New Rose - Archbishop Desmond Tutu

When Archbishop Desmond Tutu turned 75 in October one of the many gifts he received was a sparkling red rose, named after him. The rose was donated by Ludwig Taschner in recognition of the Archbishop’s lifelong work for peace in South Africa. Like its namesake, the rose will be hardworking, as it will help raise money for the Tygerberg Children's Hospital in Cape Town of which the Archbishop and Mrs Tutu are patrons.

The full nostalgic cup shaped blooms have firm petals and are long lasting. They appear all over the glossy green, leafy background, and call out "greetings" from afar. The rose bush grows into a loosely branched shrub of neat proportions that has the ability to sprout flowering stems from base to tip from spring into winter.

Picture – Ludwig Taschner presenting the rose to Archbishop Desmond Tutu at his birthday celebrations in Johannesburg. Picture courtesy of Benny Gool, ORYX pictures.