Harkness Roses (a trading name of R. Harkness & Co. Ltd) are

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

breeders based at

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce peopl ...

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. The nursery was founded in 1879 in

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by brothers, John and Robert Harkness. Early varieties include 'Mrs. Harkness', 'Frensham' and 'Ena Harkness'. Jack Harkness, grandson of original co-founder, John Harkness, established the first rose hybridization program at the company in 1962, developing vigorous, healthy roses by hybridizing from wild rose species. His most successful new rose cultivars include: 'Amber Queen', 'Belmonte' and 'Anne Harkness'.

History

Harkness Roses was established in 1879 in

Bedale Bedale ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the district of Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is north of Leeds, south-west of Middlesbrough and south-west of the county town of ...

by brothers, John Harkness (1857-1933) and Robert Harkness (1851-1920). In 1882, John and Robert began to grow and exhibit roses. Their new rose business was a great success;

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

purchased her roses from Harkness & Sons in the 1890's. John and Robert soon realized that Yorkshire's climate was too cold for an expanding rose growing business. In 1892, they decided to established a branch of the firm in a location with a warmer climate. Neither brother wanted to leave Yorkshire, so it was decided by a coin toss that Robert would move to

to establish the new branch of Harkness and Sons. In 1901, John and Robert decided to dissolve the company and create two separate nurseries. Robert established R. Harkness & Co, today known as Harkness Roses. "Early varieties of Harkness Roses include a

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

of hybrid perpetual, 'Heinrich Schultheis', introduced in 1893 as 'Mrs. Harkness'. In the 1950s, Harkness popularized 'Frensham' and 'Ena Harkness', both introduced in 1946 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Jack Harkness (1918-1994) was the grandson of the original co-founder John Harkness. He established the first rose hybridization program at the company in 1962, developing vigorous, healthy roses by hybridizing from wild rose species. Early successes were with hybrid teas, and then later with floribundas. In the 1970s he began breeding with

Rosa persica Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: People *Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) *Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose) Places * 223 Rosa, an asteroid *Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States * Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, ...

, an unusual rose species with simple leaves. During his career, Harkness developed many successful rose cultivars, including 'Alexander', 'Mountbatten' and 'Amber Queen'. He is best known for his floribundas and hybrid tea roses. Robert Harkness, son of Jack Harkness (1951-2012), bred more than seventy rose varieties during his career. Among his best known varieties are: Rosa 'Belmonte' and 'Princess of Wales'. Philip Harkness, Jack's son and Robert's brother continues today as co-owner of Harkness Roses. Poet,

Ted Hughes Edward James "Ted" Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest wri ...

, worked at the nursery during the summer of 1955: "The job is following round the expert as he grafts expensive rose-buds onto common bushes, and doing all the trimming and tying-up-with-raffia—a back-breaking job apparently, but outside, and with roses, and with good employers." (p.29, Letters of Ted Hughes ed. Christopher Reid, pub. 2007)

Selected roses

* 'Mrs. Harkness' (1893) * 'Frensham' (1946) * 'Ena Harkness' (1946) * 'Alexander' (1972) * 'Compassion' (1972) * 'Yesterday' (1974) * 'Margaret Merril' (1978) * 'Anne Harkness' (1979) * 'Amber Queen' (

AARS Aars or Års, () is a Danish town with a population of 8,474 (1 January 2022)'Bill Slim' (1987) * 'Savoy Hotel' (1989) * 'Princess of Wales' (1997) * 'Pride of England' (1998) * 'Bridge of Sighs' (2000) * 'Rosa Belmonte' (2007) * 'Duke of Edinburgh' (2021)

References

External links

Harkness Roses homepageInterview with rose grower Philip Harkness
{{commons, Roses by Harkness Horticultural companies of the United Kingdom Rose breeders Organizations established in 1879 Plant nurseries