Whisky Mac Rose
Part of the excitement of offering a good home to unwanted roses is identifying what's actually turned up. My ID for this beautiful 'new recycled' rose is Whisky Mac. It came from an old suburban garden which was planted back in the 1970s. Whisky Mac was then a new and popular hybrid tea, and its unique, unusual colouring appealed to gardeners wanting to be a little daring.
Whiskey Mac Rose and Rosebud
Various rose catalogues describe Whisky Mac's colour as : golden-apricot, golden amber, a mid colour shade of orange, gold and amber, deep gold with bronze shading. My photographs are all of the same shrub, but in different lights and at different stages of flower growth the petal colours change. The unopened buds are quite dark, and after rain the open blooms can get a pinkish edge to them.
My one reservation is that my 'Whisky Mac' is not really very fragrant. But I really can't think what else it could be. Back in the 1960s in New Zealand the selection of roses available from nurseries was fairly restricted. So Whisky Mac it is, for now. Cross fingers!