ROSES OF OLD

Evening Star, Issue 21742, 9 June 1934, Page 25

ROSES OF OLD

SWEET-SCENTED VARIETIES Tlie best known of the old sweetscented roses is probably that glorious old rose, Maiden's Blush, Hosa alba rubicunda. It was formerly a favourite in old gardens. It is probably the Incarnation rose mentioned by Parkinson. it is remarkable for its vigorous growth, abundant dark green foliage, and large, flat very double flowers, with a faint blush “ of pale murrey colour,” to quote Parkinson. This rose is quoted hy Rcdouto as ‘‘ la Rosier Blnno Royal la .grande Maiden's Blush des Anglais.” The old cabbage rose, Rosa eentifolia. was for centuries the most famous of all roses, and no other equals it in scent. This is generally believed to be the rose mentioned by Homer. It has been grown from time immemorial, and only during the last century has it disappeared from cultivation. This was the “ Provincial rose of my razed shoes ” of which Hamlet spoke. Even in the nineteenth century there were about 100 varieties in cultivation, and in the middle of the century over seventy. That famous variety, Rosa sulphurea hemisphcrica, the Yellow Provence rose of gardens, is now rare, and it is unfortunately very tender. According to some authorities, notably Bindley and William Paul, it is not a variety of the Provence, but a separate species. The White Provence rose, Rosa provincial alba, “ Rose Unique,” is still in cultivation. Andrews, the author of an authoritative book on roses, says that a Mr Greenwood, a nurseryman, noticed this rose growing in a baker’s garden near Needham, in Suffolk. He asked for a cutting, and was given the plant, and in return for so valuable a gift he presented a silver cup with the rose engraved on it. The new treasure was probably a “ sport " from a Provence rose. Other varieties of this rose still in cultivation arc the Rose, de Meaux, Rose des Pointres, Petite de Holland, and .Konigen Von Denmark. All of those roses are small, very double, and sweetly scented. The moss rose is generally believed to be a sport from the Provence rose. There were formerly about seventy varieties in cultivation. It appears to have been first grown in Britain early in the eighteenth century. According to Miller, the celebrated eighteenth century gardener and writer, “ we are ignorant of the country to* which we are indebted to for it.” William Paul, in his ‘ Rose Garden,’ gives a convent near Rome as the origin of the crested moss rose, Rosa eentifolia cristata. Rivers, writing in 1840, says it was discovered growing in the crevice of a wall near Frieburg. Vibert introduced this rose to England in 1827. The moss rose, according to Parsons, was introduced into France by Madame De Geulis, who brought it with her on her return from England.

The origin of the Damask rose is unknown, though traditionally it was introduced by the Crusaders. It is more than probable, However, that a rose of such beauty was known to the ancient Romans, and introduced by them. Numerous plants, not only roses, may have been introduced, then lost,-and reintroduced. According to Hakluyt, Dr Linac're, physician to Henry VIII., introduced the Damask rose. The Noisette rose was a hybrid ofRosa moschata and Rosa indica, and named after M. Phillippe Noisette, who raised it in America in 1817. The best known of Noisette roses is Aimce Vibert, raised at Angers by the great French grower, A. P. Vibert, who named it after his daughter. Rosa moschata is a parent of many famous roses, such as Cloth of Cold and possibly Marechal Neil. Marechal Neil, according to some authorities, was a chance seedling like Gloire do Dijon. Rosa moschata was used by the late Rev. >l. H. Pemberton for producing his hybrid musks. Perhaps the most beautiful of the musk roses is Rosa rubus, described by the late Mr R. Farrer as the “ Snowdrift rose.