Rosa Gloria Day
This rose is the most famous in the world. It is loved and grown in all countries, including Our Country. And this is no coincidence – she has a lot of advantages! Also a very interesting story.

In Our Country and Germany, she is known as Gloria Dei. In Italy it is called Gioia, and in English-speaking countries it is called Peace. But the author of the variety, French rose grower Francis Meilland, called her differently – Madame A. Meilland, in honor of her mother, who died very young.

This incomparable variety was born during the Second World War. Then in France it was restless, the country was about to be captured by the Nazis, and in order to save the planting material, the cuttings of this rose were taken to the United States – in diplomatic baggage. And unmarked. It was propagated in an American nursery and in 1945 it went on sale. In the same year, Gloria Day returned to France and received a new name – Peace, that is, “peace” (1).

And after 5 years, she came out on top in popularity among roses – in the 50s and 60s of the last century, she turned out to be the best-selling in the world. And it was these roses that adorned all the post-war meetings of the UN.

Description of the rose Gloria Day

When Gloria Day appeared, she immediately set a new quality standard – no one had seen such magnificent roses before.

Her flowers are magnificent at all stages of dissolution – from buds to full disclosure. They are large, terry, up to 14 cm in diameter, terry – each with 32 petals (2). The petals are pale yellow with pink, crimson, or as often written with a light carmine coating on the tips. Over time, under the rays of the sun becomes creamy pink. This is in its classic form, but in culture the variety is quite variable. Saturation and shades of color may vary depending on the time of year and the region where it grows. The aroma also changes. Many describe it as very rich, bright, with fruity notes. And in other gardens, Gloria Day does not smell at all. And in reference books they usually write that her flower beds are weakly fragrant (3). But in any case, it blooms very profusely.

Bushes at Gloria Day are powerful, up to 120 cm high, with large glossy dark green leaves. They are so pretty that even without flowers they look very impressive.

But the best part is that the variety is not susceptible to diseases – only in the southern regions it is slightly affected by spotting. And it is also very frost-resistant – at the latitude of the Lipetsk region, for example, it winters without shelter.

The variety belongs to the group of hybrid tea roses.

Photo roses Gloria Day

Reviews of the rose Gloria Day

Both experts and ordinary gardeners speak of her with epithets exclusively in superlatives: unsurpassed, magnificent, amazing, breathtaking.

Gloria Day is the most famous rose of the XNUMXth century. Despite its venerable age, the variety is still popular with gardeners, – says the mistress of the rose garden, which contains more than 100 varieties of roses, Oksana Borsieva. This is a classic hybrid tea rose. Quite frost-resistant and resistant to disease, although cases of emergency are not uncommon. Very large flowers with an interesting combination of yellow and pink shades, depending on the conditions, light and soil type.

“It’s not for nothing that she became so popular,” he says. agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova, – after all, it combines the best qualities: luxurious flowers, disease resistance and increased frost resistance. And the last two points are very important for roses that are grown in the harsh conditions of our country.

Planting roses Gloria Day

If rose seedlings with a closed root system, in containers, they can be planted from mid-May to the end of September. If in boxes – these are sold from the end of winter to May, then planting should be in mid-May – it is very difficult to keep these seedlings for a long time.

“Seedlings in boxes are always cheaper, but in this case I do not advise taking them,” says agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – Not only are they often overdried, they do not take root well and often die, but also their sorting rate is very high. And it is the most popular varieties that are faked most of all. It is better to buy seedlings with ZKS and during flowering – so you will know for sure that this is Gloria Day.

It is better to choose a planting site that is flat or with a slight slope, but in no case a lowland – frosts are stronger there, and water accumulates, and roses really do not like getting wet.

The soil should be loose and rich in organic matter.

Rose Care Gloria Day

You need to care for this variety in the same way as for others.

Watering. From mid-May until the end of summer, Gloria Day should be watered once a week, 1 buckets per bush. And in September, watering should be halved and the rate should be halved, that is, watered once every 2 weeks and 1 bucket per bush.

Feeding. For lush long flowering and good winter hardiness, roses need a lot of fertilizer. Both mineral and organic. You can find a detailed diagram in our article.

Pruning. Pruning roses depends on which group the variety belongs to. Gloria Day – hybrid tea. Therefore, when pruning, 2-3 buds should be left on each shoot. Shoots must be powerful and strong, remove all weak ones completely. And it is better to prune roses in early spring, as soon as the shelter was removed.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about the rose Gloria Day with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova – she answered the most popular questions of summer residents.

Where to buy a rose Gloria Day?

It is best to buy rose seedlings in specialized nurseries, large garden centers or from private collectors. But most importantly, always buy roses during flowering – so you will definitely understand if this is the right variety. 

Roses in boxes, although they are cheaper, but this is a bad option – there is often regrading.

How to propagate a Gloria Day rose?

Like other varieties, Gloria Day can be propagated by cuttings or by grafting on frost-resistant rose hips. This rose does not reproduce by seeds – hybrids do not retain the characteristics of their parents.

Is it possible to grow a Gloria Day rose in Siberia and the Urals?

In general, the maximum frost resistance of roses does not exceed -15 ° C. However, it is successfully grown in regions where frosts are as low as -40, but, of course, good shelter will be required for the winter. 

By the way, this variety is included in the Register of Breeding Achievements and recommended, including for the Urals and Siberia.

Sources of

  1. Meilland Alain, Lambert Gilles. Meilland, a Life in Roses // Southern Illinois Univ Pr, 1984
  2. Rosa Gloria Day // State Register of Breeding Achievements
  3. https://reestr.gossortrf.ru/sorts/6651909/
  4. Dyakova T.N. Decorative trees and shrubs: new in the design of your garden // M .: Kolos, 2001 – 360 p.

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