The European Connection

This Summer, Keith Jones of C&K Jones has been working with horticultural business contacts across Europe. Here Markus Brunsing (technical director of the Baden Baden rose trials - left) and Alex Spek from Spek roses in Holland discuss cultivation methods with Keith (right).

Pictured here Emmanuel Delhove from Le Roeulx rose trials in Belgium in the centre talking to Keith with, at the back, Christian and Manuela Schultheis rose growers from Bad Nauheim in Germany. Michel Adam, a French rose breeder, is facing the camera on the right.

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Glorious Double for Absolutely Fabulous

Absolutely Fabulous is the Rose of the Year 2010

Absolutely Fabulous is the Rose of the Year 2010 and that is fabulous in itself, but to confirm and complement the excellence of this golden beauty, Absolutely Fabulous now has achieved the Gold Standard after another tough 2-year trial. 

The Gold Standard is awarded after a rose variety is judged as being highly floriferous, healthy and reliable in a trial jointly organised by BARB (British Association of Rose Breeders) and NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany) who actually manage the trial at their premises near Cambridge.  The judges, who are experts from across the breadth of the horticultural industry, also make their final assessment by examining scent and commercial appeal.  Without doubt, the Gold Standard is the final seal of approval and is an accolade awarded to relatively few roses.

Absolutely Fabulous was introduced by Keith Jones of C&K Jones, international rose specialists. He said, “This just confirms how good this rose is. These trials really do sort out the best from the rest”.  Weeks Roses, who develop roses, for C&K Jones have enjoyed Gold Standard success with three other roses: Hot Chocolate, Home Run and Strike it Rich.”

Floribunda Absolutely Fabulous has wonderful harvest gold blooms maturing to butter yellow which are produced evenly on a bushy plant around 2.5ft tall and 1.5ft in width. The flowers have an evocative liquorice scent and the bush is clothed with pale green, semi-glossy leaves. Absolutely Fabulous looks the part in a container or along your borders..

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Our Future is Very Rosy

Alexander’s Issie

(article by Val Bourne, Daily Telegraph)

The nation's favourite flower is officially the rose - and RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2010 provides the best opportunity to see plenty of different types in their full summer regalia.

(article by Val Bourne, Daily Telegraph) The nation's favourite flower is officially the rose - and RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2010 provides the best opportunity to see plenty of different types in their full summer regalia.

Thirteen rose growers gather together under one marquee, with exhibits themed around Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Jodie de Vivre

Once inside, old-fashioned classics, diminutive patio roses, fulsome floribundas and hybrid teas, climbers and David Austin's softly formed English roses (bred with fragrance in mind) can all be seen and bought. The star of the show is 'Joie de Vivre', a compact pastel-pink rose with creamy overtones. It has been voted Rose of the Year 2011 by Britain's top rosarians, who assess 10 trial stations in every corner of the country.

'Joie de Vivre' is bred by the German rose company Kordes and its ecologically sound breeding regime has been chemical-free since the early Seventies.

You can be confident that any Kordes variety (depicted by the prefix Kor at the beginning of the breeding name) will resist black spot and other major diseases. 'Joie de Vivre' is free-flowering and reaches 2ft tall. It will join another Kordes classic, 'Champagne Moment', as a first-rate rose for general garden use, introduced by Mattocks Roses (01728 745100).

Kordes is also responsible for a new rose in the healthy County Series. The jaunty 'County of Staffordshire' (named for The Staffordshire Society) has copper-yellow flowers that fade fetchingly to creamy yellow.

At just 2ft it makes an ideal rose for sloping sites or for general ground cover and, like all County roses, it's a resilient toughie.

An opulent coral-pink rose, 'Alexander's Issie' celebrates the late fashion icon Isabella Blow in suitably flamboyant style. It was selected by the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen from hundreds of seedlings some months before his death.

Bred by Dickson's Nurseries in Northern Ireland, the clusters of flower on this healthy floribunda seem to shimmer in sunlight against the dark green, semi-glossy foliage. It is available from C & K Jones (01829 740663).

