I thought it might be interesting to post a few rose photos. I'll try to post regularly until it's time to do some gardening outdoors. The first is David Austin rose "Silas Marner". My bush was planted in container in March 2024. This foto is a few months later. Old rose fragrance, fruity, mild. It didn't bloom well last year - shady location and not easily accessed for watering. This winter, I replanted Silas Marner into a new container that I can keep in a sunnier location and move when needed. Tomorrow: my oldest old rose (I think), which might be Compte de Chambord or Mme Boll or not. The made-up name I've been calling it, is "Parfum mystère"
Such an enchanting rose. Mesmerizing. Beautiful, charming rose of true Old Rose character. full-petalled flowers open flat and quartered. I wonder if it has that Old Rose fragrance?
Pac, the Davis Austin roses website states "strong Old Rose fragrance with notes of fruity lemon, green banana, and apricot" but my sense of smell isn't that discerning. It's definitely a sweet, fruity old rose fragrance. Not as strong as I hoped, but it's there. The pink on white is really elegant, isn't it? I hope that being established for another year, and a bit better care than I gave last year, it will be a lot more floriferous!
This rose came with the house. It didn't have a tag. It was almost dead, but revived and flourished with some watering. It's in a bad location, difficult to water and weed, and gets minimal care. I was calling it "Parfum mystère" due to the fragrance, and I thought it looked like an old French rose. A rose fan online suggested it might be "Compte de Chambord" or "Mme Boll", bred in 1863. Judging from descriptions and photos, that might be correct. VERY strong "old rose" fragrance. When this variety was first created, Napoleon III was emperor of France, a mostly rural country. Queen Victoria reigned in England. China was in the Qing empire, and half of the Mediterranean was in the Ottoman empire. There were no antibiotics, and just beginning antiseptic practices. Life expectancy in the US was 39. Most people, everywhere, were poor. And we can still experience and smell this lovely rose, a survivor from that time, today. Compte de Chambord is offered in the David Austin catalog. Austin used it as the pollen parent of Gertrude Jekyll. Last year I rooted a cutting from this rose. I hope it has survived the winter and will do well in container this year.
Another beautiful fragrant rose with old French posh petal and structure, with a long history as you have so eloquently described . It’s so important to cherish this rose. I am looking forward to more news on how well it survived this recent unusual cold winter. So interesting to read about the story and long journey about the heritage of your lovely revived rose.
This rose is a floribunda, "Scentimental". The bush is about 15 years old, compact, trouble - free here in the duck-yard rose garden. Spicy, strong fragrance. I looked into ancestry for this rose variety. It has red/white/pink ancestors in each generation until the trail is lost. There are similar colorations dating back for centuries. The coloration seems to go hand-in-hand with fragrance. https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.5649 For late-winter early-spring, I plan to renovate the rose garden. It was kind of hastily planted after moving most of them years ago from the old house. We put down a weed barrier mulch, but that was overtaken by native, low-growing blackberries (not the giant Himalayan type) that root along the ground and grab ankles as one walks through. I might just remove the barrier and scatter grass seed for trails among the rose bushes. Mowing would be easier.
Daniel floribunda’s now your talkin. They are a favorite for this zone. No mold, mildew, black leaf diseases at all. I had several hybrid tea roses and eventually gave up on keeping them they were a hassle. I have a few really great florabunda’s. The pic of the rose ‘Scentimental’ surely lives up to it’s name. And the great thing about floribunda roses they bloom throughout the entire season. No fuss no muss…
The first David Austin rose that I bought, Tamora. It's been transplanted twice and still going strong. Now in the free range duck yard. She's carried that mint plant with her for each move. Beautiful medium-strong myrrh fragrance compact bush, large blossoms. Compact rose bush. Introduced in 1987. In Shakespear's play Titus Andronicus, Tamora, Queen was queen of the Goths, and lover of Aaron the Moor, The story is filled with treachery, tragedy, and revenge. She is enslaved to the new Roman emperor, Saturninus. Saturninus took her as his wife. From this position, Tamora vows revenge against Titus for killing her son. There are also Old Testament Hebrew characters, spelled Tamara (with an a), and a Celtic sprite.
Word association with the word ‘Tamara’ my brain wonders to remind me of melons , beans and tomato seeds. Tamora used to name the David Austin rose pictured from Daniel’s rose collection is a beautiful apricot color, fragrant, large number of petals per bloom, and reblooming is the best quality for this rose. So many newer hybrid and shrub roses have little to no fragrance. The newer roses have to meet so many standards. Color, texture, shape , #of petals per bloom and so many other requirements while fragrance is often lost. One of my old favorite climbing rose is ‘Lady Banks’. A thornless hybrid tea climbing rose. Fast grower great habit to cover arbors and fences, soft yellow smaller blooms but zero fragrance. This rose is exceptionally easy to start from cuttings and once established requires very little water. Lady Banks rose starts was a gift from a friend and in my garden for many years .
Pac, I agree with you. It's too bad - I think a lot of people no longer remember that. But also, I think my own sense of smell isn't what it used to be. I've heard of Lady Banks rose but have not grown it. David Austin offers several climbers that they say are very fragrant. Another climbing tea-type rose with fragrance is Don Juan. I think I have that one, not sure. It was a cutting from my old house. I was disappointed by my order last year, not as fragrant as I hoped. Bring Me Sunshine and Boscobel were good, though. I wonder - do they become more fragrant as the bush matures? Will fertilizing more make them more fragrant, or less? I don't know. One thing I like especially about Tamora is the myrrh fragrance. Scepter'd Isle and Boscobel also have myrrh fragrance.
This is Darcey Bussell, another David Austin English rose. This was its first year, and is in approx.. 20 gallon container. It did really well that way, multiple bloomings all summer and fall. I don't know how to describe that shade of red. The fragrance was a bit disappointing. It was nice, but seemed faint. Since that's important to me, I ordered the similar but darker red (in website fotos) Munstead Wood to see if I like that better. The website now states sold out - I hope they don't substitute. Despite the not very strong fragrance, it's a nice rose.
