''Rosa'' 'Yesterday' is a purple-crimson

Polyantha rose Garden roses are predominantly 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 enormous number ...

cultivar developed by Jack Harkness and introduced into

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in 1974. The introduction of this rose created a new interest in Polyantha roses, which were popular from 1900 to 1950.

Description

'Yesterday' is a medium bushy shrub, in height with a spread. Blooms are small, have an average diameter of , and an average petal count of 13. Bloom color is a pale purple-crimson with a white center and golden stamens. 'Yesterday' has a lightly cupped, semi-double, rosette bloom form. The rose's fragrance is mild and musky. Flowers are carried in clusters of 5-25. It blooms repeatedly, so it is continuously in flower until late autumn. It has small, healthy, glossy leaves.

History

Harkness Roses

The rose cultivar was developed by Jack Harkness of Harkness Roses ( R. Harkness & Co. Ltd) at

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people, a tribe holding 300 ...

, Hertfordshire. The acclaimed nursery, which continues to sell roses today, was established in 1879 in Bedale,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

by brothers, John Harkness (1857-1933) and (Robert Harkness (1851-1920). Jack Harkness (1918-1994) is the grandson of the original co-founder John Harkness. The Harkness family nursery grew roses from the beginning, but did not breed roses until 1962, when Jack Harkness began managing the business.

'Yesterday'

Harkness developed 'Yesterday' by crossing ('Phyllis Bede' x 'Shepherd's Delight') x 'Ballerina'. Harkness Roses introduced 'Yesterday' into Britain in 1974. Jack Harkness named this rose 'Yesterday' because all of its ancestors had been developed and introduced many years ago. The introduction of this rose created a renewed interest in Polyantha roses, which were popular from 1900 to 1950. 'Yesterday' was used to hybridize four child plants: 'Smarty' (1977), 'Fairy Prince' (1981), 'Angela' (1984), and 'Lavender Dream' (1984).

References

{{Rose, state=collapsed Yesterday 1974 introductions