‘Penelope’ was bred by Rev. Joseph Pemberton in the UK in 1924 from a crossing of Ophelia (Hybrid Tea 1912) x Unnamed seedling and was introduced in Australia by Hazelwood Bros Pty Ltd in 1925.
Penelope produces large clusters of circular flat open blooms. It is delicate shell pink with yellow shading and has prominent stamens, fading to a soft white in the summer heat. The blooms have a strong fragrance, with up to 25 petals, averaging 10cm in diameter.
Penelope has a bushy, semi-upright growth habit with semi-glossy, dark green foliage. It can be shaped as a bush or trained as a pillar. Height 2m to 2.4m tall and 1m to 1.5m in width. It responds well to deadheading promoting flushes through the season. It needs to be lightly pruned in late autumn as it does not respond well to hard or winter pruning.
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