Notes on New Roses

I find that a lot of the excitement of gardening with roses comes from observing newly acquired varieties. As I buy most of mine from specialty nurseries, they are not widely grown and often there is little or no information available. In other words, I never know what I am getting. Because I have no high expectations I am rarely disappointed when a rose does not work out, but unearthing a gem every now and then is a huge delight.

Shöen Ingeborg, a hybrid perpetual from Eurodesert Roses, is one such delight

Below are some observations on a few roses I got last fall as bands (young newly rooted cuttings). The plants are still far from mature, and the quality of blooms will hopefully improve, but here is what I have seen so far.

Général Barthelot

Général Barthelot is a 1926 hybrid tea from Vintage Gardens. Its blooms have an informal shape which is typical of many early hybrid teas.

The ruffled pointy petals have a brilliant and complext color with many shades of orange, red and pink. A small rose and not very vigorous with a relaxed growth habit. I think it will be good in a container.

'Lykke Dazla'



This one is a mystery hybrid tea imported from Denmark by Vintage Gardens (names of mystery roses are put in quotation marks to show they are study, not true, names) . The blooms are semi-double with lovely curled petals. Rebloom is fast and foliage clean.

My plant has a nice shrubby growth habit and is quite vigorous own-root. As you can see from two pictures above, the bloom color is quite variable, changing from creamy yellow to a complex orange apricot which I love. There is good tea fragrance.

Surville (maybe)

I got the rose above as Surville, a 1924 hybrid tea, from Vintage Gardens. Its attribution is uncertain, and this mystery was why I purchased it. I wish I could show you what a tiny plant formed this huge cabbagey bloom. I took the rest of the buds off to let it grow, and a month and three inches later it set even more buds. It still hasn't made it to a 5 gallon pot and has only three canes with rather sparse foliage. Growth is stiffly upright.

'Lundy's Lane Yellow'.

Mystery roses hold an irresistible attraction for me, but this old Pernetiana has been a disappointment so far. The blooms come in big clusters but they are not well formed and there is none of the golden salmon color promised by the catalog. There is, however, lots of mildew :( I hope it improves with age...

Magnificent Perfume

A shrub with a rather grand name from Heirloom Roses' own breeding program. Like some other roses from that breeder, Magnificent Perfume bears an affinity to Austin roses, which must have been widely used in breeding some Heirloom varieties.

This rose is going to be big, but thankfully the canes are sturdy enough to support the heavy blooms. The blooms themselves have been wonderful, perfectly formed and with a nice fruity scent. My plant has some mildew.