In a sea of dozens upon dozens of beautiful fresh roses – only one can reign as the fairest of them all.

Roses of all hues and types were in abundance at Pāpāmoa Garden Circle’s annual rose show and competition on November 8.

“There’s mainly hybrid tea roses and a lot of people have David Austin Roses, and old fashioned roses with some that you don’t see now,” says club president Marilyn McLeod.

“They can be quite spectacular.”

Marilyn says about 60 blooms were on display, with growers vying for the Champion Rose title and the Rose Cup.

“The Rose Cup is fiercely contested that’s for sure! That’s the eagerly-awaited one – and to see who gets the Champion Rose.

"We go and have a look at what the judges come up with.

"It’s quite amazing because you think you’ve done quite well yourself then you see someone else has better roses.”

This wasn’t the case for Marilyn this year however – she won Champion Rose and the Rose Cup!

“With the rain and cold my roses haven’t opened up as quickly as I would’ve liked – but, no, every rose I put in got a prize so I was quite chuffed.”

Marilyn’s Champion Rose is a fully-opened Hamilton Gardens Hybrid Tea.

“It’s like a peachy, apricot, cream – so three colours in one. It’s quite a nice rose really.”

Pāpāmoa Garden Circle next meets February 2024, the second Wednesday of each month, at 80 Alice Lane, Gordon Spratt Reserve, Pāpāmoa. For more information, email: macmar1@yahoo.com