Our garden is in the middle of dairy country in the Hinterland area of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. We chose to grow roses here despite being told by a few naysayers that 'you can't grow roses in Queensland'. This idea is borne out of a pre-conception that all of Queensland is sub-tropical and tropical.
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| Tea rose, Comtesse Riza du Pac (1876) (as sold in Australia) |
For those who have an understanding of micro-climates, the idea that all of Queensland is too hot to grow roses isn't quite right. We have just had our first decent frost this winter,with temperatures down to just below 0 degrees Celsius.
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| Tea rose, Devoniensis with buds (1838) |
Of course, many roses require very cold temperatures to flower, particularly many of the heirloom roses most people are familiar with. These include the Albas, Damasks and Gallicas. Much of the information on growing these varieties is based on Northern Hemisphere knowledge which differs from Australian climate conditions.
That is why many of the heirloom roses that we grow are early Tea roses. Unlike much of the Northern Hemisphere which is too cold for these treasures, Tea roses thrive in our conditions in Australia. In particular, they cope well with our warmer conditions here in our little south eastern corner of Queensland.
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| Tea rose, Mme de Watteville |
And they give us blooms for most of the year with some of the best flowers in late autumn through to winter. The blooms of the Tea rose vary, but generally they have the delicate appearance of soft silk washed with colour. Their perfume is also unique. It often has a dry tea leaf fragrance which many rose growers believe is the source of their name. But their perfume is complex and often has undertones of rose, violet, citrus and even apricots.
Despite their appearance, Tea roses are hardy and cope well with the vagaries of our climate, from extreme heat through to sub-zero temperatures. And they keep on giving up their blooms throughout it all!!
No wonder we love them!!
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