''Rosa'' 'Olympiad', (aka MACauck ), is a
hybrid tea rose cultivar, developed by
Sam McGredy IV, and introduced into
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
by McGredy Roses International in 1974. The cultivar was named an
All-America Rose Selections The All-America Rose Selections (AARS) is an award that was given annually, from 1940 to 2013, by the United States, American rose industry to an outstanding new rose variety. The AARS selection was regarded as the most prestigious rose prize in the ...
winner in 1984, and the recipient of the
Portland Gold Medal
The Portland Gold Award is given annually by the Portland Rose Society to new rose cultivars that demonstrate exceptional performance in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The first award was given in 1919 by the city of Portland, Oregon.
...
in 1995.
Description
'Olympiad' is a medium-tall, upright shrub, 3 to 5 ft (60–121 cm) in height with a 2 to 3 ft (60–91 cm) spread. Blooms are medium-large, with an average diameter of 4—5 in (10–12 cm), with 32 to 37 petals. Flowers are a dark red and have a mild tea fragrance. Blooms have a full high-centered bloom form, and are borne mostly solitary on long, upright stems. Foliage is large, matte, and medium green in color. 'Olympiad' blooms in flushes throughout its growing season. The plant does best in
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...
zone 5b and warmer. The rose does well in heat, unlike most dark red roses, is resistant to mildew, but prone to blackspot.
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
Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...
,
County Armagh
County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...
. 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.
Samuel McGredy II began breeding roses in 1895. He submitted his first roses at the
National Rose Society in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
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 Medal in 1921. The business passed to his son, Samuel McGredy III (1897–1934), after Samuel II's death in 1926. Samuel III (Sam) expanded rose production at the company. He named many roses after family members. 'Margaret McGredy', named after his mother, was used, along with an unnamed seedling, to hybridize the world famous hybrid tea,
Rosa Peace. 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
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. His son, Samuel IV was two years old at the time of his father's death.

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
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Eugene Boerner from the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and Niels Poulsen from
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, 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.
In 1972, alarmed over the increasing
political violence in Northern Ireland, McGredy and his family moved to
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. 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', and
''Rosa'' 'Handel'. When McGredy retired in 2007, he closed the nursery. He died in 2019.
Child plants
'Olympiad' was used to hybridize the following plants:
* ''Rosa'' 'Cesar E. Chavez', (before 2002)
* ''Rosa'' 'City of San Francisco', (2000)
* ''Rosa'' 'Legends', (2006)
* ''Rosa'' 'Watercolors Home Run', (2012)
Awards
*
Portland Gold Medal
The Portland Gold Award is given annually by the Portland Rose Society to new rose cultivars that demonstrate exceptional performance in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The first award was given in 1919 by the city of Portland, Oregon.
...
, (1995)
*
All-America Rose Selections The All-America Rose Selections (AARS) is an award that was given annually, from 1940 to 2013, by the United States, American rose industry to an outstanding new rose variety. The AARS selection was regarded as the most prestigious rose prize in the ...
(AARS), (1984)
See also
*
Garden roses
Garden roses are predominantly Hybrid (biology), 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 ...
*
Rose Hall of Fame
The Rose Hall of Fame contains roses considered world favourites by a vote of members of the World Federation of Rose Societies. Inductees are announced every three years at World Rose Conventions. Additionally, popular historical roses and roses ...
*
List of Award of Garden Merit roses
The following is a selected list of rose variety (botany), varieties and cultivars which currently (2017) hold the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
List of roses
This sortable list allows users to view roses alphabetically by b ...
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosa 'Olympiad'
Olympiad
An olympiad (, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the Ancient Olympic Games, ancient and Olympic Games, modern Olympic Games.
Although the ancient Olympics were established during Archaic Greece, Greece ...