 |
|
Albas |
Welcome to the August 2001 edition of my web site! The roses I write about are the Old Garden Roses and select shrub and miniature roses of the 20th century. For tips on rose culture, pruning, propagation and history, see "Other resources on this site". To return to this page, click on the "thorn icon" in the margin at left. Articles from the previous months are archived and can be viewed by clicking on the listings in the left margin. If you wish to buy roses, see my sponsor, The Uncommon Rose. Thanks! What's New This Summer, by Paul Barden
The seedlings are always so interesting at this time of the year because they start to give me an idea which ones are going to be good plants, and which ones are going to be runtish and poor. Occasionally, I will have a seedling or two which seem to struggle along in mediocrity during their entire first year, and then suddenly they gain some vigor and make themselves into sturdy plants. For this reason, I rarely throw out any but the very weakest and most disease prone plants in the first season.
At right: A new Moss Hybrid from Ralph Moore. As any of my regular readers will know, I am a big fan of the Moss Roses. I am especially fond of Ralph Moore's Moss Hybrids, many of which are Miniature Mosses. Ralph spent decades developing the Miniature Mosses and they are truly a triumph of rose breeding. However, not all of Ralph Moore's efforts have gone towards the creation of Mini Mosses. This year I am testing a new full-sized Moss shrub of his, as yet un-named. (A reminder: please do not contact Ralph Moore to request this rose; it is not yet ready for introduction) I know of no other Moss Shrub that blooms as generously as this new one does, with large clusters of up to 10 or more blooms. This rose opens a soft peachy color, which fades quickly to white with a soft blush center. The mossing is dark brown and is a striking contrast to the white of the petals. There is no fragrance except the balsam scent of the moss itself. I'm not sure how big this shrub will get, but I have been toldit is about 2.5 by 2.5 feet at maturity.
September Morn (below, left) is one of the very rare Hybrid Teas from the turn of the Century. Introduced in 1915, it is a sport of 'Mme. P. Euler'. A brief history from Brent Dickerson's 'Old Rose Adventurer': "Tom Liggett found it years ago in Willow Glen, California, when pruning roses for a lady who said she bought it at Woolworths before 1920 for a nickel (5 cents)! Named after the painting of a nude girl standing at water's edge which became famous when in 1910 it was placed in a New York department store window raising the ire of the then-puritanical. The rose did not receive the attention it should have at the time because the blooms had too much of an old rose look. Today, it is a Hybrid Tea that surpasses the best of the English Roses with its beauty and fragrance." The painting after which 'September Morn' is named can been seen on the web by clicking on the link "September Morn".
'Out
Of Yesteryear', shown here at right, is a recent Bracteata
Hybrid created by Ralph Moore of California. If you grow the climbing
Tea 'Sombreuil', then imagine this rose as the shrub version. Actually,
there are clear differences between the two rose's styles, but its a
reasonable comparison. 'Out Of Yesteryear' is one of Mr. Moore's Hybrid
Bracteatas, which is one of the breeding lines he has worked on for
many years. The climber 'Pink Powderpuff' is also one of these Bracteata
hybrids. They all seem to have large blooms with many MANY pointed petals
in common. Click on the image at right to view a larger picture! This rose has become one of my best performers this year, with exceptional vigor, nearly constant rebloom, and very good disease resistance. The shrub is a large one, easily reaching 4 by 4 feet and even bigger in warmer climates. I suspect that in California where it was bred, it gets to be a small climber or a very large shrub. I can't sing enough praise for this rose, as I feel it is one of the best shrub roses I have grown so far. Its beauty has to be seen to be appreciated. Those large lemon and cream colored blooms so perfectly filled with quilled petals are a sight to behold. This shrub is available from Sequoia Nursery and The Uncommon Rose. I have news from Sequoia Nursery that there will be three new Hybrid Bracteatas introduced in 2002, along the same breeding lines as 'Out of Yesteryear'. All will be smallish shrubs, having beed bred from Miniatures X Bracteata hybrids. Average height of the 3 new ones is about 2 to 3 feet tall and the same in width. One is a pure white shrub, one os a orange blend of unusual hue, and the third is a coral-pink blend. If these new Hybrid Bracteatas are anything like 'Out of Yesteryear', I suggest you watch for their introduction....these will be VERY interesting roses to try out! Click here to continue to part 2 of this article.
Original photographs and site content © Paul Barden 1996-2003 |
|
I
thought I would write this month about some of the happenings in my
garden and greenhouse. I have some new seedlings that have been selected
for further study, and have acquired some interesting and rare roses
for my collection as well. 
This
first seedling you see illustrated above is one such plant. Last year
it showed only moderate vigor and produced only 2 or 3 blooms, albeit
good looking blooms. This year, the plant has exploded into growth and
become a fine looking rose, with glossy foliage and many strong canes
coming from the base. The blooms are about 3 to 4 inches across on average,
opening a strong cantaloupe-orange hue, with a very strong fragrance.
I am hoping it will grow into a climber as it matures, as climbers of
this color are few. I consider this to be one of the more promising
roses to come out of my breeding work in the past 2 seasons. Breeding:
'
One
of the more obscure roses is McGredy's 'Grey Pearl', also known as 'The
Mouse', which I have been fortunate to obtain this year. (Illustrated
at left) It is almost non-existant in commerce now, likely because
of its odd color and somewhat fussy constitution. It is slow to develop
into a mature plant and should have its buds removed for at least the
first year in order to build up some sturdy wood. My plant is grown
on its own roots and is doing well, but apparently it is best grown
as a budded rose. As its name suggests, this is a gray rose. The bloom
is an odd combination of soft tan and pale mauve wich gives an overall
impression of gray. Bloom form is fully double and large, at about 4
inches or more and there is definitely a good fragrance of undefined
character, quite befitting this odd rose. It is classed as a Hybrid
Tea, and in 1945 when it was introduced, it was considered to be a fore-runner
of the "blue" roses. It sired several well known cool mauve
hybrids, including 'Lavender Pinocchio'. This rose will NOT be everyone's
cup of tea, but I like it. Sam McGredy, who doesn't like this rose,
has been quoted as saying "The rose was raised on my nursery and
the colour is a cross between slightly used toilet paper and the skin
of a dead mouse. As far as my family was concerned the rose was a poor
grower and an appalling colour. BUT, Gene Boerner the hybridiser for
Jackson & Perkins was ecstatic - here was something new and different.
We nicknamed it The Mouse. He came up with the name Grey Pearl and the
beautiful US$ that came with it." Sam McGredy
Another
Moss Rose I have acquired this year is 'Robert Leopold'. (Pictured
at right) Introduced in 1941, this hybrid was created by Buatois,
the same man who bred '
This
is a fine rose that is most unlike the Hybrid Teas as we know them today,
with its large and fully double blooms containing up to 150 petals!
There is a powerfully delicious fragrance to the blossoms as well, making
this rose well worth a place in any collectors garden. As can be said
of many of the early Hybrid Teas, this rose does best in a hot, dry
climate. Even the earliest accounts said that California seemed to be
the place where it performed its best. It can reach a maximum size of
4 to 6 feet tall, and 4 feet wide, and is nearly continuous in its rebloom.
'September Morn' is best grown as a budded shrub, as it apparently underperforms
when grown on its own roots. You should contact 
