Article (newspaper)  (Oct 2011)  Page(s) 2.  Includes photo(s).
 
This rose, which came to Patricia as 'Golden Melody' has since been identified as 'Lady Huntingfield] 

Patricia Routley: In the late nineties when I was utterly besotted with old roses, I used to stop off at the Pinjarra Heritage Rose garden and feast my eyes on the roses there. Once or twice I attended a Heritage Roses’ gathering in the garden, but quickly realised I needed quiet and concentration to take the right cutting, label it then and there, and carefully record the details. I got to know the caretaker, Ron Ward and he and I would sit on the verandah and talk roses when I got out the thermos. The garden was named Zephyr Brook in those days. Zephyr: light breeze. Brook: water. How apt and pretty that name was for a rose garden. Many of my roses are now in my records as coming from ZB. From ZB5-12 (bed no. 5, site no. 12) I have Golden Melody taken as a cutting in 1998. ‘Golden Melody’ has been one of my very favourite roses and when you look at its parentage, you will understand why. ‘Mme. Butterfly’ 1918 x [‘Lady Hillingdon’ 1910 x ‘Souvenir de Claudius Pernet’ 1910]. It is a large rose of buff-yellow with much of ‘Lady Hillingdon’s gold in the depths and slightly flushed with pink. It looks for all the world like an overgrown water lily on its stiff stems. There is no perfume. The wood seems to be rather different to most roses – rather thick and very smooth, almost thornless I think. And those leaves – also rather thick with never one iota of black spot. They are possibly the healthiest leaves in that whole garden bed, but there are not enough of them. I don’t do too much pruning and the bush has an extremity of leaves and flowers on its perimeter and a very bare base down below. It looks a bit naked actually. Grows to about 4’ high and is rather spreading. ‘Golden Melody’ really should be planted close to your door so you see these glorious big golden blooms in bud and when they are freshly opened. And then deadheaded as soon as is necessary, for it is a shocking die-er. Each of the 18 firm shell-like petals, once described as “extra slant petals”, wither and go brown and the bloom stays on the bush, hanging there like a disgusting brown bat. You can’t help but gasp in horror as you reach quickly for the secateurs. Despite that, I repeat – one of my very favourite roses – so you must know how very beautiful these blooms can be. It was bred in Spain by Eugenio Fojo in 1934 named by him as ‘Irene Churruca’. I believe the Harkness nursery in the UK introduced it in 1939 under the name of ‘Golden Melody’ and gained a second class Trial Ground certificate for the rose in 1943. Because my original bush was planted at the eastern end of The Wee Garden which is really too close to the forest and so it is not doing too well these days, I struck another in 2010 and this little beauty is now growing well.

Book  (31 Mar 2010)  
 
‘Lady Huntingfield’. HT, my, 1937, Clark, A.; flowers rich golden yellow, reverse lighter, large, dbl., globular, moderate fragrance; long stems; vigorous, bushy growth. [Busybody × unknown]. Introductions: NRS Victoria

Book  (2010)  Page(s) 182.  Includes photo(s).
 
Margaret Eleanor Crosby was the daughter of ……

Book  (2008)  Page(s) 241.  
 
‘Lady Huntingfield’ Fragrant amber-yellow HT. Alister Clark, Australia, 1937.
[named for] Margaret Eleanor (nee Crosby), wife of Baron Huntingfield, the then Governor of Victoria and later Acting Governor-General. She died in 1943.

Magazine  (2004)  Page(s) 16. Vol 26, No. 4.  
 
Jane Zammit. - Lovely book review in Weekend Australian on The Diaries of Miles Franklin by Barry Oakley .. "Nothing provoked her more than colonial curtsying before the motherland. While others fawned, Franklin scorned. Lady Huntingfield, wife of the governor of Victoria, was a "great stiff tall Clydesdale of a woman, plain of feature and plain of hair. She towers like an armoured dinosaur." (AC either liked her or was curtseying cos her namesake ain't nothing like that - more plump & warm to my eye)

Website/Catalog  (2000)  Page(s) 7.  
 
Lady Huntingfield. Hybrid Tea. 1937. Clark/Aust. Double. Fragrant. Prickles fewer. Evergreen Large flowers. Recurrent. 1.3m x 1.4m. Apricot or apricot blend.

Book  (1999)  Page(s) 14.  Includes photo(s).
 
Lady Huntingfield - 1937. Busybody x Aspirant Marcel Rouger Large flowered bush rose. Double, fragrant, golden yellow flowers with lighter reverse, on long stems, fully recurrent. Smooth, deep green foliage. Bushy growth. Flower: 35 petals, 100mm 1 to 9. Bush: 1m x 1.25m.

Magazine  (1999)  Page(s) Volume 21, No. 2.  
 
p12. Betty Kruger. The Alister Clark Rose Garden in Clifton: ….included…. the beautiful large apricot-yellow blooms of Lady Huntingfield…..

p37 Joan Duval, Bellbrae, Vic: Roses I Treasure: Lady Huntingfield . Hybrid Tea, Alister Clark 1937 (Busybody A Clark x ?). Large double, fragrant, rich golden-yellow flowers. Vigorous bushy plant, very recurrent. Reference: A Hillside of Roses. Susan Irvine. Hyland House, 1994.
This bold blowsy Alister Clark rose for me has bloomed and bloomed without water or much care during the current drought, which has been ongoing for over twelve months. It is sheltered from a lot of prevailing south-west winds and the odd shower by a large gum tree. Lady Huntingfield is disease free and really an exceptional rose with large pointed Hybrid Tea shaped apricot buds opening to a rich golden-yellow tinted with apricot, similar in tones to Souvenir de Mme. Boullet. It is very fragrant and a great picking rose – altogether a delight to gaze upon when 90% of my garden is in such a sad drought ridden state.
[Joan goes on to describe ‘Souvenir de Mme. Boullet’ in her garden] .

p60 Barbara Partridge, Gippsland, Vic. In my garden ..Lady Huntingfield and.. are all having a late autumn flush.

Magazine  (1999)  Page(s) 41. Vol 21, No. 3.  
 
Julia Metcalf, Western Districts: I also had a Lady Huntingfield growing in the same conditions as the Gloire de Dijon. To my frustration Lady Huntingfield refused to produce anything other than mouldy buds which did not unfold. I have since removed the Lady from the pot and into a shadier position which receives about five hours of sunlight per day. The flowers now unfurl beautifully.

Book  (1999)  Page(s) 52.  
 
Lady Huntingfield. Clark, Australia. 1937. HT. yellow/Buff. (available from) Cottage, Country Farm, Duncan, Evans, Golden Vale, Hedgerow, Hilltop, Honeysuckle, John’s World, Lyn Park, Melville, Merri, Minirose, Mistydown, Nieuwesteeg, Rankin, Reliable, Rose Arbour, Roseraie, Roses Galore, Showtime, Spring Park, Stoneman’s, Thomas.