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| Equinox 2006 District Convention Mini-Flora Queen Show by Suzanne Horn Photo by Glenn Fiery |
A cross of an Undisclosed Seedling x Memphis King, Equinox is a medium sized mini-flora that has some of the most outstanding and consistent form I’ve ever seen on a rose. The blooms are high-centered with exquisite exhibition form, excellent substance, and present anywhere from 26 to 40 petals. Beautiful pointed buds unfurl to reveal perfectly spiraled blooms with pinpoint centers, and it is one of those rare roses that literally speaks excellence to you at first glance.
Equinox is a prolific bloomer that will give you beautiful, well balanced sprays as well as outstanding “one bloom per stem” entries. Those superb blossoms are cloaked in light green, matte foliage and are presented on long straight stems. In short, it is an exhibitor’s dream, and I predict it will be topping trophy tables from coast to coast as its distribution widens. I’ve already won a Queen and two Kings with this rose in its first season at the shows.
Equinox is classified by the American Rose Society as an orange blend (ob), and it presents as a bright, eye-catching medium orange with a white reverse. To me, the color is reminiscent of a delicious ice cream treat called a “creamsicle”, which is a popsicle blend of vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet. Although it is not a fragrant rose, its color always strikes me as “delicious”, and the phrase “eye candy” immediately comes to mind.
Its name was actually inspired by that captivating bi-color. Hybridizer Robbie Tucker states, “There are only two days in a year the sun shines for the same length of time (12 hours) everywhere on the globe. This day of perfect balance is called the Equinox. We believe this Orange with a white reverse to be properly named as it's exhibition blooms are almost always in perfect balance with pin point centers framed by lush light green foliage.”
The growth habit of Equinox is robust, vigorous, and upright. It grows to about 36" tall and is excellent for container growing. It blooms and thrives all year long, even in the most intense heat of summer when most other roses are looking their worst. I would rate its disease resistance as medium, and a regular spray program will keep this rose looking its best, either for the show table or in the garden.
For the home gardeners among our readers, Equinox is an excellent choice. A bed or border of these beauties makes an eye-catching splash of color in the landscape. Furthermore, the long-stemmed roses and sprays produce lovely displays as cut flowers for the home and office.
The exhibitors among us will quickly recognize Equinox is a rising star in the mini-flora ranks. Even with limited distribution, it is winning royalty consistently. This rose has all the right stuff to be a top show rose – splendid exhibition form, gorgeous color, great substance, attractive foliage, and long stems presenting those beautiful blooms in perfect balance and proportion.
In conclusion, I simply cannot recommend Equinox highly enough. It is one of the best roses I’ve ever grown. I already have 14 of them! Equinox is available exclusively from Rosemania (www.rosemania.com), which is an excellent and reliable vendor. So whether you’re looking for a colorful new addition to your garden or a showstopper on the trophy table, this gorgeous new mini-flora is the rose for you!
