JUDY’S top picks

2022-11-01 -

‘Zepeti’

This spring 2022 release is one for those who like their roses brightly coloured. ‘Zepeti’ has vivid red semi-double blooms that are about 4cm across. It’s highly disease resistant and flowers for much of the year. With upright growth to about 40cm and a width of 30cm, ‘Zepeti’ is ideal for a mini hedge or border.

‘Holy Toledo’

The beautifully shaped mini roses of ‘Holy Toledo’ bloom in perfect proportion to its leaves. They open in a clear orange and fade to a soft apricot. They do have a faint fragrance, but it’s the warm colour that gives this rose its special appeal. Small, neat growth makes it great for window boxes or front-of-border placement.

‘Irresistible’

I had to choose at least one of breeder Dee Bennett’s minis, and ‘Irresistible’ is a true legacy rose that was released after Dee’s death in 1989. Its perfectly shaped creamy-white blooms have faint pink centres and an attractive spicy fragrance. Dee would be proud that it is still so widely grown in her birth country.

‘Snow Kiss’

This new release from the Kordes Lilliput range has white loosely formed double blooms that are slightly larger than a classic miniature. With a maximum height of 40cm, ‘Snow Kiss’ is perfect for pots. It won the award for Best Miniature or Mini Flora at the 2020 National Rose Trial Garden Awards of Australia.

‘Baby Boomer’

Bred by Frank Benardella, a much-awarded hybridiser who achieved fame in the rose world by consistently developing miniature roses with a classic Hybrid Tea form. The fragrant pink blooms of ‘Baby Boomer’ appear continuously through the warmer months on a bush 60–90cm tall, which is ideal for pots or as a border.

‘Chameleon’

This aptly named miniature rose, bred by Australian

Eric Welsh in 1995, has achieved considerable success since its release. It’s a winner in a pot due to the blooms’ remarkable colour change, which gives the plant a rainbow appearance as the flowers mature. This effect is multiplied when the rose is planted en masse.