Saturday, September 9, 2023

Manipur Magic

Manipur Magic, Viru and Girija Viraraghavan 2005

R. Gigantea Hybrid 

Rêve d'or X R. Gigantea Collet ex Crépin

Up to 6,5 meters or 21 feet

When I first saw this rose I immediately thought it was Maréchal Niel, the Queen of Tea Noisettes. Sam's shape, same Sulphur yellow to lemon color. But no, this is not Maréchal Niel, this is Manipur Magic. Blooms are very large up to 15 cm or 6" in perfect Tea Noisette shape so very full. The blooms hang a bit down and this gives a very pleasing effect as it seems if they are looking at you. Flushes in early summer and occasionally repeats later in the season. Zone 7a to 11b so this is a very heat resistant rose. New spring growth may need some winter protection in areas with cold springs.
I'm not surprised that Viru and Girija use Rêve d'or so often because it's an incredibly tough rose, vigorous and very floriferous. Combined with R. Gigantea you get this masterpiece, this Manipur Magic. 

Manipur is a state in Northeast India where Viru and Girija found R. Gigantea in the wild. It is a magical place... 

No comments:

Post a Comment