Rosa 'Charles P. Kilham' is an orange-red hybrid tea rose, bred by Irish rose breeder, Samuel McGredy III before 1926. The rose was introduced in France in 1926 and Australia in 1927. It won the Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) gold medal in 1927. 'Charles P. Kilham' is one of the ancestors of the legendary hybrid tea rose, 'Peace'.
'Charles P. Kilham' is a vigorous, bushy, upright hybrid tea rose with large, full (26-40) petals, born mostly solitary. Buds open to flowers that are orange-red with yellow shading. The rose has a moderate tea fragrance and has dark green foliage. The rose has long, sturdy stems and is nearly thornless. It blooms continuously throughout the season. 'Charles P. Kilham' is disease resistant and does well in the rain.[1]
History
McGredy roses
The Sam McGredy family represents four generations of rose hybridizers from Northern Ireland. The first Samuel McGredy (1828 –1903), established the family nursery in Portadown, County Armagh. Originally, the head gardener at a large estate, in 1888, McGredy moved his family to Portadown, leased 10 acres with a greenhouse and established a nursery with his son, Samuel II (1861–1926). The nursery sold a variety of plants, but they were best known for their fruit trees and show pansies.[2][3]
Samuel McGredy II began breeding roses in 1895. He submitted his first roses at the National Rose Society in London in 1905, where he won his first gold medal, the salmon-pink, "Countess of Gosford" rose. He produced many award-winning roses during his career as a rose breeder. McGredy was awarded the National Rose Society's Dean Hole[4] Medal in 1921. The business passed to his son, Samuel McGredy III (1897–1934), after Samuuel II's death in 1926. Samuel III (Sam) expanded rose production at the company. He named many roses after family members. The nursery's rose breeding program declined after McGredy's early death of a heart attack at the age of 38 and the beginning of World War II. His son, Samuel IV was two years old at the time of his father's death. [5][6]
Rosa 'Eye Paint', 1976
When Samuel McGredy IV (Sam) (1931–2019) took over the family business in 1952, he knew very little about rose breeding. He sought out the renowned rose hybridizers at the time: Reimer Kordes from Germany, Eugene Boerner from the United States and Niels Poulsen from Denmark, in order to educate himself on modern rose hybridization. Soon after, he created a new rose breeding program at the nursery. McGredy's first commercial success was his Gold Medal winner, floribunda rose, 'Orangeade' in 1959. During the 1960s, McGredy was best known for his hybrid tea and floribunda roses.[6]
In 1972, alarmed over the increasing political violence in Northern Ireland, McGredy and his family moved to Auckland, New Zealand. He transplanted his nursery stock and renamed the company, McGredy Roses International. New Zealand's climate, ideal for plant cultivation, allowed McGredy to breed roses outdoors without greenhouses. He soon introduced a new series of what he called 'hand painted' roses, brightly coloured striped roses and roses splashed with two or more colours. Some of his most popular rose cultivars include Rosa 'Dublin Bay, Rosa 'Sexy Rexy', Rosa 'Olympiad' and Rosa 'Handel'. When McGredy retired in 2007, he closed the nursery. He died in 2019.[7]
'Charles P. Kilham'
'Charles P. Kilham' was developed by Samuel McGredy III before 1926. The cultivar's lineage is unknown. It was introduced in the United States in 1928 and in Australia in 1930. It won the Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) gold medal in 1927. 'Charles P. Kilham' is one of the ancestors of the legendary hybrid tea rose, 'Peace'. 'Peace', originally named 'Mme. A. Meilland', was developed from a multiple cross between (('George Dickson' x 'Souvenir de Claudius Pernet') x ('Joanna Hill' x Charles P. Kilham)) x 'Margaret McGredy'[1][8]
Francis Meilland was a French rose breeder and co-founder of Meilland International, a family-owned rose growing company in southern France. The Meilland family has been breeding and selling roses since 1850. Francis Meilland is best known for developing the legendary Hybrid tea rose, 'Peace', in the 1930s. Since the rose's introduction in the U.S. in 1945, over 40 million 'Peace' roses have been sold worldwide.
Garden roses are predominantly hybrid roses that are grown as ornamental plants in private or public gardens. They are one of the most popular and widely cultivated groups of flowering plants, especially in temperate climates. An enormous number of garden cultivars have been produced, especially over the last two centuries, though roses have been known in the garden for millennia beforehand. While most garden roses are grown for their flowers, often in dedicated rose gardens, some are also valued for other reasons, such as having ornamental fruit, providing ground cover, or for hedging.
Rosa 'Arthur Bell',, is a yellow rose cultivar, bred by Sam McGredy IV in Northern Ireland in 1964. The rose has won numerous awards, and is popular in England and Northern Europe.
