Bred by Paul Barden (United States, 1979).
Russet. Mild, honey, tea rose fragrance. 15 to 25 petals. Average diameter 2.5". Medium, semi-double (9-16 petals), cluster-flowered, cupped-to-flat bloom form. Continuous (perpetual) bloom throughout the season.
Bushy, well-branched. Medium, semi-glossy, dark green foliage.
Height of 4' to 7' (120 to 215 cm). Width of 4' to 7' (120 to 215 cm).
USDA zone 6b through 9b (default). Can be used for container rose or garden. Very vigorous. flowers drop off cleanly. heat tolerant. Disease susceptibility: very disease resistant, susceptible to blackspot . Prune lightly until this rose gets established (about two years), then prune it back by about a third.. Remove spent blooms only.
This seedling has a remarkable color combination; an overall rusty-orange hue with an overlay of varying amounts of smoky purple. Its blend of colors varies with the atmospheric temperature. It is continuously in flower, sending out a new cluster immediately behind the previous cluster.
I have used 'Dragon's Blood' in breeding and found it to have some excellent genes for color and floriferousness. Breeders take note.
[ Little Darling × Yellow Magic (miniature, Moore 1970)] × "Grandma's Hat"
Further notes on the parentage of 'Dragon's Blood': the seed parent is an un-named Ralph Moore rose given to me for breeding purposes. Its Moore code number is 203-91-13. It came from Moore's 1-72-1 crossed with a found Bourbon, believed to be "Grandma's Hat".