Two roses today, the father ‘Alexander Hill Gray’ on the right and the son ‘Alister Stella Gray’ on the left. That is in name only as they are genetically unrelated roses.
‘Alexander Hill Gray’ a Tea rose dates from 1909 and was bred in Northern Ireland by Alexander Dickson II. The lineage is unknown, the records were lost in a fire in the 1930s. When introduced this rose was awarded a gold medal by the National Rose Society and was considered one of the best yellow Tea roses at the time. A highly popular exhibition rose until the 1940s when surpassed by better show varieties.
Described as lemon in colour but for me, it is vanilla ice cream. Classic high centred buds, the petals neatly scroll as the bloom opens. Such a stunning rose! Moderate sweet fragrance for a Tea said to be that of violets. Not a large rose, around 90cm to 1.20m, larger in warm climates. Hates rain or high humidity but luxuriates on hot dry days. USDA zone 7a and warmer. Widely available in Australia, and the States. In the UK, the only stockist I can find is Peter Beales.
Alexander Hill Gray was born in India in 1837 and educated at Stoneyhurst College. He returned to India in 1857 and became an interpreter for the British troops in the Sikh Cavalry during the Mutiny. He then travelled extensively through India, the Himalayas, Russia, Europe and down to South Africa. He was a keen photographer taking over 6000 images, which are now held at Stoneyhurst College. During these travels, he made a considerable fortune trading in precious stones such as diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. In 1867 he married Marcella Kerr, from a Scottish family heavily involved in the Jamaican sugar trade. Tragically Marcella died in 1877 just four days after the birth of her first child. The death record has her as Stella rather than Marcella and her name was used as a memorial middle name for her son Alister Stella Gray.
Alexander settled into a quieter life, and began to grow and show roses in Scotland. In 1885 he moved to Beaulieu House near Bath with a gentler climate than Scotland to grow his Tea roses. He employed one hundred men to terrace the gardens where it is reputed, he grew over 10,000 roses’. Both Beaulieu House and gardens have long disappeared under suburban expansion.
A successful rose exhibitor Alexander won the National Rose Society’s Amateur Trophy fourteen times in succession, and was an Honorary Vice President of The National Rose Society from 1920 to 1926-1927. In 1894 he bred a climbing noisette rose and named this rose after his son Alister Stella Gray.
Introduced by George Paul in 1894 this rose remains a firm favourite today. ‘Alister Stella Gray’ produces clusters of blooms of changing sizes, small clusters in the early summer increasing to large panicles in the autumn. His long pointed egg yolk yellow buds open to small lemony buff full petalled silky blooms showing a range of petal formations. Sometimes cupped, quartered or a charming untidy mass of petaloids but always with a button eye. The centre petals retain their colour as the outer guard petals fade to creamy white. As the season progresses the petal colour darkens to a rich apricoty gold. Repeat blooms but Graham Stuart Thomas reports his father picked a bud for his buttonhole most days from July to October, so this rose is continuously in bloom all summer. I planted this rose last winter beside a new summer house so I hope he will climb up the walls and over the roof. Time will tell.
A vigorous rose, ‘Alister Stella Gray’ can reach 4m in height and width, so you need some space to accommodate him. Can be grown as a large shrub as well. Small tidy fresh green glossy foliage sets off the blooms very well. Smooth stems with few thorns. Hardy USDA zone 5b-10b and he prefers dry weather, hating damp cool days. Available worldwide
‘Alister Stella Gray’ holds an RHS award of garden merit. There is a slight propensity for mildew and blackspot later in the summer so watch those leaves carefully. Can hold onto old dying petals so deadhead if these annoy you or give a quick blast with a leaf blower!
Alister himself married into the Kerr family; his wife, a cousin, was also a Marcella. He moved to Jamaica to work in the family sugar plantation business and died in 1957. I wonder if he ever grew his namesake rose there?
Rose of the Day 