Rosa 'Elina' is a light yellow hybrid tea rose bred by Patrick Dickson of Northern Ireland in 1983. The variety was developed from the white floribunda 'Nana Mouskouri' and the apricot hybrid tea 'Lolita'.
Sam McGredy refers to four generations of Northern Irish rose hybridizers. Sam McGredy I founded the family nursery in 1880. Sam McGredy II focused the nursery on roses in 1895. Sam McGredy III took over in 1926, and was the first to name roses after family members. Sam McGredy IV moved operations to New Zealand in 1974 after a close friend was murdered by Loyalist paramilitaries during The Troubles, and focused on Floribundas, Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras, including 'Paddy Stephens', 'New Zealand', and 'Kathryn McGredy'; and the hand-painted roses such as 'Regensberg'.
Rosa 'Electron', also known as Mullard Jubilee, is a bright pink hybrid tea rose developed by Samuel McGredy IV in 1962. Originally named 'Mullard Jubilee, it was introduced into Australia in 1970 as 'Electron'. The rose was named an All-America Rose Selections winner in 1973.
Rosa 'Spek's Centennial',, is a floribunda rose cultivar, bred by Sam McGredy IV. It was introduced into New Zealand by Egmont Roses in 1991. The rose cultivar was later introduced into the United States by Edmunds' Roses in 1994 as 'Singin' in the Rain'. The rose was named an All-America Rose Selections winner in 1995.
Rosa 'Handel',, is a climbing floribunda rose cultivar, developed by Samuel McGredy IV in 1960. The cultivar was the recipient of the Portland Gold Medal in 1975.
Rosa 'Olympiad',, is a hybrid tea rose cultivar, developed by Sam McGredy IV, and introduced into New Zealand by McGredy Roses International in 1974. The cultivar was named an All-America Rose Selections winner in 1984, and the recipient of the Portland Gold Medal in 1995.
Rosa 'Sexy Rexy',, is a multiple-award winning floribunda rose cultivar, developed by Sam McGredy IV, and introduced into New Zealand by McGredy Roses International in 1984. The stock parents of this rose are the hybrid musk, Rosa 'Seaspray' and the floribunda, Rosa 'Dreaming'.
Rosa 'Blueberry Hill',, is a floribunda rose cultivar, bred by Tom Carruth, and introduced into the United States by Weeks Rose Growers in 1997. The plant was created from hybrid tea, 'Crystalline' and floribunda, 'Playgirl'. The cultivar won a Portland Gold Medal in 2002.
Rosa 'Dublin Bay' is a red, large-flowered floribunda climbing rose. The rose cultivar was bred by Sam McGredy IV in 1969 and introduced into Ireland by nursery, Samuel McGredy and Son.
Rosa 'Spiced Coffee' is a pale beige hybrid tea rose with pink edges. The rose cultivar was bred by Sam McGredy IV in 1985 and introduced into New Zealand in 1990 by his nursery, McGredy Roses International.
Rosa 'Ena Harkness' is a medium red hybrid tea rose cultivar, developed by Albert Norman before 1940 and introduced into Britain by Harkness Roses in 1946. It was awarded the RNRS Gold Medal by the Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) in 1945 and the Portland Gold Medal in 1955.
Rosa 'Maggie Barry' is a pink blend hybrid tea rose with dark salmon edges. The rose cultivar was bred by Sam McGredy IV in 1986 and introduced into New Zealand in 1993 by McGredy Roses International.
Rosa 'Lilian Austin' is a pink-blend Shrub rose, developed by British rose breeder and commercial nursery owner, David Austin. The rose was named for Austin's mother, Lilian and was introduced into Britain in 1973.
Rosa 'Margaret McGredy' is an orange-red hybrid tea rose, bred by Irish rose breeder Sam McGredy III before 1925. The new rose was awarded the Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) Gold Medal in 1925, but was never commercially successful. 'Margaret McGredy, along with an unnamed seedling, was used to hybridize the legendary hybrid tea rose, 'Peace'.
Rosa 'George Dickson' is a medium red hybrid tea rose bred by Alexander Dickson II of Northern Ireland in 1912. It was one of the Dickson nursery's early commercial successes and was a popular rose with the public. It was awarded the Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) gold medal in 1911 and is an ancestor of the legendary 'Peace' rose.
Rosa 'Golden Celebration' is a yellow shrub rose cultivar, bred by British rose breeder, David C. H. Austin. It was introduced into the UK by David Austin Roses Limited (UK) in 1992. 'Golden Celebration' is part of the David Austin English Rose Collection. It was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 2001.
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