Rosa "Piccadilly", 2 l pot

• Type: hybrid tea rose (large-flowered)
• Botanical name: Rosa 'Piccadilly'
• Origin: bred by Sam McGredy IV (Northern Ireland, bred 1955, introduced 1959), registered as MACar
• Height and spread: 75–110 cm tall, 60–85 cm wide
• Flowering: repeat flowering in flushes from June to October; bicolour blooms: bright scarlet petal faces with a golden-yellow reverse and base; double (about 25 petals), about 11 cm across, high-centred
• Fragrance: light fruity fragrance
• Light: full sun, at least 6 hours a day
• Soil: fertile, loose, loamy, pH 6–6.5, free-draining
• Hardiness: USDA 6b; needs winter protection in Estonia: mound with soil and cover with spruce boughs
• Disease resistance: good black spot resistance, moderate resistance to powdery mildew and rust
• Use: rose gardens, beds, cutting
• Size: potted rose plant

Planting. Potted roses can be planted from spring to early October. Choose a sunny spot (at least 6 hours of sun a day) with good air flow and fertile, loose, loamy, slightly acid soil (pH 6–6.5) that does not stay waterlogged. Dig a 50×50 cm hole and set the graft union 3–5 cm below the surface. Space plants 40–50 cm apart.

Watering and feeding. Water deeply but infrequently — 10–15 L per plant once or twice a week in dry spells, at the base, not over the leaves. Feed with a nitrogen or complete rose fertiliser in spring, a complete feed in June–July, and from late July only potassium and phosphorus without nitrogen so the stems ripen before winter. A compost mulch keeps the soil moist.

Care. In spring, after removing the winter cover, cut stems back to 3–5 buds (15–25 cm) and remove weak and frost-damaged wood. In summer cut spent blooms back to the first full leaf to speed up the next flush. In late October–November, after the first frosts, mound the base with soil or compost 20–25 cm high and cover with spruce boughs; remove the cover gradually in April.

Gardener's tip. Needs winter protection in Estonia: mound with soil and cover with spruce boughs. To keep 'Piccadilly' healthy (good black spot resistance, moderate resistance to powdery mildew and rust), plant it in an open, airy spot and clear fallen leaves in autumn.