Rosa Special Anniversary

Rosa Special Anniversary is a modern hybrid tea rose with the appearance of an old-fashioned rose and an intensely rare fragrance. Its large, double, radiant flowers in a magenta-pink with salmon undertones, also resemble some old roses in their shape. This compact and robust bush blooms in successive waves from May until the first frost. It is perfect for bringing colour and fragrance to flower beds, as well as to balconies or patios when planted in a beautiful container.

Rosa Special Anniversary was obtained by the English rose breeder Edward Ted Smith in 2003. This dense, bushy, and upright shrub reaches about 1m (3ft) in height and 90cm (35in) in width at maturity. It has a rapid growth rate. It produces strong, thorny branches, which bear elegant foliage that is purple at first before turning dark green. It is resistant to diseases. If faded flowers are removed, the plant will bloom throughout summer. It produces large flowers, 13cm (5in) in diameter, whose shape resembles many English or old-fashioned roses. They are composed of numerous petals in a very warm pink and open to reveal a tightly packed heart. They are solitary, sometimes grouped in 2 or 3, carried at the end of long shoots from the current year or appearing on 2-year-old stems. The repeat flowering is distinguished by an exceptionally powerful fragrance, perhaps the most pronounced among modern varieties.

With its warm pink colour and sweet fragrance, Rosa Special Anniversary deserves an equally graceful setting close to the house. Grasses and perennial plants with light blooms (autumn asters, foxgloves, penstemons) are ideal for enhancing its beauty and accompanying it late in the season. For example, combine it with Geranium 'Rozanne', G. Pink Cloud', G. grandiflorum, panicum, Nepeta 'Walker's Low', and campanulas. It will look great as a standalone plant or in a large pot on a patio or balcony. Its flowers make beautiful romantic bouquets, alongside peonies and lilacs.