Schneewalzer

Where to plant. On an arch or pergola as a white, showy accent; on a house wall; beside a bench, for its noticeable scent; in a 'white' or moonlit garden; as a backdrop for dark green shrubs.

Climate. Ukraine Centre / South without winter protection (USDA 6b-9b); copes well with summer heat.

Care. Full sun; moderate disease prevention; feed 2-3 times per season; in spring prune weak shoots, keeping the main framework canes for 3-5 years.

Name. 'Schneewalzer' = 'Snow Waltz' (German). The poetic, musical name describes the graceful movement of white flowers in a light breeze, like dancers in white gowns at a Viennese waltz. A musical theme typical of Hans-Jürgen Evers (as with Santana, the band, and Sonnenschirm, the parasol).

Breeding. Bred by Hans-Jürgen Evers at Rosen Tantau (Uetersen, Germany). Code TANrezlaw (an anagram of the name). Introduced 1987. NZ Patent No. 907 (1994). Evers created a whole line of poetic, musical and geographic names at Tantau: Santana (1985), Schneewalzer (1987), Sonnenschirm (1988/1993), Sahara (1988/1996), each name a small poetic gesture.

Significance. New Zealand Certificate of Merit 1991, a prestigious award from the New Zealand rose society. A rare combination of a large HT-form flower on a climber: most climbers have smaller flowers, but this one has full 14 cm goblet-shaped blooms of the Hybrid Tea type. A moderate, spicy HT-type scent, a rarity for white climbers, which usually have little scent. Evers' legacy: his Tantau varieties of the 80s and 90s set the standard for modern German climbers and shrub roses. There are no ADR/AARS/RHS AGM awards: Schneewalzer is valued above all for its flower form and scent, not for competition wins. Moderate resistance, 3.5/5, typical of 80s climbers; it needs disease prevention.