Rosa 'Overedclimb'

Rosa 'Overedclimb' Cherry Frost™ on low water in June 2022 at UC Davis. Photo: SK Reid.

Summary

South Coast Research & Extension Center (South Coast REC/SCREC) is located in Irvine California, this site has a sandy loam soil and plants are irrigated with reclaimed water. UC Davis is located in Davis, California, this site has a silty clay loam soil and plants are irrigated with potable water. More information about the field sites is located in the Nuts & Bolts section.

Cherry Frost is classified as a climbing rose marketed for “arbors, trellises, and fences” by Star Roses and Plants. In our trial we grew the plants without support, spaced 3m on center to account for the vigorous, rambling habit. Cherry Frost has thick, sturdy, very thorny canes that reach up to 6’ tall unsupported in a season. Since we did not provide support, these canes began to arch toward the ground creating a wide profile. Pruning in February 2022 was limited to thinning to 5-7 canes, reducing their height to ~24” and cutting out any dead, diseased, or dying canes. Cherry Frost produces large clusters of red semi-double blooms from spring to fall. High foliage quality was observed at both sites. Cherry Frost was evaluated at UC Davis and South Coast REC (SCREC) with site specific performance details and recommendations below.

UC Davis Trial – Davis, CA

Cherry Frost is a vigorous rose with a long blooming season, and it performed well in the trials, almost achieving a Blue Ribbon™. All plants in our trials had some level of flowering during all monthly rating periods from May to October. Based on its vigor and foliage quality we were surprised Cherry Frost didn’t meet the threshold for a Blue Ribbon. Running a t-test to evaluate the overall appearance values revealed they did not reach a statistical equivalent of a 4. We dug into the rest of the data to understand why such a high performer in other categories didn’t make the cut. Most of the components for a Blue Ribbon™ were present - high vigor, foliage, pest tolerance, and disease resistance scores, however the overall appearance and floral display scores held Cherry Frost back. While mean overall appearance scores were consistently between 3.5 and 4.5, or “very good”, no plant ever achieved a 5, or the WOW factor. Likewise, while there were always flowers on Cherry Frost, the typical score for floral abundance was 1 or 2 and these flowers were not usually evenly distributed During the entire season, only one “3” and one “5” were ever recorded for floral abundance on any of the 24 specimens. Nevertheless, Cherry Frost is a solid performer and would make a robust, healthy rose for large spaces, hedgerows, or support structures used for screens or vertical interest. Based on its performance in the field we recommend a Low irrigation classification in WUCOLS Region 2.

South Coast REC – Irvine, CA

Cherry Frost was a prolific bloomer in Irvine – to the point where the shattered petals would accumulate around the plant forming a petal “halo” of sorts. Peak bloom occurred in early summer, though the plants continued to push out clusters of bright red flowers until the end of the season. Aphids were observed near the apical growing points, particularly around the flowers. These aphids attracted ants. Cherry Frost scored well at the Open House events, being the highest rated cultivar and gathering the largest number of votes for favorite plant at the June event. We recommend a Low irrigation classification in WUCOLS Region 3.

Basic Info

Growth and Quality Data

Click Here for Complete Data Set -UCD

Click Here for Complete Data Set -SCREC

Rosa 'Overedclimb'  Cherry Frost™ on low water in October 2022 at South Coast REC.

Rosa 'Overedclimb'  Cherry Frost™ on low water in April 2022 at South Coast REC