Orange Roses

Orange roses always stand out from the crowd and create a lot of questions. It is often used as a color to bring attention to one's garden. Many colors are considered part of the orange family including apricot, coral, copper, and peach. The history and meaning of this vibrant flower is a very interesting journey indeed!

The orange rose is a hybrid mixture of two quite different tastes – the yellow and the red. Its appearance in the world of roses is quite recent when compared with the other types of much “senior” flowers. One of the most preferred color ranges of the 20th century was orange-red and orange. Gardeners in this era needed a rose that combined the “unruliness” of the wild yellow rose and the “imperialism” of the red. The intention was to create a color that would have the ultimate blend in symbolizing feelings such as enthusiasm or desire.

In the 1900s a great deal of work was put in to merge yellow and red roses. The hybridization hype dropped dramatically during World War II, but picked up after its culmination. During the 1950s a radical breakthrough in experimentations with pigments produced the first orange roses. Announced in 1951, the first floribunda produced in the orange-red range was named “independence” which contained the pelargonidin pigment. The result was the birth of a plant with a unique color. In 1960, the German firm Rosen Tantua produced “Tropicana”, the first of the orange-red hybrid teas. Developments and advances in hybridization technology in the later years resulted in the creation of high quality and attractive types of orange roses and by 1970, over 30,000 roses of different types and colors were grown.

Orange roses have come a long way, and have branched into many varieties. Just Joey rose is a common and popular rose amongst gardeners mostly in the warmer climates. With an apricot blend, pleasing fragrance and highly disease resistance, it is one of the top varieties.

Named after one of the happiest places on earth, the Disneyland rose combines shades of apricot, orange and even a pinch of pink to display its unique demeanor. Decorated with blossoms that measure three to four inches across consisting of 25 petals, the buds are pointed buds that are more ovular in shape.

The Tropicana, also called the “Super Star” comes from a family of climbing roses that have shades of orange, vermillion and coral. The Tropicana’s blooms are extremely bright and eye-catching which suites them to be grown together with proper companion perennials adding a vibrant array of colors to any garden. The backdrop for this energetic display of color is dark green thick glossy foliage of leaves and long stems that are ideal for cutting.

Winning the AARS awards 2001 in the floribunda category, Marmalade Skies dashed into the stage with its tangerine orange blooms and neatly growing bush. Producing 5 to 8 blooms in one cluster, a bunch of Marmalade Skies are ideal for a stemmed bouquet and the shrubs are the perfect decoration for low borders. Of course, we can't forget about the Playboy rose, which is often considered the most brilliant of all the oranges. Another nice floribunda is the Disneyland rose.

Other roses blend into the salmon color shades, but still look beautiful. The Westerland rose looks great paired with blue flowers, for example. The Voodoo rose was another ARS award winter in 1986 with some hints of salmon as well.

Orange roses are a magnificent creation that has lead to many significant changes and discoveries in hybridization techniques of roses. Technology is taking us for a great ride, and with its power may we be privileged enough to witness even more dazzling colors in the years to come.

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