Subject: rec.gardens.roses FAQ (3/5) Old Garden Roses
From: [email-masked] (Bill Chandler)
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 1994 11:22:43 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.roses,rec.answers,news.answers

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Archive-name: gardens/roses-faq/part3

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Old Roses
rec.gardens.roses FAQ, part 3/5

By Brent C. Dickerson ([email-masked]), author, "The Old Rose Advisor"

See part 1 of the FAQ for more information about this document.

FAQ--Old Roses

(FAQ compiled October-November, 1994)

This FAQ is comprised of the following sections:

1. Introduction and General History
2. Gallica Roses
3. Alba Roses
4. Damask Roses
5. Centifolia/Moss/Pompon Roses
6. Agathe Roses
7. Turbinata Roses
8. Rubiginosa and Canina Roses
9. Hemispherica Roses
10. Foetida Roses
11. Pimpinellifolia Roses
12. Boursault Roses
13. Sempervirens Roses
14. Setigera Roses
15. Wichuraiana Roses
16. Multiflora Roses
17. Damask Perpetual Roses
18. China Roses
19. Tea Roses
20. Bourbon Roses
21. Noisette Roses
22. Hybrid China/Hybrid Bourbon/Hybrid Noisette Roses
23. Hybrid Perpetual Roses
24. Old Hybrid Tea Roses
25. Pernetiana Roses
26. Mossy Remontant Roses
27. Polyantha Roses
28. Rugosa Roses
29. Miscellaneous Roses
30. "Middle-Aged" Roses
31. Current Questions/Activities in Old Roses
32. Organizations
33. Nurseries
34. Books

--------------

1. Introduction and General History.

(a) Introduction.
The Hybrid Tea Roses, accompanied at length by the Floribunda and
Grandiflora Roses so influenced by them, has been at the fore of rose
progress for about a century now--so long that its forebears and
predecessors have become, to many rosarians, mere footnotes rather than
what they should be, valid candidates for equal interest.

The modern "English Roses" by David Austin (modeled on the past; covered
in another FAQ) and the ever-increasing groundswell of interest in old
roses proper perhaps make it desirable for all rosarian netlings to gain
some quick familiarity with the heritage of the rose.  We therefore
present the following thumbnail notes as something of a starting point,
hoping that wiser heads will supply the necessary corrections or variant
information, and hoping as well that those interested in more detail will
check out the many fine books which deal with this at greater length.
Some of these books are listed at the end of this FAQ.

(b) General History.
Various wild roses grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere in sites
ranging from riparian and swampy all the way to those of the desert.  Two
geographical groupings which, at first, developed separately, have
had--both in their separation and in their ultimate combination--the
greatest importance in rose history:  The European/Mediterranean group of
species and their hybrids, and the Oriental group of species and their
hybrids.

The European roses are primarily the following:  Gallicas, Albas,
Damasks, Damask Perpetuals, Centifolias, and Mosses.  The mainstream
Oriental groups are Chinas and Teas.  The European sorts--with one
important exception--have only one season of bloom per year, while the
Orientals repeat bloom more or less continuously.

The European/Mediterranean roses or their forebears have been grown and
loved since the earliest days of history (and no doubt before).  Wreaths
of Damask-like roses have been found in Egyptian tombs; seemingly the
same rose--called at one time "Rosa sancta" (the Holy Rose)--has been
grown down to our own days in holy places in eastern Africa.  Frescoes
painted during the heyday of the Minoan culture on Crete show roses.  The
festivals both sacred and profane of the classical Greeks included roses,
and did those of the Romans.  During the Roman era, a repeat-blooming
variant of the Damask rose evidently appeared, the first member of a
group which came to be called "Damask Perpetuals."  The Romans were so
sophisticated that they developed a hot-house technology which allowed
them to "force" roses into more bloom; they also imported roses from
Egypt.  The roses of these most ancient times in Europe and the
Mediterranean were seemingly the Damasks, the Albas, and the Gallicas.

During the Middle Ages, these roses retained a certain religious use, not
only as decorations and adjuncts to (now Christian) holy festivals, but
also as denizens of the medicinal gardens.  Their medicinal associations
as well as the simple human delight in their fragrance brought about the
distillation-of-rose-essence industry, which still has local importance
in a few areas of Europe (formerly France, now primarily Bulgaria).

