Marin Rose Society - Rose of the Month

Intrigue
Rose of the Month For February, 2007
by Barbara Picarelli

Recently a friend’s husband passed away, and she wanted to plant a rose in his memory. Given that purple is her favorite she wanted me to recommend a fragrant purple rose to plant. There are a lot to choose from but one of my favorites is ‘Intrigue’. I know there are several new ones on the market, ‘Ebb Tide’, ‘Burgundy Iceberg’, but not having those established in my garden yet, I recommended ‘Intrigue’.

‘Intrigue’ (JACum) is a lovely floribunda, with an intoxicating lemony scent. It actually looks like an old fashioned rose, with rounded globe like blooms, in a deep plumy purple shade. Hybridized by Jack Warriner in 1982 and introduced by J&P, it was an AARS winner in 1984. With parents like ‘White Masterpiece ‘and ‘Heirloom’ it was bound to be a winner. The flowers are borne on an upright well rounded bush, with 20+ petals per bloom. Foliage is semi-glossy dark green and fairly disease resistant. I had this poor plant in a spot that was partly shaded and it did extremely well anyway. It is a good cutting rose and looks great in a mixed border. It is easily available at most garden centers.

Reference: Botanica’s Roses. Modern RosesXI, Armstrong Garden Center Catalogue, and Vintage Garden Catalogue.
Photo courtesy of Petaluma Rose Company

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