Harkness Roses

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Harkness Roses was established in 1879 in Bedale, Yorkshire by brothers, John Harkness (1857-1933) and Robert Harkness (1851-1920). In 1882, John and Robert began to grow and exhibit roses. Their new rose business was a great success; Queen Victoria purchased her roses from Harkness & Sons in the 1890s. John and Robert soon realized that Yorkshire's climate was too cold for an expanding rose growing business. In 1892, they decided to established a branch of the firm in a location with a warmer climate. Neither brother wanted to leave Yorkshire, so it was decided by a coin toss that Robert would move to Hitchin, Hertfordshire to establish the new branch of Harkness and Sons. In 1901, John and Robert decided to dissolve the company and create two separate nurseries. Robert established R. Harkness & Co, today known as Harkness Roses.{{cite book |last1=Shields |first1=Pamela |title=Harkness Roses: Stories behind the names |date=2014 |publisher=Create Space Independent Publishing |isbn=978-1496198938}}

Early varieties of Harkness Roses include a sport of hybrid perpetual, 'Heinrich Schultheis', introduced in 1893 as 'Mrs. Harkness'. In the 1950s, Harkness popularized 'Frensham' and 'Ena Harkness',{{cite web |title=Ena Harkness |url=https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.2620 |website=Help me find roses |accessdate=4 July 2020}} both introduced in 1946 in the United Kingdom{{cite web |title=Frensham rose |url=https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.2861.0 |website=Help Me find roses |accessdate=4 July 2020}}

Image: Rosa Anne Harkness.jpg

Jack Harkness (1918-1994) was the grandson of the original co-founder John Harkness.{{cite web |title=Harkness |url=https://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=7.6105 |website=Help me find Roses |accessdate=15 May 2020}} He established the first rose hybridization program at the company in 1962, developing vigorous, healthy roses by hybridizing from wild rose species. Early successes were with hybrid teas, and then later with floribundas.{{cite web |last1=Mack |first1=Donna |title=The Other English Roses - the Great Peter Harkness |url=https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/the-other-english-roses-the-great-peter-harkness |website=Dave's Garden |accessdate=13 June 2020}} In the 1970s he began breeding with Rosa persica, an unusual rose species with simple leaves.{{cite journal |last1=Schramm |first1=Darrelll |title=Chinese Wilson and his species Roses |journal=The Rose Letter |date=2017 |volume=41 |issue=4 |pages=17 |url=https://www.theheritagerosesgroup.org/public-newsletters/2017-november-hrg-rose-letter-1.pdf |accessdate=13 June 2020}} During his career, Harkness developed many successful rose cultivars, including 'Alexander', 'Mountbatten' and 'Amber Queen'. He is best known for his floribundas and hybrid tea roses.{{cite book |last1=Hessayon |first1=D.G. |title=The Rose Expert |date=1996 |publisher=Expert |isbn=978-0903505475 |pages=139}}

Robert Harkness, son of Jack Harkness (1951-2012), bred more than seventy rose varieties during his career. Among his best known varieties are: Rosa 'Belmonte' and 'Princess of Wales'. Philip Harkness, Jack's son and Robert's brother continues today as co-owner of Harkness Roses.{{cite web |title=Rose breeder Robert Harkness died |url=https://www.newplantsandflowers.com/rose-breeder-robert-harkness-died/ |website=New Plants and Flowers |accessdate=4 July 2020}}{{cite web |title=Tribute to rose grower and breeder Robert Harkness |url=https://www.gardenforum.co.uk/news/people/tribute-to-rose-grower-and-breeder-robert-harkness/ |website=Garden Forum |accessdate=4 July 2020}}

Today Harkness Roses is run by Philip Harkness (Chairman) and David White (Managing Director) alongside their small team of horticulturists. Philip, David and their team have recently released a number of extremely popular new cultivars including ‘The Captain Tom’ rose, the ‘John Ystumllyn Rose’, ‘The Duke of Edinburgh Rose’ and ‘The Queen Elizabeth II Rose’ as well as winning a Gold Medal at Chelsea Flower Show in 2021.

Poet, Ted Hughes, worked at the nursery during the summer of 1955: "The job is following round the expert as he grafts expensive rose-buds onto common bushes, and doing all the trimming and tying-up-with-raffia—a back-breaking job apparently, but outside, and with roses, and with good employers."(p.29, Letters of Ted Hughes ed. Christopher Reid, pub. 2007)

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• 'Mrs. Harkness' (1893)
• 'Frensham' (1946)
• 'Ena Harkness' (1946)
• 'Alexander' (1972)
• 'Compassion' (1972)
• 'Yesterday' (1974)
• 'Margaret Merril' (1978)
• 'Anne Harkness' (1979)
• 'Amber Queen' (AARS) (1983)
• 'Bill Slim' (1987)
• 'Savoy Hotel' (1989)
• 'Princess of Wales' (1997)
• 'Pride of England' (1998)
• 'Bridge of Sighs' (2000)
• 'Rosa Belmonte' (2007)
• 'Duke of Edinburgh' (2021)

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{{reflist}}

• [https://harknessrosecompany.com/ Harkness Roses homepage]
• [https://www.chelseabarracks.com/journal/stories/rose-grower-philip-harkness/ Interview with rose grower Philip Harkness]

{{commons|Roses by Harkness}}

Category:Horticultural companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Rose breeders

Category:Organizations established in 1879

Category:Plant nurseries