With the end of the Middle Ages and the rise of the merchant class,
commerce in horticultural material began to flourish.  Due to their fleet
of trading ships and the peculiarities of their geography, the Netherlands
became (and continue) a great center of horticultural business.
Alongside their trade in Tulips, Hyacinths, Carnations, and the like,
came something new in Occidental rose progress:  systematic growing of
roses from seed (previously, roses had primarily been propagated from
cuttings, suckers, runners, and possibly to a small degree by grafts).
This opened up the possibility inherent in sexual reproduction:
Variation.  One of the great holes in knowledge of rose history concerns
what roses they used in this, and how they went about it--but, at any
rate, whereas previously only some tens of rose cultivars existed, now,
in the period up to about 1810, one or two hundred became available,
indeed a whole new group, the Centifolias, arising from the complex and
possibly arbitrary breeding of the Dutch.

Around 1800, the French became interested in roses and the rose
industry.  This interest was fueled by the French Empress Josephine, who
surrounded herself with adepts in all fields of interest to her--one was
Botany--while she consoled herself at the palace of Malmaison over her
divorce from her beloved Napoleon.  At this palace, she collected all the
available sorts of roses, and encouraged the breeding and hybridizing of
new ones.  Spurred by this imperial patronage, several French
breeders--notably Dupont and Descemet--went tio work with a vengeance,
developing several hundred new cultivars in the European groups
(Gallicas, Damasks, Albas, Centifolias . . . ).  Descemet indeed very
carefully kept notes of the results of particular crosses, and may be
said to have been the first in the West to have practiced controlled
cross-breeding.

We must turn, however, to the Orient for a moment, leaving Europe in the
throes of Napoleonic war and rose-breeding.  There is alas little
information on Oriental--or, more specifically, Chinese--rose breeding.
One finds indications that roses were favored, though perhaps not to the
extent that the Peony, the Chrysanthemum, or the Camellia were.  What is
important to note, however, is that by the period 1750-1824, four
cultivars in particular--often called today (rather rustically) "The Four
Stud Chinas"--had been developed.  Two were true China roses, one pink,
one red.  Two were Tea roses, one blush, one yellowish.  These were
continuous-blooming, as the Oriental roses were, but not hardy, and their
introduction into the Occident at length completely revolutionized rose
progress.

The French, though their Emperor had fallen and Josephine was dead,
continued their efforts with both the old material and now with the new.
Due to political problems, Descemet had to flee France, but an ex-soldier
of Napoleon's army, wounded in Italy, now prosperous as a hardware-shop
owner, indulged his interest in roses and bought what remained of
Descemet's nursery and breeding notes after the site of the nursery was
sacked by invading English troops.  This was Jean-Pierre Vibert, whose
intelligence and industriousness from 1816-1850 had a lasting influence
on the French rose industry.

The crosses with the new material were made as work continued in all
groups of roses.  Never before the 1820's had such a diversity of
disparate roses been available--and never since.  Almost every available
species, no matter how obscure, had varieties and subvarieties of varying
color or form due to breeding or sports.  A sport of the Centifolia, the
Moss Rose, had appeared a few decades before, and now began to spread its
unique array of cultivars over the rose scene as the breeders worked with it.

As the 1820's became the 1830's, however, interest was concentrated on the
breeding between the Oriental roses and the Europeans.  Due to the laws of
genetics, the first progeny of crosses between once-bloomers and
repeat-bloomers were once-blooming.  As they were crossed with each other,
however, and then back to the Chinas and Teas, repeat-blooming hybrids
began to appear.  These were crossed with Damask Perpetuals.  The 1830's
were a time of ferment and experimentation with these.

Meantime, on an island in the Indian Ocean (though there is some debate
about this), a new cross between a China and a Damask Perpetual
appeared.  This was the Bourbon Rose.  Its appearance at this time made
it a part of the breeding going on primarily in France (though efforts
were also underway in England).

The outcome of all these crosses jelled in the 1840's into the group
called "Hybrid Perpetuals"--a name which implied to the people of the
time "Damask Perpetuals which have been hybridized with Other Sorts."
This group, taking in cultivars of all colors and forms, and (best of all
to the people of the era) at least somewhat re-blooming and hardy,
overwhelmed almost all the other groups.  Interest in the old European
sorts waned; they were gradually set aside, kept mainly as sentimental
remembrances of the past by a few devotees.

