Elina is without a doubt the finest yellow hybrid tea for the coast. I will even go out on a limb and argue that it is the best hybrid tea for our maritime climate.

Hybridized by Patrick Dickson in Ireland in 1984, Elina features light yellow, almost white blossoms. It was introduced in England under the name Peaudouce supposedly to honor a diaper company. Peaudouce is French for soft skin. Other sources say that the name was quickly changed to Elina when there appeared to be a minor uproar among Britains for naming a very British rose for a French diaper company. When it finally made its way across the Atlantic, it never achieved its proper place among commercial growers. It takes a bit of sleuthing to find Elina but it will be worth it.

Rosarians in the Pacific Northwest quickly gravitated to planting it because roses from Dickson are known to be among some of the best for our climate. For the most part, they are healthy growers and prolific bloomers. There is a large bed of Elina hybrid tea roses at Shore Acres State Park near Charleston.

The rose has a tendency to grow very tall, at least to 5 feet. It can grow as wide. It does as well on its own roots and it does as well budded onto rootstock. It is one of the easiest roses to strike from cuttings.

The Elina I grow in my front yard I bought at a Southwestern Oregon Rose Society auction table almost 10 years ago. It was a little tiny cutting and it took about three years before it really took off. Now it sports up to 10 canes and can easily have a dozen large, luminous blooms at one time. Unlike a lot of good garden roses, it also does very well on the show table. I have won more than my share of trophies with Elina.

The blooms are very large about 5 to 5.5 inches across and have about 35 petals. There is a slight fragrance. The foliage is large, dark and glossy. It has very long stems and is a vigorous grower. One of the reasons it is one of the best roses to grow on the South Coast is that it holds up well to rain. Its blossoms do not water spot and it tends to shake off rain.

In Europe, this rose has been awarded many gold medals in different countries. It has also garnered its fair share of awards in New Zealand. In 1994 it was awarded the James Mason Gold Medal.

It is usually one of the first roses recommended for beginning rose growers because it is such an easy rose to grow. It boasts outstanding vigor, form and resistance to disease. It is rated by the American Rose Society at 8.6. The ARS rates roses from 1-10 (1 being the worst and 10 the best) based on information submitted from gardeners all over the United States. Elina is No. 3 on the list. That is a very distinct honor, one very difficult to achieve.

It will show occasional signs of black spot or powdery mildew but both diseases can be easily controlled with a good spray program.

A couple of years ago, a white rose with a very light apricot center was introduced. Named Whisper, it boasts Elina as one of its parents and its growth habit is nearly identical. The only difference I've noted is that Whisper tends to require more sun since it is a bit slower to re-bloom. Whisper is a 2003 All-American Rose Selection winner.

(Corinne Clifton lives near Bandon and grows more than 200 kinds of roses.)