''Rosa'' 'Margaret Merril' (aka HARkuly) is a white-blend

Floribunda rose Floribunda (Latin for "many-flowering") is a modern group of garden roses that was developed by crossing hybrid teas with polyantha roses, the latter being derived from crosses between '' Rosa chinensis'' and ''Rosa multiflora'' (sometimes c ...

cultivar developed by

Harkness Roses Harkness Roses (a trading name of R. Harkness & Co. Ltd) are rose breeders based at Hitchin, Hertfordshire in England. The nursery was founded in 1879 in Yorkshire by brothers, John and Robert Harkness. Early varieties include 'Mrs. Harkness', ' ...

in 1972 and introduced into

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in 1978. It is the winner of multiple rose awards, including the Geneva Gold Medal and Rome Gold Medal and the Hague and Auckland Fragrance awards.

Description

'Margaret Merril' is a vigorous, tall upright rose, in height with a spread. Blooms are medium-sized, have an average diameter of , and a semi-double, cupped, high-centered bloom form. Bloom color is a blend of white and pink with a pink center. The flowers are light pink in cool weather and white in hot climates. They have a very strong spicy, citrus fragrance. Flowers are carried singly early in the season and in larger clusters later in the season, and will bloom well into autumn. 'Margaret Merril' blooms in flushes throughout the growing season. It is susceptible to blackspot. Leaves are healthy, dark green and glossy. It will grow up to hot climates. 'Margaret Merril' was used to hybridize six child plants: 'Princess Alexandra' (1988), 'Carpet White' (1991), 'Victorian Spice' (1994) 'Mon Jardin et Ma Maison' (1998), 'Petticoat' (2004), and 'Rayon de Soleil' (2014).

History

Harkness Roses

The rose cultivar was developed by Harkness Roses ( R. Harkness & Co. Ltd) 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 ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. The acclaimed nursery, which continues to sell roses today, 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 ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

by brothers, John Harkness (1857-1933) and (Robert Harkness (1851-1920). Jack Harkness (1918-1994) is the grandson of the original co-founder John Harkness. The Harkness family nursery grew roses from the beginning, but did not breed roses until 1962, when Jack Harkness began managing the business.

'Margaret Merril'

Harkness developed the rose cultivar by crossing ('Rudolph Timm' x 'Dedication') x 'Pascali' in 1972. Harkness Roses introduced 'Margaret Merril' into Britain in 1978. It is a very popular rose worldwide. 'Margaret Merril' has won multiple rose awards, including the Geneva Gold Medal and Rome Gold Medal in 1978, The Hague Fragrance Award in 1987, the James Mason Gold Medal in 1990, and the Auckland Fragrance Award in 1992.

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed Margaret Merril 1978 introductions