About the name
Name. 'Masquerade' — 'masquerade ball', from the Italian 'mascherata' — a carnival with masks. The idea of the name: the flowers on one bush 'wear different masks' at the same time — a golden bud, a pink young flower, a red old one. This is the 'masquerade effect' — the phenomenon of a gradual colour change without wilting, which Boerner fixed genetically in this very variety.
Breeding. Bred by Eugene S. Boerner at Jackson & Perkins Co. (USA), released in 1949. Introduced to Australia by Hazlewood Bros., 1952. US PP 975 from 29 August 1950 — one of the earliest patented rose varieties in the USA. Parentage: 'Goldilocks' (FL Boerner 1945) × 'Holiday' (FL Boerner 1948) — both parents are also Boerner roses. Eugene Sydnor Boerner (1893–1966) — the 'father of modern Floribundas', a J&P breeder, who received 11 AARS awards over his career (but NOT for this variety).
Significance. RNRS Gold Medal 1952 (Royal National Rose Society UK) — confirmed. IMPORTANT CORRECTION: many online descriptions wrongly credit it with an AARS — Masquerade was NOT an AARS winner; Boerner received 11 AARS over his career, but this particular variety was not among them. It started a whole line of 'carnival' roses — later Masquerade-type varieties came from it (Joseph's Coat 1964, Charisma — related in concept). The 'masquerade effect' as a term in rose breeding is the same phenomenon that Boerner fixed genetically in this variety. Climbing Masquerade (Dillon 1958) — a climbing sport, now more popular than the bush form on the UK market. A replacement for the non-existent 'Mini Baby Masquerade' (the 11th phantom in our catalogue) — Mini Baby Masquerade does not exist; Baby Masquerade (Tantau 1955) is a miniature version, also a separate variety. Here we took the original 1949 progenitor. The 2nd Boerner work in our catalogue (alongside Aloha 1949 — also Boerner, also 1949).