Square In September: ‘Wisley 2008’ Rose

Three, shapely, pure pink rose sisters spent their brief lives bouncing together in a pretty cluster in a rose garden. As you see, I visited them in their prime.

Unlike many of the larger, heavier, multi-petalled varieties, the flowers of Rosa ‘Wisley 2008’ face upwards and outwards to show off their rosette forms. Those who read last Sunday’s post may be disappointed that the leaves are ‘just’ mid green, more remarkable for their tendency to resist disease than for their colour, even when grown in a rose garden where the proximity of others makes it easier for rose nasties to spread and take hold. 

The name is a little of a curiosity. Our spellcheck tried to insist on Wisely, then Wesley, but I was not in need of correction: the rose celebrates the wonderful RHS garden, Wisley, in Surrey. ‘2008’ was added in differentiation when this second rose was released to replace the original ‘Wisley’ when it was withdrawn from sale four years after its launch.

An internet search reveals very little trace today of the first rose, which was a brighter shade of pink and had a fuller, much more fragrant flower. That sounds good on paper, but it became clear that it thrived less well in the average garden than it had done in the trial fields. Sic transit gloria mundi (the rose version). Funny how the spellcheck is fine with Latin!

Each Sunday I’ll be sharing a square cropped picture of a pink rose as part of Becky’s Square In September challenge. It’s a daily challenge but we are cordially invited to dip in and out as we please. The main photograph should be square and the subject should reflect her prompt In The Pink.