I’m surprised no one has responded yet.

I don’t know the answer.

There is a Rose Propagation forum here where you could also post this, though I suspect people who read that also read the regular Rose forum.

I’m interested to know the answer to your question.

Thanks for the suggestion. I did post my message over there and will hope for some answers!

Ah Vaporvad, I just missed your message! I took the cuttings in early February. The buds were swelling, but there wasn’t yet any new growth. However, the mother plant has been sprouting new leaves ever since so I would say your hypothesis is correct.

And, no, I won‘t be checking for roots :-).

Well, that's more than three weeks so in your warmer? climate you may be good to go! It's so exciting when they make it and disappointing when they die. I'd love to see pictures if you have any to share. P.S. This seems like a rather rare rose some I hope you're successful. I was recently thrilled to find a cheap bagged rose of another McGredy creation called Waiheke. Fingers crossed it does well in my BSy climate.

Congratulations on your cuttings! That is awesome! Do you mind my asking where you got your mother plant? I'd love to grow Matangi some day, I was born and raised not far from the place it was named for.

I am thrilled to find others interested in this wonderful but vastly under used rose. I won’t be without it in my garden; it is so colorful and long blooming. And that’s not all. it also has such attractive shiny dark green leaves and is heavily foliaged almost down to the ground so it looks like a really handsome plant in my mixed garden. Can’t say enough good things about it. Crazy as it seems, I actually have three Matangi roses in my garden. I’ve just moved two of them to better locations. I’m actually downsizing on my roses, due to the extra care needed to keep them looking decent as my husband and I get older. And then there is the high cost of water these days.

Do tell us more about where you are from joeywyoming and how the rose came to be called Matangi

I've never heard of Weiheke So I looked it up. It has a beautiful flower! I tend to like multi-colored roses a la McGredy and others.

I don’t remember where I got my first Matangi, but I got the second one from the now defunct vintage rose company in Sonoma County, CA. It was called Vintage Roses and it closed about 2-3 years ago (sadly) and folks are still trying to save the unique collection of 3500 old roses. If interested, here’s a link Vintage Roses.

How wonderful that you have one of Sam McGredy’s now mostly rare handpainted roses. He wrote a book where Matangi was featured:

It’s a great read with illustrations and detailed opinions on his own and others’ roses of the time. I remember checking it out all the time at the library, many years ago. Still avail on Amazon used for cheap, I just might get a copy!

Best wishes on your cuttings. I think you just have to have patience, keep them well hydrated with some humidity, woody plants take time to root.

I was checking on my three Matangi rose cuttings this afternoon and was fairly astonished to see how vigorous and lengthy those sprouts are! I can only hope that roots are also sprouting equally beneath the soil! But that would be against all the things I’ve read about hardwood cuttings, wouldn’t it.....

I guess I will just have to be patient and hope the signs are real.

That's awesome! I hope they are growing for you!

Matangi was a small town in rural New Zealand, known for excellent dairy products, rolling pastures and rich green grass. It has since McGredy's time been kind of absorbed as a suburb of the growing nearby city of Hamilton, which is where I grew up. My aunt lived in Matangi and I have fond childhood memories of visiting her there. There is also an island off the coast called Matangi which is a special conservation refuge for several endangered species,

As for my story, that's a very long tale, but it involves a lady horse trainer meeting a handsome cowboy at church....

Those are pretty healthy looking leaves. I'd be hopeful! :-)

BenT, thanks to your photo and comment about Sam McGredy’s book, Look to the Rose, I couldn’t resist purchasing a used copy. It came today and I was thrilled to recognize that the cover photo was Matangi!! The write up devoted to Matangi was representative of the fabulous rose I think Matangi is.

He started out by suggesting how the public grows weary of rose breeders bragging on how novel their new rose is. Then he says there can be no argument about the novel quality of Matangi. It sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s color combination is completely unique and the rose is also almost instantly recognizable even when its not in bloom. Matangi has very dark, rather small foliage, but it is produced in such abundance that the leaf size becomes unimportant. (I didn’t know small foliage was considered a flaw!). He goes on to say the plant is unusually free flowering, even for a Florabunda. The growth is very even and the bush develops a nice shape. It repeats very quickly and the overall effect is graceful.

He left out one of my favorite characteristics, how long the flowers look colorful in the garden, which is long after they’ve passed their prime. I love its very dark foliage and it’s handsome shape because it makes the plant fit into the garden so well. There are no ugly lower parts or awkward growth habits to disguise.

Matangi was awarded President’s Trophy for the U.K. winner for the best rose of its year. Its name comes from a traditional Maori song with a haunting melody, “E rere ra et Matangi”. there is a WWII battleship from New Zealand named Matangi

I am so glad I have this rose. I’ll always make a place for it in my garden.

JoeyMontana, I loved your description of Matangi as a small town in rural New Zealand. Rolling pastures and rich green grass bring the most beautiful images to my mind and I was sad to read that Matangi was swallowed up by a bigger city. I feel so sad to think of those beautiful sights and the way of life no longer there.

A lady horse trainer and a handsome cowboy sounds like a very good combination 😊😍