'Drama Queen' is equally showy, with red and white striped flowers held in clusters. The stripes are reminiscent of a deck chair in high summer and this floribunda rose has been chosen to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a seaside repertory company based at Sheringham in Norfolk. Dame Judi Dench is launching the rose at the show. Available from Bill LeGrice Roses (01603 784466).

And Lady Wogan will officially name 'Togmeister' in honour of her husband, the broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan. This bright yellow floribunda is less than 3ft in height but the lush foliage and ever-present flowers make it a winner. Available from Peter Beales (0845 481 0277).

A new classy hybrid tea called 'Golden Moment' has the heavy scent associated with all hybrid tea roses and this one, bred by the late Edward Smith, has olive-green foliage and clusters of soft yellow blooms. It will reach over 3ft. From Style RosesStyle Roses (01406 424089).

Red roses continue to be popular and the new floribunda 'Hever Castle', named after Anne Boleyn's childhood home in Kent, has an excellent pedigree. It was bred by the late amateur breeder Colin Horner, once President of the Royal National Rose Society. The velvety dark petals of this semi-double are enhanced by golden stamens. This rose will be planted en masse in Hever Castle's acclaimed garden, which has 4,000 roses. Also available from Bill Le Grice Roses.

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Precious Love Rose benefits Child Bereavement Charity

(From left) Paul & Louise Woodbridge, Ann Chalmers, Chief Exec of the Child Bereavement Charity, and Keith Jones at the launch of Precious Love, July 2010.

Paul and Louise Woodbridge, who have since become patrons of the charity, have been working with rose grower Keith Jones of C&K Jones to create ‘Precious Love Rose’. Louise said:

‘Nothing compares to child bereavement. It is the single, most painful, bewildering and agonizing emotion that any parent can experience. How on earth are you supposed to live without your children? The enormity of grief, desperation and intolerable pain is incomprehensible. You are suddenly thrust on this journey of pain and loss beyond imagination.

‘The Child Bereavement Charity had the lifeline to make survival possible – it has held our hands on this journey and continues to do so to this day.

Duchess of Cornwall enjoys “Precious Love”..

‘Paul and I are honoured to present Precious Love Rose to the Child Bereavement Charity. We feel very strongly that this living and vibrant rose will represent the vitality and beauty of our darling children, Betsy and William.’

Precious Love Rose was received on behalf of The Child Bereavement Charity, which supports families and educates professionals both when a child dies and when a child is bereaved, by Chief Executive Ann Chalmers.

Ann said: ‘Precious Love Rose is a beautiful, living symbol of the love that Paul and Louise had and will always have for their precious children. It is a wonderful, generous gift and we are so grateful that the charity will benefit from the sale of the rose.’

Every year the Child Bereavement Charity trains around 5000 professionals across health care, social care, education, the emergency services and the voluntary sector. It also provides support and information, award-winning resources, an interactive website with online forums, and a Buckinghamshire-based family bereavement support service.

Rose grower Keith Jones of C&K Jones describes ‘Precious Love’:

‘Nicely scented clusters of salmon pink flowers are carried above a medium growing well-behaved plant. This new floribunda hybridised by Gordon Kirkham has distinctive red juvenile shoots, leaves are semi glossy and mature to a dark green. Ideal for growing in the open ground or as a single specimen in a pot”.

The price of the potted rose is £14, bare root rose is £12.50 (excluding P&P). A donation of £2.50 goes to the Child Bereavement Charity for every rose purchased.

To order Precious Love Rose or to find out more about the charity, please go to: www.childbereavement.org.uk

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Golden Start to the Show Season

Bright blooms of cut flowers on C&K Jones stand brightened the flower hall at the Harrogate Spring show and earned a Silver Gilt medal..

Undeterred by a harsh winter which destroyed many plants and ruined any chance of having flowering roses in April, C&K Jones invested in elegant stems of cut flower. Well-arranged clusters of blooms set off conspicuously healthy rose plants and caught the Judges’ eye. “It’s good to get the season off to a good start,” said Keith Jones. “Everyone has had a hard time with the weather and the recession, and I think our stand put a smile on a few faces. It gives us the boost we needed too”.

