Harkness Roses are one of the great British rose breeders and growers whose business dates as far back as 1879. They have bred many roses of great distinction, including several from which a percentge of the profits are donated to worthy charities at no extra cost to the purchaser.
Rose Born Free is a fine example of one of these charity roses. It is however not just any old rose that they want you to buy just to make a few quid for charity. It is exquisite breeding with many fine qualities that make it an extremely hard worker for a place in your garden. Below I have attempted to list some of these attributes.
- It is a floribunda rose, and therefore the number of blooms produced is plentiful.
- Repeat flowering throughout the season if deadheaded.
- The gorgeous apricot and orange toned flowers are of an old-fashioned English rose shape which has become the desirable form of bloom in modern breeding.
- Excellent disease resistance
- Dense foliage.
- A delicious perfume.
- A pure and sharp colour.
- With a height of 3.5ft (105cm) and a spread of 2ft (60cm), it is suitable both for beds and borders and to be grown in patio containers in sun or part shade.
Rose Born Free was launched to celebrate the 90th birthday of Virginia Mckenna OBE who founded the Born Free Foundation, along with Will Travers OBE and Bill Travers MBE in 1984. The Charity (Registered charity number 1070906) was formed with the following objectives:-
“We work tirelessly to ensure that all wild animals, whether living in captivity or in the wild, are treated with compassion and respect and are able to live their lives according to their needs.
As a leading wildlife charity, we oppose the exploitation of wild animals in captivity and campaign to keep them where they belong – in the wild.
We promote Compassionate Conservation to enhance the survival of threatened species in the wild and protect natural habitats while respecting the needs and safeguarding the welfare of individual animals.
We seek to have a positive impact on animals in the wild and protect their ecosystems in perpetuity, for their own intrinsic value and for the critical roles they play within the natural world”
So if you need a reason, other than this rose’s outstanding beauty, to purchase it we hope we have provided you with this reason.
£2.50 from the sale of each rose purchased from the link below will be given to the Born Free Foundation.
To view this rose at Harkness Roses click here
Mark Snelling
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