Rosa floribunda (var: “Julia Child”)
Bon Appétit!
Floribunda is Latin for “many-flowered” and this type of rose was created by crossing hybrid tea roses with polyanthas. They inherited the many-flowered habit from the polyanthas but have the shape and the colors of the hybrid tea.
Julia Child was a successful American cookbook author and the host of a popular TV show called The French Chef which debuted in 1963. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a cultivar called “Julia Child” in the rose garden at Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver. I ran into a rave review of this rose on the World Wide Web (Weeks Roses) and I thought it was so much fun that I’ve decided to quote it in full...
“Just before our wonderful American icon left us, she selected this exceptional rose to bear her name. Julia loved the even butter gold color & the licorice candy fragrance. Yet it wasn't just the old-fashioned blooms that inspired the recipe. The perfectly rounded habit, super glossy leaves & great disease resistance finish off the dish. An awesome AARS award winner—a right & proper honor for a dear friend. Consistent, hardy & floriferous in all climates.”
