Emily Cottage in Kangaroo Valley is adorned almost all year round by the most enchanting peachy pink blooms of a superb floriferous heritage rose, a softly fragrant Tea rose.<\/p>\n
Almost every \u2018less-than-modern\u2019 garden in the Valley is blessed with the beautiful blooms of this gorgeous old garden rose. Elaine and Ron Bower, who are passionate gardeners and long-term residents of Kangaroo Valley, have been lovingly sharing around cuttings of this heritage rose in the last decade and a half or so. Today, this historical rose is somewhat \u2018saved\u2019 from being lost and adorns many private gardens in Kangaroo Valley, thanks to this wonderful couple!<\/p>\n
Sometime in or around 2007, Elaine and Ron were entrusted to care for the gardens of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Kangaroo Valley. This historical church was originally designed and built in 1871 by John Horbury Hunt, a prominent 19th century architect from New South Wales. Whilst tending to the church gardens, Elaine and Ron spotted an almost thornless rose bush which they thought looked particularly lovely and decided to take some cuttings. The cuttings struck very easily and were generously shared with members of the church. Before long, many gardens in Kangaroo Valley had this rose blooming profusely. And so popular was this rose, it was lovingly given a nick-name, \u2018The Kangaroo Valley Rectory Rose\u2019!<\/p>\n
It has strong characteristics of a Tea rose, and there was no doubt that it was an old garden rose, which had highly likely been planted in the church gardens by a previous church Minister. Elaine did some research at the time, and thought the rose could be the heritage rose, Rosa \u2018Jean Ducher\u2019, bred in 1874, but was not certain of its accurate identification, nor when it was planted.<\/p>\n
As a long-time enthusiast of \u2018lost\u2019 roses, and having had immersed myself in the study of heritage roses during my recent chemotherapy treatment, I undertook further investigations on the identity of the \u2018Kangaroo Valley Rectory Rose\u2019. Chapman et al (2008) document that this rose had been commonly sold by garden nurseries during the latter part of the 20th<\/sup> century as R \u2018Jean Ducher\u2019. In their book Tea Roses; Old Roses for Warm Gardens <\/em>(2008), they state \u201cAlthough it is well-known in Australia and New Zealand as \u2018Jean Ducher\u2019, the correct name for this rose is \u2018G Nabonnand\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n