Marin Rose Society - Rose of the Month

Mardi Gras
Rose of the Month For October, 2008
by Barbara Picarelli

This happens to be a rose photographed in my garden prior to the super hot spell and while things still looked normal. I have this in one of my beds of all orange/apricot blend colors. A relatively new rose, I fell in love with the colors. Hybridized by Keith Zary and released in 2008 by Jackson and Perkins, it is listed as a floribunda. Flowers are a lovely pink orange yellow blend, borne in small clusters. Foliage is medium, dark green, semi glossy with odd prickles that point downward (almost like a hook) and fairly large for this size bush. Growth is moderate, the bushes normally run to about 4 feet tall. Parentage is ‘Arofes’ x ‘Singin’ in the Rain’. It is the 2008 AARS winner by Keith Zary, with 48 roses he hybridized listed on the ARS website. Amazing, take a look. Be aware that there is also a climbing form of ‘Mardi Gras’ from 1956 from Kordes in dark red and also a HT dark red from 1953 by Jordan. Apparently people like that name. This rose is widely available.

Previous Roses of the Month