Rosemary Ladlau is one of South Africa’s most respected flower arrangers. She has served as chairperson of the World Flower Association and is also an honorary member of the South African Flower Union. In her floral artistry, she favours roses with unusual forms and distinctive colouring rather than conventional types.
The rose named in her honour reflects exactly this preference. It bridges the characteristics of Hybrid Tea roses and French heritage varieties, producing pointed, urn-shaped buds that open slowly into full, richly formed blooms with the classic quartered centre of old garden roses.
Its colouring is an unusual and striking deep mauve-violet, a shade rarely seen among modern roses. As the blooms open, they release a sweet, powerful fragrance that enhances their presence in any setting.
The plant is vigorous and well branched, with medium-length stems and glossy, deeply veined, healthy dark green foliage. It performs reliably among Hybrid Teas and Floribundas and is especially rewarding in containers placed near outdoor living spaces where its fragrance can be enjoyed. With its compact, spreading habit, it is also well suited to borders, shrub plantings, and as a tall-cut flower variety.
