April 21st, 2026Twelve Best Roses

Twelve Best Roses

In honour of Mother’s Day and the many roses that will be sold roadside for this day, I bring you a story on the 12 Best Roses.

Who could have imagined that in 1904 you would have seen a competition for the 12 Best Roses. In 1914, more debate occurred for the top 12 and the commentary on what constitutes a good rose was blooming marvellous.
It was mentioned that for a rose to be classed as one of the best, it should be a vigorous grower and be fit for exhibition, garden, or decoration. They must have colour, depth, large petals and perfect form – qualities very desirable for all purposes.
The Argus had daily letters to the editor with the rose being referred to as the Queen of Flowers. Rosarians may grow roses to perfection, but this flower is not for everyone. There are many things to consider – sunshine, temperatures, soil and making sure you feed them well.

A few Trenthamites weighed in on the ongoing commentary with their top 12:
Thomas Cantwell, High Street: Madame Abel Chatenay, Frau Karl Druschki, La France, Belle Siebrecht, Souv. De Maria de Zayas, Georges Schwartz, Queen of Spain, Irish Elegance, Madame Jules Gravereaux, Chateau de Clos Vouguot, Mrs Harold Brocklebank and Climbing Perle des Jardins.
Thomas Welch, National Bank: Belle Siebrecht, Lyons Rose, Perle von Godesberg, Souv. De Maria de Zayas, La France, White Maman Cochet, Madame Abel Chatenay, Prince Camille de Rohan, Grus au Teplitz, Perles des Jardins, Papa Gontier and Madame Jules Gravereaux.
J. J. Murphy, Trentham: Madame Abel Chatenay, Belle Siebrecht, Lady Battersea, Queen of Spain, Rose d’Evian, Mrs. Harold Brocklebanlc, Caroline Testout, Margaret Dickson, Mrs David McKee, La France, Madame Jules Gravereaux and The Bride.
The competition eventually closed and the top 12 for 1914 were: Madame Abel Chateney, pictured bottom, Frau Karl Druschki, pictured top, White Maman Cochet, pictured middle, Lyons Rose, Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, General McArthur, Belle Siebrecht, La France, Joseph Hill, Rhea Reid, Souvenir De Maria de Zayas and Dean Hole.

(I hope your Mother’s Day is filled with joy, you reminisce about days gone by and get to smell a perfumed rose or two – Nat)

The Local would love to run some of our readers’ favourite roses – a 2026 competition of sorts. Send a photo and a few details to donna@tlnews.com.au by May 1 to be included in the next edition…