'Buffy Sainte-Marie' A Hybrid Tea whose parents are Minis

One interesting note about the parents of this Hybrid Tea is that they are both Miniature roses and are the same parents as for 'Glowing Amber', 'Golden Beryl' and other minis of mine.

As both parents have a HT as their father, their offspring always gives me 20 to 30% big roses, mostly floribundas but occasionally a HT (see nicely coloured photo of 'unnamed HT'). As you can see in the different photos of this rose, it has a beautiful blend of orange/gold salmon/coral and pink-- with an orange/gold reverse and has between 20 to 30 petals. The blooms are 3 to 4" in dia. on sprays, and 5" or more when disbudded and grown as a single. The bush grows only about 30 to 40" high. I have counted 45 blooms per spray. When exhibited as a single Fl. I have won 4 trophies with it in the first 2 years. It's greatest asset is showing it single, disbudded.

It is also a good garden rose as the large sprays on mature bushes give an incredible display of colors, not all blooms opening at the same time. This rose prefers the cooler more moderate climates. This rose has a special story to it : It is named after the well known folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, who is a First Nations Canadian born in Saskatchewan. She grew up in the States and now lives in Hawaii. In the sixties and early seventies, she became well known for writing such songs as Universal Soldier, Until It's Time For You To Go, and Eagle Man/Changing Women. In the late seventies she made appearances on Sesame Street.

Accolades accumulated in the last two decades. An Oscar was won for her song : 'Up Where We Belong'. In France, she was awarded Best International Artist for her 1993 CD, Coincidence And Likely Stories. In her home province, the Saskatchewan Recording Industry Association gave her its Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1995, she was inducted into the JUNO Hall of Fame, and in the late nineties she has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada. All this is only a fraction of her achievements.

How did we get to name this rose after her?? My wife and I liked her folk music very much, and after we saw interviews with her on CBC television we were even more impressed. It was my wife's idea to name a rose after her. When the folk singer gave a concert in Vancouver, B.C., we went backstage after the show to ask her about giving her name to a new rose. She liked the idea and said yes because she likes roses. After one more year of tests I applied for the registration and in June 1998, just in time for the Seattle rose show, it was accepted by the I.R.A.R. At it's first show, 'Buffy Sainte-Marie' won the Trophy for Best Single disbudded Floribunda.

‘Buffy Sainte-Marie’ Rose now “Reclassified” from Fl. to HT
(See American Rose Mag. Aug.03, pg.35)

This information is only important to "Rose Exhibitors", as for a garden rose it does not make a difference!

Reason for change: This rose produces beautiful single disbudded blooms for exhibition. Since 1998 it won several trophies for Best Single FL., and also a single Fl. floating in a bowl. At our local Vancouver, BC 2002 show, three single blooms in one vase won the trophy for “MOST MERITORIOUS EXHIBIT” in Division II . ("all vases" of HT’s, Fl. &OGR)

For the last two years many of my friends suggested to change the classification to HT. I finally applied for the change just before our local 2003 show. I have had 20 or more disbudded blooms 2 weeks before the show as we had an early spring. Only one smaller bloom of 4 1/2 “ diameter was left for the show and to my surprise it almost won Queen. It came in a close second (King! ) with 3 - 2 for the other bloom, as the judges had told me later. Had it been over 5 inches it could have won Queen easily. Since then many exhibitors were asking me where to buy plants of ‘Buffy Sainte-Marie’. Note that at the 2006 Vancouver Rose Society show ‘Buffy Sainte-Marie’ won "BEST H.T. in SHOW"(Queen in USA rose shows)

Please note, that ‘Buffy Saint-Marie’ is only available from Hortico, in Ontario, eastern Canada at the moment.

There are several photos of 'Buffy Sainte-Marie' in my Floribunda Gallery. Note that this rose is now classified as a Hybrid Tea (see above) and the images will eventually be moved out of the Floribunda gallery...

George Mander
February 2004