Double Delight
(Hybrid Tea, 1977) - creamy white swirled with strawberry red. In my mind Double Delight represents everything that is good and bad with Hybrid Teas.
First the good. Double Delight is a stunning rose that combines creamy white with vivid strawberry red tipping. The name of the rose is very appropriate: "Double" indicates its beautiful two-toned colors and the fact that it is powerfully fragrant. Parented by Granada x Garden Party, Double Delight has both visual and olfactory appeal. The blooms contain 30-45 petals, and are large, typically 5 to 6 inches across. Flowers are high centered and of exhibition quality. The amount of red in the petals seems to be vary based upon weather conditions, the amount of sunlight bathing the rose, and the age of the blooms (older blooms appear to contain more red). As a result, no two blooms are ever exactly alike. Fully formed, blossoms are so beautiful that they must be-seen-to-be believed, photographs simply cannot do them justice. The bush will usually grow to about 4 feet, providing nice, long stems for cutting. As mentioned earlier, fragrance is outstanding and one small spray is enough to perfume an entire room. Double Delight's strong and highly spicy scent has won a variety of awards, including the coveting James Alexander Gamble medal for Fragrance in 1986. Repeat bloom is top notch putting many Floribundas to shame. Plus, it can be found in any garden center.
Now the bad. Disease resistance sucks. In particular black spot will defoliate the shrub if the foliage isn’t sprayed every 10 days with fungicides. It also exhibits an adverse reaction to the fungicide Draconil, so you can’t spray it with just any product. Additionally, it lacks vigor and the puny shrub can take up to three years to become established.*
Image courtesy of Suzette Dollar, aka DesertRatRose.
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