Eutin Rose (Rosa rosa “Eutin”)

We lost one of the original roses along Rose Alley last summer. Whether its demise can be attributed to the replacement of the fence posts, which were cemented in this time or to old age, is not known. It is difficult to say how old this particular bush was but it is certainly over 15 years old. There were two floribunda roses among the multiflora roses that we put in when the Pershing Parking lot was built. The multiflora roses were removed and replaced by more manageable bushes several years ago but these two were good growers and controllable so they were left in place.

Ordinarily the rose of choice for a replacement would have been a Knockout rose. They are basically carefree and seem to thrive in the poor, dry soil of this area. However, an antique rose cultivar “Eutin”, pronounced oy-teen, turned up in one of the local markets. This rose has also been sold under the name “Hoosier Glory” and, according to the Antique Rose Emporium, as “Rustler’s Skyrocket.”

This floribunda rose was introduced in 1940 by W. Kordes’ Söhne of northern Germany. This company is known worldwide for its 120 year old rose breeding

program. They hybridize and breed florist’s roses and garden roses and are responsible for producing some of the most famous rose varieties available today. Their

Eutin Rose

Eutin Rose

garden roses are known for their hardiness and disease resistance.

“Eutin” is said to be a good cold climate rose, hardy to zone 4. It is resistant to rust and mildew and its leathery foliage is impervious to fungus. It will take some shade, which is a good thing when you are planting roses near buildings. It accepts hot dry conditions and , while it will not reach its maximum potential under these conditions, it survives and produces flowers. Under ideal conditions the bushes will reach 5 feet in height and will spread to 4 feet.

The flowers are the outstanding quality of the ‘Eutin” rose. They form enormous clusters of up to 50 flowers. The flowers are a dark red and are double with 17 to 25 petals. While it is considered a small rose, it makes up for its size in sheer abundance. The flowers are long lasting but have very little fragrance. Best of all it is a repeat bloomer.

Finding this rose was a very lucky happenstance. The roses on the Pershing lot grow under less than ideal conditions. The soil is poor, they are constantly bombarded with exhaust fumes and the persistent wind in this area dries the soil rapidly. This seems to be an ideal rose for the area.