About the name
Name. 'William Baffin' — after the British navigator William Baffin (1584–1622), who explored the Arctic waters of Canada. In 1616 he discovered Hudson Bay (Baffin Bay) and reached 77°45' N latitude — a record for the time. Poetic parallel: the variety's frost hardiness is like the Arctic seas of Baffin. A tradition typical of the Canadian Explorer Series: each variety in the series is named after a Canadian or Arctic explorer.
Breeding. Bred by Felicitas Svejda at Agriculture Canada (Ottawa, Canada). Bred 1974, introduced 1983. Parentage: L48 × unknown (L48 = R. kordesii × D15). Tetraploid. Belongs to the Canadian Explorer Series — an Agriculture Canada programme developed specifically for the Canadian prairies with an extremely cold climate (Manitoba, Alberta, where winter reaches −40 °C).
Significance. ONE OF THE HARDIEST ROSES IN BREEDING HISTORY: USDA 2b — grows where the average winter temperature is −40 °C and below. 0–5% infection at the Montreal Botanical Garden in 1998 — practically zero susceptibility to disease (a record result). Earth-Kind North 2007 (Texas A&M — the Earth-Kind version for cold regions). Longwood Gardens 10-Year Trials passed. Tolerates partial shade — a rarity for roses. Canadian Explorer Series: together with 'John Cabot', 'Henry Hudson', 'Champlain' and 'John Davis', it forms the iconic Canadian collection for cold climates. The legacy of Felicitas Svejda: a Czech scientist who emigrated to Canada in 1953 — she created a whole Explorer series (1968–2000), which became a lifeline for Canadian (and northern Ukrainian) gardening. For Ukraine's North and East — an essential variety.