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Actor Christopher Biggins makes Olivia a star at Southport

Olivia stars with Biggins at Southport

Olivia is a true Hybrid Tea rose. Standing tall and statuesque with large individual frilly blooms, the rose suits perfectly the little person Olivia for whom it is named. Tragically, Olivia was a victim of cerebral palsy dying just before her seventh birthday, and as her parents said, “The rose, like Olivia, is amazingly beautiful, frilly and like her favourite colour very, very pink!”

Hampton Court, Henry VIII, Josephine Cox – it’s all Absolutely Fabulous

A right royal welcome to Hampton Court…  Nicky Chapman, Henry VIII and Keith with Absolutely Fabulous

And all of this under the royal gaze of Henry VIII! As part of the 500th anniversary of the turbulent reign of Henry VIII, there were many memories of this tyrannically infamous king including a look-alike monarch riding amongst the displays.

But back to the roses……….Rosa Josephine Cox will make a beautifully conspicuous addition to any garden with huge, blood-red blooms and vibrant foliage. This hybrid tea rose is a well-proportioned 2ft 6” to 3ft tall and about 2 feet wide. It flowers from June until November or until the first hard frost. Rosa Josephine is a great repeat-bloomer and responds well to dead-heading. Rosa Josephine was named for international best-selling author Josephine Cox who selected Barnardos as the beneficiary of sales. If you would like to read more about Josephine Cox, please go to www.josephinecox.com/ A donation from sales will be made to Barnardos charity. For more information, please go to   www.barnardos.org.uk/

Hello Book and Rose lovers…  Author Josephine Cox and luscious blooms of Rosa Josephine.

Sometimes a name just fits perfectly and as Rose of the Year 2010, Absolutely Fabulous could not possibly have a more appropriate moniker.  This yellow floribunda rose has well-shaped blooms and a distinctive fragrance that can best be described as intriguingly-like liquorice. The wonderful harvest-gold blooms maturing to butter yellow are produced evenly on this bushy plant, which is around 2.5ft tall and 1.5ft in width. Raised in California by the world rose famous hybridist Tom Carruth of Weeks Roses, it has been tested in Britain for five years to ensure that it thrives in our climate and demonstrates solid disease resistance.

‘We've been the UK agent for Weeks Roses for about twenty years," said Keith Jones. "Tom, the senior rose breeder, selects roses with UK conditions in mind, and, of course, we test them thoroughly before they're introduced. "Absolutely Fabulous flowers from June to November (or the first hard frost)," he said. "The flower colour is fantastic and it's very disease free all over Britain." Widely available across the UK, the showstopping Absolutely Fabulous really does tick all the boxes.

Finally, we were pleased to introduce Rebecca Mary from breeder Colin Dickson. Beautiful peach-gold blooms of 8 cm in diameter and having approx. 50 petals, borne in clusters of 4-21. This is a prolific flowerer, which is healthy and vigorous reaching around 3ft in height and about 2.5 ft spread. Lovely light to mid green glossy foliage set off the blooms perfectly and the sweet to spicy light fragrance add to the charm of this highly rated floribunda.

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Celebration Time at the NEC Flower Show

Rosa Celebration Time, Keith Jones, Elaine Stevens and David Domoney

Known as the Entertaining Gardener, David Domoney was quick to expound the virtues of this eye-catching rose with its smoky pink flowers and emphasised the good work done by NACC.

Keith Jones of C&K Jones echoed these sentiments: “There are few roses blessed with such an abundance of flowers and what a colour,” he said. “The blooms of this beautiful rose seem to fizz with energy. They range from dusky pink to smoky lavender and orange. Celebration Time has wonderfully glossy foliage which is red when it first appears, forming a perfect backdrop to the buds and flowers.”

Rosa Celebration Time grows to around 2½ ft in height and some 1½ wide. If grown in borders it benefits from plenty of space and sunlight. The flowers keep coming from June through to November and the plant thrives in containers too. For more information and to order, go to   www.jonestherose.co.uk

To learn more about NACC, go to
 www.nacc.org.uk/content/home.asp.

