine my surprise the following year after realizing I never planted it!
A band size plant from RVR. Wesdnesday, May 23rd 2018.
'Pink Surprise' is a diploid bracteata x rugosa cross. I hope it will end up being useful for hybridizing really tough roses that are good survivors.
