TEN ROSES NAMED AFTER FAMOUS SOUTH AFRICANS

Ludwig’s Roses celebrates prominent South Africans with a rose named in their honour. Each rose embodies the being of its laureate and represents what they stand for

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Rose: Nelson Mandela™

Laureate: Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa

This tall rose is covered in shiny, dark-green foliage. Like Madiba’s bold yet formal shirts, it eschews the classic floribunda appearance and bears a profusion of semi-double blooms. A disease-resistant stalwart, it can stand on its own as a focal point or used to screen a wall or fence.

A percentage of the price of each rose is donated to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Rose: Walter Sisulu

Laureate: Walter Sisulu, anti-apartheid activist

Tall growing, this hybrid tea has enormous, perfectly shaped, blood-red blooms that don’t fade in the sun. Like its namesake, it has an incredible built-in vigour and can be planted in any sunny position where it will perform with minimum care.

A percentage of the price of each rose is donated to The Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa.

Rose: Albertina Sisulu

Laureate: Albertina Sisulu, anti-apartheid activist

With its delicate blend of white and cream shades, this vigorous novelty rose complements the red of ‘Walter Sisulu’. Symmetrical, lightly fragrant blooms unfold into graceful candelabras of pickable stems. New shoots sprout from the base up to 1,5m high. It flowers for most of the year and can thrive with little maintenance in almost all sunny positions.

Rose: Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Laureate: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Anglican cleric and human rights activist

This rose bears full, nostalgic, cup-shaped, long-lasting blooms with firm petals. It grows into a loosely branched shrub that sprouts flowering stems from base to tip from spring into winter.

A portion of the price of each rose is donated to the Tygerberg Children’s Hospital in Cape Town of which the Archbishop and Mrs Tutu are patrons.

Rose: Candice

Laureate: Candice Morgan, deaf community ambassador and former Miss Deaf SA

Raising awareness of the issues faced by the deaf community, ‘Candice’ is a Fairy Tale variety with the typical flower shape and distinctive perfume of the romantic roses of yesteryear. The colour is a blend of deep cream and pink with a faint striping. This graceful bush reaches between hip and chest height.

Candice is planting her rose at schools for the deaf around the country.

Rose: Fordyce

Laureate: Bruce Fordyce, ultra-marathon champion

This rose was named after legendary athlete Bruce Fordyce and his family for their promotion of health and fitness through Parkruns in South Africa.

The first of a new generation of Stamina roses, ‘Fordyce’ is hardy, drought tolerant and disease resistant. Each cream-white based petal has tones of pink that become more concentrated towards the edges. Ludwig’s Rose Farm is one of 130 Parkrun venues across the country.

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Rose: Elize Cawood

Laureate: Elize Cawood, award-winning actress

This rose recognises the actress’s contribution to theatre, film and television over the past 20 years. Pearl-white blooms with soft-pink centres are carried on long elegant stems. Each one opens into the perfect classically shaped hybrid tea that produces plenty of blooms for the vase.

Rose: Dikgang Moseneke

Laureate: Dikgang Mosenke, former Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa

This Antico Moderno scarlet-red rose slowly opens into large, full-petalled blooms that last well in the vase. The bush grows to shoulder height and flowers prolifically.

Rose: Nomzamo

Laureate: Nomzamo Mbatha, actress and UNHCR ambassador

‘Nomzamo’ is a South African-bred rose that produces an endless supply of densely petalled, lightly fragrant, rosette-shaped blooms in warm salmon apricot. It grows into a sturdy shrub with glossy green leaves.

A portion of sales is donated to The Groundsix Lighthouse Non-Profit Organisation that supports sufferers of depression and anxiety.