“The last rose of Bob’s [Matthews] to win was ‘In Loving Memory’ in 2010.”
Matthews Roses was established by Tom Matthews and is now owned by his son Bob. Samantha is the third generation to be involved in the business.
The winning rose, a glowing orange coral floribunda, was named after the woman who discovered it.
“It’s a sport, or genetic mutation, of Bob’s rose called ‘My Mum’, which is a really special rose to us,” Matthews said.
“Allison is a prominent rosarian and a lovely person. She sent it [the sport] to Bob, we trialled it, and it was really healthy and beautiful.
“We’ve always been proud of being rose growers from Whanganui, and it’s cool to win an award like this.”
She said the rose would be available by 2024.
“The thing with the trial grounds is, it’s all brand new roses, and many might not have been released yet.
“It takes two more years to commercially produce a rose.
“Keep a look out for it.”
