Hanagasa: A Seizo Suzuki Rose

I have a small section in my rose garden that is devoted to Japanese roses, primarily hybridized by the late Seizo Suzuki. It was through his efforts before and after World War II that roses became popular in Japan. Most of his hybrids are not commonly grown in the United States and so I was thrilled when my colleague John Bagnasco gave me a rooted cutting of Suzuki's 'Hanagasa'. Despite its diminutive size in a one-gallon pot, it bore three buds that just recently opened up. The coral-red, double-flowered blossoms are not only beautiful to behold, but also offer a heavenly perfume. Hanagasa, translated means, "the flower of society," and is also the name of a festival held every year in Kyoto where a parade of dancing celebrants twirl floral-covered umbrellas. Later this spring, I will plant this gorgeous floribunda climber on an obelisk so it too can properly twirl and dance in the breeze and stand watch over the rest of my society of roses.