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Kate Bliss gives Precious Time to St Michael’s Hospice

Nicky West (left - Chief Executive St Michael’s Hospice), Keith Jones, Kate Bliss and Sylvia Jones (Chairwoman of the board of trustees, St Michael’s Hospice)

And what better name for a rose linked with St Michael’s Hospice of Hereford?  St Michael’s Hospice provides a more comfortable period of “precious time” for people who have a life-limiting illness also ensuring that family and friends are given the support they deserve.

Keith Jones of C&K Jones is a rose specialist and has grown the “Precious Time” rose which is a dark red hybrid tea variety reaching around one metre in height.  The deep burgundy blooms look wonderful as a cut flower, and grow well in pots or en masse in a border.  Even before flowering, the plants are attractive as the young leaves have a reddish tinge.

C&K Jones has a successful collection of “charity roses” which year-on-year brings valuable funds to good causes.  A donation to St Michael’s Hospice will be made for every sale of Rosa Precious Time.  For more information about C&K Jones, please go to  www.jonestherose.co.uk

The Precious Time rose was sponsored very kindly by Mr J Dunn and Mr A Whieldon in memory of Mary Dunn.

If you would like to learn more about St Michael’s Hospice and 25 years of professional care, please go to
 www.st-michaels-hospice.org.uk/.

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Date: 17th April2009

Date: 17th April2009

Recycled Tyres make Better Pots for Roses

Keith Jones carries lighter pots

Keith Jones of C&K Jones is enthusiastic about the new containers. “It’s good to see new ideas in our industry, and a nice opportunity to be environmentally on-the-ball by using a recycled material,” he said. 

In this business, when we are transporting dozens of roses at a time, keeping the weight down is important and these new pots are lighter than the traditional terracotta. And, not surprisingly, because they are made of rubber, the pots are unbreakable, easy to handle and they don’t scratch either.”

At the Harrogate Show, April 23-27, the C&K Jones stand will be carrying a wide selection of roses including last year’s popular launch rose, “Rosa Harrogate”. 

For more information about C&K Jones roses, please go to www.jonestherose.co.uk.

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Brave Parents Dig Day
Harrogate Rose Shuns the Yorkshire Sun
Marvellous Millie
Rosa Prince Caspian – a star is born

Date: 21 August 2008

Brave Parents Big Day

Under black clouds with persistent drizzly rain, the portents weren’t good for the first day of Southport Flower Show 2008.  But there was something special happening at the flower show, something that could not be overshadowed by dull weather.

It was an important day for Ray and Alyson Doughty.  They are the proud parents of Adam, a chubby smiling boy who was eleven years old when he died.  Adam died at the tragically early age of eleven after a 5-day fight against the killer disease, meningitis.

Ray and Alyson with Colleen Nolan(right

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Date: 26 April 2008

Harrogate Rose Shuns the Yorkshire Sun

Slow to mature because of unseasonably low temperatures and lack of sunshine, the Harrogate Rose was worth waiting for. Although the yellow beauty refused to take a bow in front of an expectant audience at the Spring Harrogate show, the Harrogate rose looks set for success.

The reluctant rosa Harrogate finally bloomed on 8 May back at the C&K Jones nursery. As rose specialist Keith Jones said: ”It’s so frustrating. But we’ll both be back for the Autumn Harrogate show in September when she will appear in all her glory!”

The Harrogate Rose was one of the last creations of the legendary Irish rose breeder, Sam McGredy.

Rosa Harrogate is a hybrid tea with an upright habit, which reaches about a metre in height and about 60-75 cms width. The wonderfully voluptuous flowers keep on coming from June to November. Rounded gold-centred blooms blending to lemon on the outer petals are usually produced singly but sometimes in 3s or more.

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Date: 10 June 2008

Marvellous Millie
Indomitable and astonishing would describe Camilla Rose Forbes for whom the Millie Rose is named. And this hardy rose has those same characteristics too. With its wonderful rich pink flowers and stunning perfume, the hybrid tea Millie Rose also shares an ability to turn heads. The bold quite large flowers appear from June to November and are surrounded by large, mid-green leaves on a plant 3ft high and 2ft wide.

