The 7th International Fragrant Rose Trial in Echigo Hillside Park, Nagaoka, Japan(Echigo-IFRT)
Details of the result
The International Fragrant Rose Trials is held every year by inviting applications of new fragrant roses from rosebreeders not only in Japan but all around the world. All the applied nursery plants are planted and brought up for
two years under exactly the same condition in the snowy and cold region of Japan. Then, examination session isheld twice every spring and autumn by the Judging Committee comprising of experts of roses and fragrances todecide the award winning varieties.
The winning prizes are Gold Award, Silver Award and Bronze Award each for the specified four criteria. Inaddition, as special awards, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award is presented to thehighest score winner among the Gold Award Winners, Niigata Prefectural Governor’s Award is presented to thehighest score winner in the fragrance section among the winners of Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards, and Nagaoka
City Mayor’s Award is presented to the most popular variety among the general guests to the park.

<<Comments from Judging Committee Members>>
Judging Committee Chairman:
Yoshihiro Ueda, Principal of Gifu International Academy of Horticulture
We received 64 entries for the 7th International Fragrant Rose Trials. This year there was a significant numberof entries in the Hybrid Tea Category with a total of 34 entries. In the other categories there were 15 Floribunda
entries, 13 Shrub entries, and 2 Miniature entries.
Due to unusual weather conditions this year, including a sudden rise in temperature in spring and the intense
lingering summer heat, flowering was earlier for all entries in comparison to previous years. However, despite
these weather conditions, we were able to conduct a fair and deliberate examination twice, once in spring andonce in autumn. In the Hybrid Tea Category we awarded three awards, a bronze, a silver and a gold. In theFloribunda Category we awarded two awards, a silver and a bronze. In the Shrub category we also awarded twoawards, a gold and a bronze. In total there were two gold, two silver, and three bronze award winners.
Gospel, Gold Award winner in the Hybrid Tea Category and recipient of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism Award and the Niigata Prefectural Governor's Award, is a very well-balanced variety
with a large claret-red rosette bloom form. It was awarded the highest marks among all the entries and is a very
well-balanced variety, with excellent fragrance strength and quality.
Bella Donna, Gold Award winner in the Shrub Category, is a blue rose variety with a beautiful wisteria-coloredbloom. It scored highly for fragrance and for overall characteristics, and was awarded highest marks forfloriferousness.
Silver Award winner in the Floribunda Category, Fresh Lemon, has a lemon yellow flower that harmonizes
beautifully with its leaf color. It is wonderfully floriferous and scored highly for overall beauty.
Capriccio, Silver Award winner in the Hybrid Tea Category was judged to be simply beautiful for the entire
season from bud to the end of bloom with its high-centered bloom form with sword-shaped petals and complex
gradation in color from an apricot cream base.
Winner of the Nagaoka City Mayor's Award and Bronze Award winner, Karaito, was the favorite among park
visitors for its long-lasting beautiful magenta blooms which gradually change to a lighter shade.

1Judging Committee Deputy Chairman:
Yuji Ichikawa, Perfumer
We received a total of 64 entries from Japan and overseas for the 7th International Fragrant Rose Trials. Despite
the unusually warm spring and intense summer heat, this year we have again selected two gold, two silver andthree bronze award winners from among the entries. The fragrance quality of winning entries was high this year.
By category, the highest points for fragrance were awarded to hybrid tea varieties, followed in order by shrubs,
floribunda and miniatures.
Gospel, a hybrid tea variety, not only won a Gold Award but was also awarded two other awards, the Ministryof Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award and the Niigata Prefectural Governor's Award. It has aDamask Modern fragrance, described as a ‘full-bodied fragrance with a honey-like sweet rose scent combinedwith crisp fruity and hyacinth green notes and a magnificent powdery nuance.’
Bella Donna, Gold Award winner in the Shrub Category, has a Blue fragrance, described as a ‘luxurious bluerose scent with a rich aroma accented by peach-like fruitiness, light honey-like sweetness, and geranium notes.’
Karaito, winner of the Nagaoka City Mayor's Award and Bronze Award winner, has a Spicy fragrance
described as ‘a charming velvety fragrance with a candy-like vanilla scent with the spicy aroma of cloves in avibrant rose fragrance.’2Category : HTs
Gold Award
Special prize : Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award
Special prize : Niigata Prefectural Governor’s Award
Entry No.11
Variety : Gospel® (RT02733)
Breeder : Rosen Tantau - Germany
Flower : Large rosette blooms with claret-red petals which turn dark crimson by autumn. The neck of the flower isstrong in this variety.

Fragrance type : Damask-Modern
A full-bodied fragrance with a honey-like sweet rose scent combined with crisp fruity and hyacinth
green notes and a magnificent powdery nuance.

3Silver Award
Entry No.45
Variety : Capriccio
Breeder : Tamotsu Tomokage - Japan
Flower : Particularly beautiful with a high-centered bloom form, and an amazing complex gradation in color from alovely apricot cream base. Has a certain presence and is simply beautiful for the entire season from bud tothe end of bloom.

Fragrance type : Fruity
A well-balanced fragrance with a strong rose scent coupled with a fresh citrus aroma and a green fruity
fragrance with hints of apple, pear and apricot.

Bronze AwardSpecial prize : Nagaoka City Mayor’s Award
Entry No.25
Variety : Karaito
Breeder : Hironaka Ohtsuki - Japan
Flower : Beautiful medium to large magenta petals. Long-lasting blooms with petals that become lighter in color.
Fragrance type : Spicy
A charming velvety fragrance with a candy-like vanilla scent and the spicy aroma of cloves in a vibrant rosefragrance.

4Category : F
Silver Award
Entry No.37Variety : Fresh Lemon
Breeder : Teizo Yoshiike - Japan
Flower : A lemon yellow rosette that harmonizes beautifully with its leaf color. A beautifully structured rose
plant with excellent cluster flowering. One of its hybrid parents is North Fragrance, winner of theNagaoka City Mayor's Award in the 3rd International Fragrant Rose Trials.

Fragrance type : Tea
A finely balanced fragrance with an elegant tea aroma blended with sweet rose and tropical fruit scents.

Bronze Award
Entry No.48
Variety : Rose de Kumiko
Breeder : Takashi Kawai - Japan
Flower : A mid-size purplish magenta rose with smallish full double flowers. Cluster flowering is poor inautumn but there is minimal color fade even when flowers have fully bloomed.

Fragrance type : Damask-Classic
A delicate fragrance with accents of green hyacinth and sweet honey in a crisp Damask rose fragrance.

5Category : S
Gold Award
Entry No.62
Variety : Bella Donna
Breeder : Atsuya Iwashita - Japan
Flower : A beautiful purple midsize rose the color of the Japanese people’s beloved wisteria, with sword-shapedpetals. A blue rose with beautifully shaped flowers that hold their shape right until the end.

Fragrance type : BlueA luxurious blue rose scent with a rich aroma accented by peach-like fruitiness, light honey-like sweetness,and geranium notes.

Bronze AwardEntry No.60
Variety : Claude Monet
Breeder : Pépinières et Roseraies Georges Delbard - France

Flower : A striking rose with pink and yellow stripes. Charmingly indecisive - first flowering in cuplike blooms
with round petals and then transforming into a rosette bloom. Awarded the highest marks for novelty
this year.

Fragrance type : Tea
A carefully balanced classy fragrance with an elegant tea aroma together with a light and powdery
honey sweet scent.

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