William Baffin Rose

The William Baffin Rose is a deep pink color hybrid kordesii rose.  It is a beautiful chameleon like rose that is a shrub but can also be used like a climbing rose. This is one of the more popular in the Explorer series.

Into the history books….

The rose was named after the explorer William Baffin to honor his achievements. It was bred by Felicitas Svejda in Canada in 1974. The rose was then introduced in Canada as William Baffin in 1983. The rose is derived from open pollination of Rosa kordesii and a pollen parent red dawn x Suzanne.

Beauty
This is a modern shrub which gives attractive strawberry pink blooms. Bloom size varies from ½ inch to 6 inches with around 20 petals. The bloom is semi double with cup shaped to flat opening. It bears mild to moderate fragrance.  The blooms appear clustered and can go up to 30 blooms per stem during the bloom period. Foliage is attractive and varies from medium to dark green. The blooming period of the rose is from late spring to early fall and sometimes show repetitive blooms within the season.
The rose is available as a shrub and can be used as climbing rose with its long arch shaped canes. The William Baffin rose can be trained well to make beautiful landscaping in the garden. This active grower can easily climb up the trellis, arbors, walls and garden gates to make your garden and patio look great. Its average height as a climber is between about 8 and 12 feet. As a climbing rose, it can be leggy near the base and can be concealed by under planting with lower-growing facer plants.

Gardening
This is a very winter hardy rose plant and best suited for colder climates. The winter hardiness of the William Baffin rose is from USDA zones 3 to 9. The rose requires partial to full sun for its growth. It also tolerates the heat in summer. The plant is very much resistant to black spots, mildew and rust. The stem of this rose plant is very thorny. To get good blooms the rose canes need to be pruned to remove dead and diseased canes along with a couple of feedings of fertilizer. It's best to prune it in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH and is somewhat tolerant to urban pollution.

Although some extra care is needed, gardeners can be rewarded by a long lasting rose. Soil should be well drained and compost enriched. Mulching should be performed well the first winter. Pruning and shaping can be done when necessary. This rose is recommended for general garden use and climbing purposes. The rose is a ravishing beauty and robust at the same time. Under ideal conditions, the William Baffin rose is expected to live for approximately 20 years.