The Millie Rose was introduced during BBC Gardeners World Live on June 11 at the NEC by Emmerdale star and fund-raising celebrity for the Anthony Nolan Trust*, Georgia Slowe. Rosa Millie is grown by rose specialist Keith Jones of C&K Jones who also has supported the Anthony Nolan Trust with another of his roses, Sweet Remembrance.

Camilla Rose Forbes battled for two years against acute myeloid leukaemia and during this time she initiated and tirelessly led “Millie’s Campaign for the Anthony Nolan Trust”. She was 21 when she died and, in spite of the debilitating effects of the disease, was responsible for inspiring thousands of people to join the Anthony Nolan Trust’s Donor Register. As a direct result of her efforts several leukaemia sufferers have been fortunate enough to receive much needed life-saving transplants.

Millie’s family have decided to launch the Millie Rose in her memory after test-growing the beautifully-scented rose at their family home in Aberdeenshire.

A donation to the Anthony Nolan Trust will be made for every rose purchased through C&K Jones.

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Date: 10 June 2008
Rosa Prince Caspian – a star is born
Rosa Prince Caspian was launched by Ben Barnes, the 26-year old British actor and lead character in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on Wednesday 11th June at BBC Gardener’s World Live in association with The Royal Horticultural Society at NEC Birmingham.

The stunning Rosa Prince Caspian is introduced by the popular rose nursery C&K Jones of Tarvin, Cheshire, and bred by internationally renowned rose breeder Tom Carruth of California. The vibrant red blooms on this softly scented, classic HT will hold their colour until the last petals drop. With upright bushy growth and elegant long stems of dark green foliage this is a must-have plant for anyone who loves red roses.

From the sale of each rose plant, a donation (20% of each sale) will go directly to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (Registered Charity no. 235825) as part of Disney’s partnership with the charity, to help raise an invaluable £10 million towards the hospital's much-needed redevelopment appeal.

On June 26, Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media will take audiences on an extraordinary journey back to the magical world of Narnia with the exciting new tale “Prince Caspian”. The lead actor in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is Ben Barnes. He is best known for his role in the drama "The History Boys" for London's National Theatre Company, the first West End staging of Alan Bennett’s award-winning play. He recently completed the film adaptation of Noel Coward’s “Easy Virtue” opposite Jessica Biel and Colin Firth, starred in the independent feature “Bigga Than Ben” and had a featured role in Matthew Vaughn's fantasy film “Stardust.”

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Brave Parents Big Day
Chris Beardshaw Rose Launched to help RNLI
Actor Geoffrey Hughes launches Wild Rover rose at Hampton Court Flower Show
New Rose Stands Tall in the Black Country
Choronation Street Rose

Red Rose for Roxanne
Sultry red, the Roxanne Pallett rose will bring a show-stopping aroma to the garden. Actress Roxanne Pallett is well known for her acting roles, such as Jo Stiles in ITV's Emmerdale, but now she also will be remembered for having her very own rose.  At this year's Southport Flower Show, the actress, a graduate of Liverpool's John Moore's University, was honoured to receive ‘The Roxanne Pallett Rose'.

On hearing the news Roxanne said: "This is absolutely wonderful and all the more precious as my Grandma used to take me to Southport Flower Show every year when I was little. It's a wonderful honour and one of which my Grandma would have been very proud."

In the summer of 2005, Roxanne Pallett joined the cast of Emmerdale and in the same year she performed in ITV's Discomania2 with Gloria Gaynor. She was also the winner of Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes as Gloria Estefan and many will also remember her coming fourth last year in ITV's Soapstar Superstar.

‘The Roxanne Pallett Rose' is a deep red hybrid tea rose that has been created by award-winning rose grower Keith Jones, of C&K Jones in Cheshire.

This tall beauty has semi-glossy leaves which, when new, are dark green.  Perhaps the most striking charm of the Roxanne Pallett rose is its perfume.  Best described as old-fashioned or  “as you’d expect a beautiful rose to smell”, the aroma from cut flowers demands an encore.

The roses are available for purchase at £10 each by telephoning C&K Jones on 01829 740663 or emailing contact us.

