The Active Rose
The Active - what a strange name for a rose! But a rather lovely rose, a seedling of the old rose Mutabilis, bred by Ken Nobbs of Te Kauwhata, New Zealand in 1985.
Most Promising Newcomer Award : The Active Roses
The Active has small single blooms of warm yellow which fade to cream. In my garden it seems to always be covered in flowers. But it needs room to be happy - it's quite a chunky rose, perfect for a country garden where there's lots of space.
Named from a sailing ship...
The name comes from a sailing ship. The brig 'Active' under the command of Capt. Thomas Hansen arrived in New Zealand from New South Wales with a party of the Church Missionary Society in December 1814, lead by Samuel Marsden.
A post in a rose forum suggested that The Active could be one of Peter Beales' lost in New Zealand and renamed roses, possibly 'Yellow Mutabilis'. I guess time will clarify this.