‘Buffy Sainte-Marie’ Rose

Name:                  ‘Buffy Sainte-Marie’, Mander 1996
Type:                     Hybrid Tea, op
                              (previously classified as a Floribunda - changed in August 2003 - )
Parentage:            'June Laver' x 'Rubies ’n’ Pearls'
Introduced:            In Canada by Select Roses in 1996 and by Carl Pallek and Son Nurseries in 1998/99.
Blooms:                  Blend of salmon, orange, yellow and pink with yellow centre. In clusters of 15-45 blooms, 25-30 petals, dia. 9 cm. It’s greatest asset is to exhibit single, disbudded blooms of 5.5 inches dia. which can easily win a trophy at any rose show. At the 2006 Vancouver Rose Society show ‘Buffy Sainte-Marie’ won "BEST H.T. in SHOW"(Queen in USA rose shows)
Fragrance:                 Slight
Foliage:                      Medium, dark green and semi glossy.
Disease Resistance:  Average to good.
Winter Hardiness:     Average, to zone 5.
Plant Size:                  Extremely vigorous, lots of new basals, bushy and spreading growth to only 70-90 cm, (30-36 inches.)
Flowering Period:      Repeats until the first frost.
Additional Notes:      Only available in Canada.

One interesting note about the parents of this Hybrid Tea is that they are both Miniature roses and are the same parents as for 'Glowing Amber', 'Golden Beryl' and other minis of mine.

As both parents have a HT as their father, their offspring always gives me 20 to 30% big roses, mostly floribundas but occasionally a HT (see nicely coloured photo of 'unnamed HT'). As you can see in the different photos of this rose, it has a beautiful blend of orange/gold salmon/coral and pink-- with an orange/gold reverse and has between 20 to 30 petals. The blooms are 3 to 4" in dia. on sprays, and 5" or more when disbudded and grown as a single. The bush grows only about 30 to 40" high. I have counted 45 blooms per spray. When exhibited as a single Fl. I have won 4 trophies with it in the first 2 years. It's greatest asset is showing it single, disbudded.

It is also a good garden rose as the large sprays on mature bushes give an incredible display of colors, not all blooms opening at the same time. This rose prefers the cooler more moderate climates. This rose has a special story to it : It is named after the well known folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, who is a First Nations Canadian born in Saskatchewan. She grew up in the States and now lives in Hawaii. In the sixties and early seventies, she became well known for writing such songs as Universal Soldier, Until It's Time For You To Go, and Eagle Man/Changing Women. In the late seventies she made appearances on Sesame Street.

Accolades accumulated in the last two decades. An Oscar was won for her song : 'Up Where We Belong'. In France, she was awarded Best International Artist for her 1993 CD, Coincidence And Likely Stories. In her home province, the Saskatchewan Recording Industry Association gave her its Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1995, she was inducted into the JUNO Hall of Fame, and in the late nineties she has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada. All this is only a fraction of her achievements.

Article Originally Published by George Mander