Royden Rose

Royden is one of the new roses I chose for the Birthday Garden - my sneaky birthday present to daughter, where I spent lots of money on heaps of roses, pretended it was a real birthday present, and felt completely justified - generous, even!

It's a lovely rose which I'm sure is bred by a South Island of New Zealand local. Since Royden is missing from my big rose books, I've tried to be sensible and Google-search for some information, with a rather myopic result - I am instantly referred to the pages of my very own journal! I have also found a sea captain, and an orchid, but absolutely no-one has thought to list the fragrant, butterscotch-coloured rose I know as Royden.

A Scrumptious Rose?

I have this rose clearly listed in my purchases, and one hopes that I copied the name directly from a rose label! So Royden, name and breeder unknown, really does exist. It is a strong grower, with shiny mid-green leaves. It shares a heavenly fragrance with anyone lucky enough to walk past. The early buds are quite caramel in colour, turning to pale cream as the flowers open. Butterscotch, caramel and cream - what a great rose for a foodie! Yum - scrumptious!

Footnote - 2005

A 2005 Christmas present from one of my lovely students has just arrived - a Royden rose, complete with label. Yes! Proof! There is nothing dodgy about my memories, apart from a small spelling mistake which I have dutifully corrected...

Further Footnote - 2010

Royden has been getting some Moosey fan mail recently. I love this soft caramel-yellow rose, so sweetly fragrant and absolutely idiot-proof (not that I'm a rose-gardening idiot). I didn't realise it was so special, and that only one rose nursery, the local South Pacific Nursery in Christchurch, New Zealand, stocks it.

Here's the rose Royden's history, as reported in Christchurch's local newspaper, The Press, in 2007. The garden reporter is Mary Lovell-Smith. And special thanks to a real Royden (no relation!) who sent me the file and the information. And, thanks to South Pacific Roses, locals (well, those who are reasonably local) can source this wonderful rose.

Royden Rose (PDF 8 MB)

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files. This is a free program available from the Adobe Web Site. Follow the download directions on the Adobe web site to get your copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.