''Rosa'' Buff Beauty is an apricot Hybrid musk rose

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

, bred by Ann Bentall 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 ...

in 1939. Bentall and her husband, John Bentall, inherited the rose fields of acclaimed rose breeder, the Reverend

Joseph Pemberton Joseph Pemberton (1852–1926) was a British rosarian, remembered for creating the hybrid musk class of cultivated roses. Career The Reverend Joseph Hardwick Pemberton was born in 1852 in The Round House, Havering-atte-Bower, Romford, Essex; ...

after his death in 1926. The rose was awarded the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

in 1993.

History

The Reverend

(1852-1926), Anglican clergyman and rose hybridizer is recognized for creating the Hybrid musk class of roses. He established the Pemberton Nursery at

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romfo ...

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after his retirement from the clergy in 1914. His primary focus in rose breeding was the development of modern roses similar to the old fashioned, musk scented roses that his grandmother grew in her garden. His rose breeding program was a great success, and at the time of his death, the Pemberton nursery had rose sales of 35,000 to 40,000 annually. In his will, Pemberton bequeathed the Pemberton rose fields to his two long time nursery gardeners, John Bentall and Mr. Spruzen. Ann Bentall was a passionate and experienced gardener and rose breeder. She and John Bentall bred and sold roses commercially in the late 1920s and 1930s. The hybridization of 'Buff Beauty' has often been attributed to John Bentall or Joseph Pemberton, with Ann credited only with the introduction of the rose in 1939, after her husband's death. Ann Bental is currently recognized as the creator of 'Buff Beauty'. According to author Peter Schneider, "Even though she (Ann) bred two of the five most widely grown roses in the world today ('The Fairy' and the pink-and-white hybrid musk 'Ballerina'), Ann Bentall has never been admitted into the pantheon of 'Great Hybridizers'.

Description

'Buff Beauty' is a vigorous spreading medium shrub, 4 to 10 ft (120–305 cm) in height, with a spread of 4 to 8 ft. (120–245 cm). The plant bears large, nodding clusters of medium, semi-double flowers with a strong tea rose fragrance. Blooms have an average diameter of 3 in (10–15 cm) and can have 40 to 50 petals. Flower color varies from buff yellow, apricot and apricot-blend to orange. 'Buff Beauty' blooms in flushes from summer to fall. The shrub grows in long arching, smooth stems bearing glossy, dark green foliage. Flowers repeat throughout the season. The plant is heat tolerant and grows well in the shade. It makes an excellent climber and is hardy in zones 4 to 9.

Awards

'Buff Beauty' has received the

(1993), as well as the

American Rose Society The American Rose Center is a rose garden in Shreveport, Louisiana owned and operated by The American Rose Society. There are over 20,000 rose bushes of 100 varieties in 65 separate rose gardens on 118 acres of pine forests and woodlands. Ame ...

's Classic Shrub Rose Award at the East Bay Rose Society Show and the Temecula Valley Rose Society Show.

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed Buff Beauty