When the Tea Rose book was released Viru Viraraghavan, the famous Indian rosarian who breeds beautiful roses in India, bred and released 'Aussie Sixer' in honour of the Tea Ladies who wrote the book. When 'Aussie Sixer' arrived in Australia it was Quarantined at Treloar Roses in Portland Victoria. The Tea Ladies received their roses by Australia Post in 2012. Di Durston says "I love 'Aussie Sixer' and with our weather conditions it flourishes in my garden"
"Australia and India are two countries in which cricket has become almost a religion. One of the most spectacular achievements on the cricket field is the ‘sixer’ – when a batsman hits the ball so hard that it lifts up high and sails over the field and into the stadium, earning him six runs to his total). Similarly in the field of rose books, the new book on Tea Roses, written by six enterprising, indefatigable and knowledgeable ladies from Australia, is a spectacular achievement. Just as the Tea Rose Book is a sparkling new assessment of what is old, the parentage of my ‘Aussie Sixer’ is a combination of the best of old and hopefully of the new – one of the oldest of Tea roses, ‘Safrano’ combined with the Noisette, ‘Reve d’Or’ and the species Rosa
gigantea itself. In other words, ‘Aussie Sixer’ is the result of crossing Safrano x my ‘Manipur Magic’ ( R.gigantea x Reve d’Or). We were keen to name a rose to honour the tremendous work done by the six ladies, and after getting their permission, we have named this seedling of ours ‘Aussie Sixer’. It has been sent to the International Rose Registration Authority for registration. We hope in the coming years to have it available in Australia. It already is, in the USA." Viru Viraraghavan, Rosarian, India 2010
This is so interesting! How lovely that someone appreciated the book so much that they bred and named a rose after you. I followed the link to read about him, and his wife. Such dedication to roses. Thanks for sharing this.