I’ve been looking at a rose released by UK Department Store Marks and Spencer to commemorate Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee a few years ago, but realise that it is not the same as the ‘Pale Yellow Hybrid Tea’ listed on HMF under the same name. Does anyone have experience with the former?
[quote=“hardimentjake”]I’ve been looking at a rose released by UK Department Store Marks and Spencer to commemorate Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee a few years ago, but realise that it is not the same as the ‘Pale Yellow Hybrid Tea’ listed on HMF under the same name. Does anyone have experience with the former?
Die-hard Diamond Jubilee fans will be excited to know that Marks and Spencer also released a line of Diamond Jubilee undies. No word on whether they were endorsed by the royal family.
Thanks peter, i have sent an enquiry to M and S through their generic ‘product enquiry’ page. I doubt it will reach the right person but here’s hoping.
The two roses you have linked are not the same as the one I have which is very definitely white. It has medium large rounded leaves and few thorns. The first buds are almost open so I can upload photos in a few days.
[quote=“hardimentjake”]Thanks peter, i have sent an enquiry to M and S through their generic ‘product enquiry’ page. I doubt it will reach the right person but here’s hoping.
The two roses you have linked are not the same as the one I have which is very definitely white. It has medium large rounded leaves and few thorns. The first buds are almost open so I can upload photos in a few days.
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I’m assuming that the real “Diamond Jubilee” floribunda is the color shown on those two nurseries’ web sites. If those buds on your plant do not open into yellow or amber flowers, it seems likely that your plant is either mislabeled or is a white sport that was not noticed by the grower during the flowering season. But sometimes the back side of the petal is not as dark as the front side, so your apparently-white buds may yield yellow or amber flowers once open.
I bought it at the end of the season when the flowers were gone and the price had been knocked down, so it may well be a sport. It would make my life much easier in terms of knowing where it came from!
I have had a lovely reply from M&S customer services who have foresee my inquiry to one of their ‘plant technologists’. I assume it is something they have bred themselves and stolen the name for.
Thanks Peter, I still havent heard back either. The flowers are opening now and more yellow than I remember, so it could be my mistake all along. It’s also probably the British press beig misinformed to suggest it was something new rather than recycled. I will assume from here that it has the parentage listed on help me find, and hopefully seedlings would shed some light, as if this is the case there is an awful lot of yellow that went into this cream rose.
Boerner’s Diamond Jubilee is a tall HT, and the flower is fairly fragrant. The three advertisements of the current rose (new in 2012) have disagreed about its class. At least one calls it a floribunda. If your plant is low-growing and its flower is not noticeably fragrant, it’s probably not the one listed on HMF.
I’ve written to Van Meuwen and will hope to get some information sooner or later.
This DJ is almost thornless, has rich cream, thick petals. It flowers in clusters of 3 (some disbudding has been done) and has a spreading quality. There are groups of 5 rounded, medium green, slightly glossy leaves.
Van Meuwen has not given me any information yet. This morning an email told me that the name of the grower could not be provided. I suspect that the clerk who was replying simply did not know.
I replied to that message, pointing out the other questions in my original message, and asking that my email be forwarded to someone who might have the information I am looking for. I’m not hopeful of getting information from Van Meuwen, so I’ve begun other inquiries among rose lovers in the Netherlands. Perhaps something will come to light in the next month or so.
The two differing descriptions of the rose may mean that we are dealing with two different roses–the Boerner HT, and a fairly new or re-badged older floribunda.
Probably your best bet is to copy what you wrote, and what they’ve written to you, into an email to whatever address you used for the email in which you asked for information.
