The elegant and rather laconic beauty of the famous tea-hybrid rose, bearing the name of the English Queen Elizabeth II, is known far beyond the Foggy Albion.
Bred in the middle of the last century, Queen Elizabeth rose became the founder of a separate group of roses - the grandiflora that is famous today. This culture, its features and preferences will be discussed in this publication.
A bit of history
Obtained by crossing varieties of dark pink tea-hybrid Charlotte Armstrong and orange-red floribunda Floradora in 1954, rose Queen Elizabeth became an unexpected experimental variety, different from all the groups existing at that time, and recognized carrier of all the best qualities of the culture.
This rose was noticeably different from the then usual species: representing a very strong bush with spectacular large flowers resembling tea-hybrid varieties, and stems, growing in bunches, as in floribunda crops. These features became the main criteria that prompted the breeding science to classify Queen Elizabeth as the ancestor of a new group - grandiflora.
Rose Queen Elizabeth: Description
Reviews of gardeners about one of the most exquisite varieties of roses are unanimous - Queen Elizabeth is not only surprisingly beautiful, which has been repeatedly proved by conferring prizes and awards at prestigious world exhibitions, but also remarkably unpretentious in growing. Simplicity in cultivating roses allows you to cope with the cultivation of this decorative beauty for both experienced and novice gardeners.
The bush is vigorous, not sprawling, reaches a height of 100-110 cm. In the southern regions it is able to grow up to 1.5-1.8 m. The shoots are medium leafy. The variety is characterized not only by beautiful inflorescences, but also decorative glossy leaves.
The magnificent flowers of the culture are especially attractive: large (in diameter up to 10 cm), resembling a glass with a high center in shape, saturated rich pink. Each flower forms up to 25-40 petals - delicate and beautiful. The outer petals are slightly wavy, they bend down. The inner petals close tightly, forming a loose core. The buds are elongated in a light red hue, at the stage of complete blooming, the flowers change shape, passing from a goblet to a flat, and noticeably turn pale, becoming pale pink. Flowers have a gentle unobtrusive aroma.
Rosa Queen Elizabeth (grandiflora) is appreciated by world selection associations. For more than half a century of history, the variety has been awarded high awards. The fact that already in 1955, Queen Elizabeth rose, having gone through a complex process of assessing the qualities of culture, became the winner of the AARS, and in 1979, the “Rose of the World”, speaks of very high decorative conditions.
Cultural virtues
The generally recognized advantages of this variety are:
- The ability to form a compact neat and at the same time powerful bush with bright dark green dense leathery leaves and large spikes.
- High resistance to typical diseases.
- Good winter hardiness, resistance to temperature extremes and bright sunlight, flower petals are not subject to fading, do not lose their decorativeness throughout the flowering period.
- Generous long flowering.
- Successful propagation by cuttings.
Rose Queen Elizabeth: Growing
Qualitative development of the culture is ensured by the correct selection of the site. The plant does not tolerate strong through winds, so the landing site is chosen carefully. In addition to being protected from winds, the site should be well lit by the sun, since the decorativeness of a plant depends on the degree of illumination. Shading of the bush causes shredding of flowers and a significant decrease in decorativeness.
Rosa Queen Elizabeth, a description of which is presented, loves well-drained, fertile, loose soils. It is preferable to plant a crop in the spring, in the middle of May.
Landing
Preliminary preparation of the plant is necessary: the seedlings are shortened to shoots up to 3-5 buds, cutting off weakened growths, pruning the roots and leaving it in water with the addition of a biostimulant (for example, Zircon) for 24 hours. The soil at the site for planting is prepared in advance, digging with humus and the necessary complex of fertilizers.
When planting a young culture, they monitor its correct location: the root neck is buried in the soil by 10 cm. After planting, the soil is well compacted, the trunk circle is watered abundantly.
Crop care
Hybrid Tea Queen Elizabeth - a culture that is sensitive to excessive moisture and stagnation of groundwater. However, a lack of water can have a very negative effect, a significant shortage will destroy the plant. Therefore, moderation of irrigation is extremely important, but during the period of rooting and vegetation, their intensity increases. Watering of 10 liters every 10-12 days is considered optimal, but you should definitely focus on the weather in the region. By the end of summer, watering is reduced, gradually reducing them to nothing. But before wintering, the culture is once again generously watered.
An important aspect of care is weeding and loosening of soil under the bush, which should be carried out periodically. You can mulch trunks circles with wood chips, humus or any other garden material.
Trimming - autumn and spring - helps to maintain a decorative culture. Once every 6-7 years, the culture is rejuvenated by conducting radical scraps. An indispensable condition for good bush growth is timely top dressing: nitrogen-containing fertilizers are needed in spring, phosphorus-potash fertilizers are needed during flowering and preparation for it. The same preparations, introduced before winter, will help the culture survive the cold time.