''Rosa'' 'Frensham' is a dark red Floribunda rose cultivar, developed by Albert Norman in 1942 and introduced into

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

Harkness Roses Harkness Roses (a trading name of R. Harkness & Co. Ltd) are rose breeders based at Hitchin, Hertfordshire in England. The nursery was founded in 1879 in Yorkshire by brothers, John and Robert Harkness. Early varieties include 'Mrs. Harkness', ' ...

in 1946 as 'Frensham'. It was awarded the RNRS Gold Medal by the

Royal National Rose Society The Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) (1876–2017) was a specialist horticultural organization in the United Kingdom dedicated to the cultivation and appreciation of roses. Founded in 1876 as the "National Rose Society", it was the world's ol ...

(RNRS) in 1943.

Description

'Frensham' is a medium-sized, vigorous bushy floribunda rose, 4 ft (121 cm) in height, with a 3 ft (91 cm) plant spread. The rose has a medium (9-16 petals) semi-double bloom form with 2–3 in (3-5 cm) flowers, typically borne in clusters. 'Frensham' has a mild fragrance with a bloom color of dark red. The rose blooms in flushes from spring to fall. The foliage is dark green and shiny, and the plant has many thorns and prickles. 'Frensham' is susceptible to mildew.

History

'Frensham' was developed in 1942 by Albert Norman, who was a diamond cutter by profession and an amateur rose breeder. He was a family friend of Bill Harkness of Harkness Roses. Norman is also known for developing the roses ' Ena Harkness', 'Vera Dalton' and 'Anne Elizabeth'. He developed the rose through a combination of ''Rosa'' 'Edith Cavell' x (''Rosa'' 'Edgar Andrew' × ''Rosa'' 'Crimson Glory'). The new rose cultivar was introduced into Britain as "Frensham' by (

in 1946. The family nursery, which continues to sell roses today, was established in 1879 in

Bedale Bedale ( ), is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Bedale Beck is a tributary of the River Swale, which forms one of the Yorkshire Dales. The dale has a predominant agriculture sector and its related small traditional t ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

by brothers, John Harkness (1857-1933) and Robert Harkness (1851-1920). 'Frensham' was used to develop the rose cultivar, Rosa 'Columbine' (Poulsen, 1956). The rose was awarded the RNRS Gold Medal in 1943.

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed

Frensham Frensham is a village in Surrey, England, next to the A287 road, WSW of Guildford, the county town. Frensham lies on the right bank of the River Wey (south branch), only navigable to canoes, shortly before its convergence with the north bra ...

1946 introductions