Rose Double delight

Two-tone roses have a special charm. A harmonious or, on the contrary, an unusual combination of shades gives these representatives of the Rosaceae family an incomparable flavor. Such varieties are usually endowed with a memorable appearance. So Double Delight, once you see it, you can hardly forget - it is so bright and attractive!

History of creation

This, without exaggeration, a luxurious flower belonging to tea hybrids, appeared thanks to the efforts of American breeders back in the 70s of the last century. The producer of the variety is the Swim & Ellis floriculture company. European rose lovers got acquainted with this type of noble culture 5 years after its creation: an ornamental plant from the Californian island of Vasco was brought in by Joseph L. Luna in 1982. Over the entire period of its existence, the variety has won several dozen awards at various flower exhibitions. Among them are the title of "America's Best Rose", gold medals at competitions in Germany and Italy; medal for the best fragrance received in Belfast. The culture received the Breeders' Prize from the British Rose Association. Among florists, Double delight is called nothing more than "double pleasure".

Description of appearance and features

Double Delight is an ornamental shrub with straight, strong shoots covered with thorny thorns. The height of the plant is about 1.2 meters, the width of the crown is from one meter to 150 cm. The stems are covered with large, shiny leaves, painted in a dark green color. On each shoot, from one to three large buds are formed. Fully blooming, they reach a maximum diameter of 15 cm, a minimum of 12 cm. Each flower is formed by double petals in the amount of 35-40 pieces. It has a high center. The middle is colored cream or yellow, while the outer petals are equipped with a bright crimson edging, the tone of which becomes more and more saturated as the flower blooms. However, if the plant gets little sunlight, cream and yellow shades prevail in the color of the petals. The rose exudes a stunning aroma with spicy and fruity notes. The flowering shrub takes place in two stages. The first wave occurs at the beginning of June. For the second time, the culture blooms at the end of summer. She pleases the eye with two-color buds until October.

Double Delight is characterized by high resistance to diseases. The exception is powdery mildew - it affects the plant quite often. The shrub has good winter hardiness, but when grown in harsh climatic conditions, it requires shelter. A significant drawback of Double delight is that it does not tolerate precipitation well. When raindrops hit the flowers, red spots appear on the petals, due to which the rosebuds lose their attractive appearance.

Growing and care

To obtain rich shades of flowers, the overseas beauty is placed on the site so that the bush is under the influence of diffused sunlight all day long. Growing a crop in the shade will result in the absence of a red border on the petals. Cultivation of a rose bush where it will be at the mercy of direct sunlight is fraught with overheating of the plant. And Double Delight, by the way, does not tolerate the summer heat, reacting by curling the petals. In addition, the culture must be protected from drafts.

Roses are planted in spring or autumn. The bicolor beauty grows best on weakly acidic fertile soils. The best options are black soil or loam. If you plan to plant the plant in regular garden soil, add peat, sand and humus to it to improve nutritional value.When planting, the root collar is deepened into the ground by 2-5 cm. It is better to take a two-year-old seedling. A distance of 1 meter to 150 cm should be maintained between crops.

Double Delight is unpretentious. It needs to be watered regularly. Drying of the surface layer of the soil serves as a signal of the need for the next moistening of the soil under the flower. An average of 12 liters of lukewarm soft water is poured under an adult plant. Organic fertilizers with a large amount of nitrogen (applied in spring) and mineral fertilizers rich in potassium and phosphorus (shown for use after flowering) are used as top dressings. During the season, 4-6 such procedures should be carried out.

In spring, it is recommended to prune the rose, during which healthy stems are shortened to 30 cm of the main length. This measure helps to increase the branchiness of the shoots. Dead and diseased branches are removed completely. In the summer, do not forget to remove faded buds from the plant. In the fall, all shoots are pruned a little. The plant is covered with spruce branches for the winter, but first it must be covered with dry soil. When growing Double Delight in the northern regions, it is allowed to cover with insulating material.

A charming flower in damp weather may well get sick with gray rot, become a victim of black spot and, even more so, powdery mildew. To protect the flowers from gray rot, at the beginning of the rainy season, all buds should be cut off from the bush, and the crop itself should be treated with a fungicide. To avoid the occurrence of other diseases, the plant also needs spraying. If your pet was struck by viral rust, no drug will help you - you will have to get rid of the entire bush. Of the pests, the plant can be attacked by the leafworm, aphid and the rose sawfly. In the fight against them, it is worth resorting to the services of Aktellik or Karbofos.

Use cases

The American beauty Double Delight looks great in group compositions with roses of other varieties of similar or contrasting shades. It is also suitable for growing a lonely bush. But in this case, it is better to place the culture in front of the site. It is appropriate near the gazebo, as a decoration of the facade of the house, at the front door. The bush can be planted in the center of the flower bed, surrounded by lower perennials, whose flowers are of a uniform color. The variety goes well with such plants as lilac, buldenezh, clematis. The culture is suitable for growing in tubs, containers, flowerpots, which can be placed in the warm season on a balcony, loggia, terrace, open veranda.