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'Norma Major' rose Reviews & Comments
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Fellow rose growers,
I'm trying to confirm if a plant which I encountered in a friend's garden in south east England prior to 2010 was actually a 'Norma Major'. If there were any visible differences I would say the blooms were more compact and of lighter weight than NM (since they didn't lean outwards as the photos on these pages seem to show) and of slightly darker colour orange-pink (though duller and less vibrant than NM), with no pale bases, or obvious veining and no silver-streaked discolourations.
Question: Can NM's flowers appear singularly but sometimes in 2s or 3s with the very slender, straight, lightly prickled apple green peduncles of equal length meeting together at 7-8 inch intervals along a diagonal branch?
The high centres and the nicely folded, reflexed petals gave the impression that every bloom was taller than its latitudinal diameter (of 3.5 inches). They kept the perfect ovoid spiral and didn't flatten out into discs of wavy petals as with 'Duke of Windsor' or 'Prima Ballerina' for example.
The uniform flowers were colourfast and unchanged by weather, had no ragged-shaped petals around the centre which itself wasn't revealed before the petals fell cleanly away after 5-8 days in the vase.
At least 5 feet tall (like NM), the prickly plant was open, rather sparsely foliated and was held against an exposed south-facing wooden shed by a single horizontal wire.
The immediate smell of the flower was only mildly 'fruity-rose' but curiously, when I put 2 in a vase of water, the next sunny morning the entire downstairs atmosphere had been flooded with an exotic 'buoyant' aroma of sweet strawberry mousse, other fruits and a hint of lime. This phenomenal scent production is the reason I am posting here for help, being similar to (but fruitier than) the 'Special Anniversary' rose of 2003 by Ted Smith UK but I stress: NOT big, cabbage-like blooms as with SA, Fragrant Cloud or Superstar etc.
I notice that NM has 2 votes of 'Excellent' for its fragrance on HMF although in the Description page it only says 'mild' and 'sweet'.
Any other suggestions for the ID. or is NM the one I'm looking for?
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I planted my Norma Major rose five years ago starting out as a budded maiden from Steve Singer at Wisconsin Roses.
It took a couple of years to establish, but now that it has, it is a wonderful garden rose for me. The bush is quite healthy and seems to handle very nasty winters with ease. IT is quick to attain a height of about 5'-6' tall in the Spring and starts blooming right away. Most flushes have 30+ blooms and they are very sturdy lasting two weeks or more while still maintaining a very nice exhibition form. They are lightly fragrant and make a wonderful cut flower. The description of Norma Major states this rose blooms in flushes, but quite frankly I think it is a continuous bloomer. Once it starts blooming in the Spring it will have at least 6 or 8 blooms on it all the time. And during flushes, it may have as many as 40 or 50 flowers on the mature bush. My bush has gotten so large now that it has to be moved out of the regular bed and planted all alone because it encroaches on its' neighbors, hiding them from view. All in all this rose makes quite a stunning pink display rose for the garden that is second to none.
My one criticism of this rose is that the foliage could be more dense. It can look a bit skimpy of leaves when it is fully grown. The spacing of the stems is the problem. The stems need to be a bit closer together to give it a fuller look, but this is really nit-picking to be honest.
Other than that one very slight drawback Norma Major makes a very nice garden display since the blooms are so beautiful and plentiful and the foliage does stay quite healthy. It never shows any signs of blackspot or mildew since I have had mine this past 5 years. I do spray my roses regularly.
John
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Your sharing of your experience and expertise is greatly appreciated.
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Could 'Norma Major's scent be described as fruity?
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Sadly, he is no longer with us, Heelin, so he can't answer.
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This is a gorgeous rose. Mine has a strong, sweet scent, and I am the first to admit that I don't smell as well as I would like to. I am sad that this rose is not widely available.
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Responding further to Ray (member Mondo) on 'Norma Major'.
Thanks for that Ray. I actually have the 1998 issues of the English The Rose and have flicked through them all. I was unable to pick up any mention and so for the moment, it is a mystery as to who bred the rose. There is a nursery R. V. Roger in North Yorkshire on the internet saying they thought they have the only stocks of 'Norma Major' but unfortunately no internet address. Anything further you can find out about 'Norma Major' would be most acceptable.
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