Joseph's Coat

Where to plant. Arches, pergolas, south walls, wooden fences; as a specimen, Joseph's Coat 'colours itself' and needs no colour neighbours. Do not plant it in a group with other multicolour roses: the colours would clash.

Climate. Down to −29 °C. In Ukraine: the south and centre without protection; in the north, moderate protection for young plants in snowless winters.

Care. Seasonal disease prevention is essential (fungicides in spring and autumn); pruning is selective: remove only dead and diseased canes; tie young canes horizontally for more flowering.

Name. The rose is named after Joseph's 'multicoloured coat' from the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 37. According to the story, Jacob (Israel) gave his favourite son Joseph a multicoloured tunic; this provoked the jealousy of his brothers, who sold him into slavery in Egypt. The variety captures this 'multicoloured fabric' exactly: one flower carries yellow, orange and red at the same time.

Breeding. Jointly bred by David L. Armstrong and Herbert C. Swim at Armstrong Nurseries (California, USA), introduced in 1964. US PP 2,488 (16 March 1965). Parentage: Buccaneer × Circus; it inherited its bicolour heritage from its father Circus (Swim 1956, AARS 1956, also a bicolour). By its patent it is a climbing floribunda; in ARS classification it is a Large-Flowered Climber.

Significance. One of the first commercially successful multicolour climbers, the benchmark for the genre. Although it has not won major international awards (no AARS, ADR or WFRS HoF), it has remained in commerce for more than 60 years, a rare achievement without official titles. It is often wrongly classified as a 'Hybrid Tea climber'; by its patent it is a climbing floribunda. The breeders are often shortened to 'Armstrong', but it was a joint breeding by Armstrong and Swim. AROcad is another Armstrong variety, not a synonym of Joseph's Coat.