The things I do for this blog. I didn’t know much about the growing habits of this week’s Rose of the Week so I just drove down to my rose garden (on my ride-on mower) in the pitch black of night to have a look at my bush so I don’t lead you astray in this post.
So, what can I tell you?
The bush is typical of a hybrid tea rose – the foliage is a bit sparse and the bush a bit leggy. The foliage is a healthy, deep, dark green. The leaves are large. What I noticed in the dark is that the flowers are produced singularly on long stems that are held well above the foliage. I could tell this even though there were no blooms on the bush, as I am yet to dead head Sundance after the spring flush and I could see all the large hips floating above the foliage. These strong, long stems make the blooms perfect for the vase.
Sundance grows to 1.5 metres, though mine is not much more than one metre.
I picked the only two buds on the bush, there were no blooms. The buds are high centred and a brilliant deep golden colour, with a hint of orange on the rim of the petals. If you look closely, you will see the orange rim in places. As the bloom develops, the petals brighten into a brilliant golden-yellow, rimmed in vivid orange pink.
The blooms are described in the literature as unfading. I can vouch for this. It is heating up here and you can see that the colour is very strong. Sundance is also described as a great rose for a hot-spot in your rose garden. Clearly, it copes well with the heat.
The fragrance is supposedly light and sweet but, if you are looking for a fragrant rose, I wouldn’t choose Sundance. There is not much at all.
The bush is reported to have good disease resistance. Mine is perfectly healthy at the moment. I don’t recall how it copes in early spring and late autumn when all but the most resilient succumb to black spot.
Sundance was bred by Zary and released in Australia by Swane’s.
This is the bloom in the first photo one day later. Still perfect.
Passion Fruit Garden 
Beautiful color on this one. I’m picturing you on your mower in the dark…did you have one of those headlights that miners wear on their helmets?
Hi Di. My mower has headlights. Why? I don’t know but it does. 🙂 They come in handy sometimes when I need a lemon or an orange or when I need to check out a rose 🙂
We have a neighbor who hitches up a small haywagon to take a bunch of kids around trick or treating so maybe that’s why they need those headlights. You’ll get a kick out of a comment my daughter made when she was very young. I got a new vacuum cleaner & was saying how they could have saved some money by not bothering with the headlight on that thing & she said “oh if we lost the electricity, then you could see where you’re vacuuming”. Umm…Nik, darling …never mind.
🙂 Who wants to vacuum or mow at night? Its a crazy world.
Why wear anything at all? It would have been just you & nature – You made me laugh.
Look forward to your blogs in 2015 & many thanks for all your hard work this year, you should be proud of yourself. I think Maureen also deserves a mention for all her fetching & carrying etc !!!!! Deb x
Hi Deb, you are too kind. Me an nature? I don’t think so.
That’s just gorgeous but what I’d like is a photo of you on the ride-on wearing your jammies.
This gives me rose bush envy, that’s for sure.
Maureen, you most certainly would not like to see me wearing night gear. It is not a sight to behold 😦
Absolutely beautiful, thank you for all the information…
Thanks Lyn