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Chris Beardshaw Rose launched to help RNLI
The Chris Beardshaw Rose was launched at the RHS Hampton Court Flower show in July.  Beautifully scented with soft pink blooms, the new rose was produced by international rose specialist C & K Jones.  Chris Beardshaw specifically asked for a donation (£2.50) to be made to the Royal Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for every rose sold.

TV gardener, award    winning designer, and author Chris Beardshaw , says  “The members of the RNLI are the most courageous and giving of people,” he said.  “It amazes me that they manage to exist as a voluntary organisation relying solely on donations to continue their work”.

The Chris Beardshaw Rose is a hybrid tea variety with luxurious soft flowers and sherbet-sweet fragrance.  Regular dead-heading will lead to abundant single and clustered blooms from June until November.  Enjoying a sunny position, this rose forms a medium height bush with glossy leaves. 

Chris Beardshaw has long been a favourite of scented roses.  He regrets the decision of some gardeners to concentrate on longevity to the detriment of fragrance.  “Fortunately, there is a resurgence of interest amongst some gardeners for the scented rose blooms,” Chris says.  “If you chart the evolution of roses, there are strong links back to a traditionally-scented plant like Rosa gallica officinalis, a loosely petalled rich pink bloom that was the main stay of the herbalist's garden in the thirteenth century.  So it’s particularly appropriate for me to be linked to a pink species now with its glorious aroma.”

This rose can be purchased for £12.50.  To order, pleasecontact us

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Actor Geoffrey Hughes launches Wild Rover rose at Hampton Court Flower Show.
Stage and screen actor Geoffrey Hughes could be forgiven for feeling typecast when he announced the extremely vigorous Wild Rover rose at the Hampton Court Flower Show at the beginning of July.

Three’s Company – breeder Colin Dickson, actor Geoffrey Hughes and introducer Keith Jones at the launch of Wild Rover.

As scallywag lodger, Eddie Yeats in Coronation Street , Onslow, the less-than-salubrious brother in law of Hyacinth Bouquet in Keeping Up Appearances and likeable rogue Vernon Scripps in Heartbeat, actor Geoffrey Hughes could have been modelling himself on the original “Wild Rover”.

He enjoyed being linked to the spectacular Wild Rover rose.  “I guess like the original Wild Rover, we’ve both acted as dodgy characters.  But there’s always another side.  I don’t know a lot about roses but I know a good one when I see it."

With evocative amethyst blooms coming from wonderful deep purple buds and a tantalising scent, the Wild Rover rose introduced by C&K Jones is ready to make an impact in gardens through its long flowering season from June to November.

The splendid Wild Rover rose will grow approximately to 1.2 metres as a freestanding floribunda shrub or can be trained as a small climber when it reaches no more than 2 metres displaying its sturdy, bushy habit.

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May 2007

New Rose Stands Tall in the Black Country

C&K Jones, the international rose specialists, have a new rose called Black Country Pride.  What better rose to represent the hopes and aspirations of the Black Country ?  Proud in name and proud in nature, the Black Country Pride (Franjolil) rose has an upright and robust appearance when it blooms in June.

With an unusual colour and forceful demeanor, this tall, lilac floribunda shrub, with its large clusters of small scented flowers amongst extremely glossy leaves, will define the renaissance of the Black Country as an “ Urban Park ”.

Black Country people are known for their individuality, and this dominant yet attractive rose is intended to symbolise their desire for a wealthier, healthier and more beautiful future.

This wonderful lilac rose will make a dramatic impact wherever it is grown – so look out for it in the Black Country , or contact us direct.

The new rose was featured on the C&K Jones stand at BBC Gardeners’ World LIVE at the NEC from 13 June.

The Black Country Pride rose was selected for this important, visionary role by the Black Country Consortium.

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Coronation Street Rose
Launched to celebrate 50 years of ITV the "Coronation Street" rose had its official debut with Alan(Tyrone) and Samia(Maria) at the Southport Flower show in 2005.

This vivid scarlet dwarf floribunda flowers constantly from June to November, the compact habit makes it ideal for growing in a pot or in the border. The matt foliage has proven to be very healthy. To order this rose please call us on:01829740663