The idea of rose shows and competitions was on the rise at this time.
These events began for better or worse to standardize the concept of what
a rose blossom should look like, and made many concentrate on the rose as
a producer of exhibition items rather than a decorative plant for the garden.

Breeding experimentation continued.  The original, rather weakly-growing,
Teas were crossed with Bourbons to make a new, robust sort of Tea.  As
the search to widen the range of Hybrid Perpetuals continued, they were
crossed with the Teas producing a group which came to be known as Hybrid
Teas.  Efforts along these lines really got underway seriously in the
1870's, though there had been a few earlier such crosses as well.

But, still experimentation continued.  A strong yellow rose was wanted.
The Teas had light yellows among their number, but these had a tendency to
fade, and the plants were not as robust as people had become accustomed to
from the Hybrid Perpetuals.  A deep yellow species, R.  foetida, had been
used to produce a Tea 'Ma Capucine' by the breeder Levet in 1871, but the
plant was weak-growing, discouraging further work.  In the 1890's,
Pernet-Ducher turned to the problem, and, after a long series of
experiments with Teas, Hybrid Teas, Hybrid Perpetuals, and (finally) R.
foetida, produced offspring around 1900 from a cross of the HP 'Antoine
Ducher' and R. foetida which had a yellow/gold/coral tone that seemed to
promise much.  Further developments from this cross were called
"Pernetianas," and at length they were combined with the original Hybrid
Teas to produce what might be called "Hybrid Hybrid Teas"--the Hybrid Teas
of today.

2. Gallica Roses.
These are selections bred from the "French Rose," R. gallica.  A Gallica
will typically have a stocky plant, an open blossom which shows the
stamens and is held upright, usually in colors varying on one side or the
other from rose-red.  Variations, however, are almost limitless as well
as subtle, and all degrees of height and blossom may be found, from near
singles to full doubles, from blush pinks to maroon, from clear
homogeneous colors to cloudy, striped, and/or spotted blossoms.  The
plants are easily propagated by their runners or suckers when on their
own roots.  Some examples are 'D'Aguesseau', 'Camaieux', `Tuscany',
'Versicolor'.

3. Alba Roses.
As is so often the case with roses, the precise origin of the Alba group
is much debated; possibly R. canina x R. damascena, or R. corymbifera x
R. gallica, or . . . ?  Albas typically make large, healthy shrubs with
fragrant white or light pink blossoms, usually in few-flowered clusters.
They have particular associations with the Middle Ages and castle
gardens.  'Great Maiden's Blush', `Semiplena', `Jeanne d'Arc', `Konigin
von Danemark', `Pompon Blanc Parfait'.

4.  Damask Roses.
Damask Roses are supposed to be from a hybridization between R. gallica
and R. phoenicia which occurred in Asia Minor and became distributed
throughout Syria and the Near East and Middle East generally.  The
Crusaders--according to tradition--brought it back to Europe from
Damascus (hence the name) in 1254.  However, there is a most daunting and
seemingly impenetrable fog around R. damascena.  References can be found
to "the common Damask" as late as the 1820's, and yet what an author is
referring to by this term remains elusive.  It indeed frequently seems
that "the Common Damask" is rather a Damask Perpetual!  Worse, cultivars
which we today consider as defining the group--`Leda', perhaps, and 'Mme.
Hardy'--seem to have been hybrids.  'Celsiana', a most beautiful and
popular rose, is possibly "typical" Damask; and yet, even it has its
mystery (current research seems to indicate that the "pre-1750" date
usually put forward is whimsical).  Even 'York and Lancaster', frequently
considered to be a sport of the original (red?) Damask, is supposed by
one authority to be an Alba on the basis of a sporting back to something
like the Alba 'Semiplena'!  The cultivar used for the rose oil industry
in Bulgaria, `Trigintipetala', supposedly a long-ago import from Turkey,
is perhaps dependably R. damascena . . . .  That said, characteristics
associated with our concept of what a Damask should look like are:
upright frequently arching canes, grayish-green somewhat rugose somewhat
hirsute leaves, large gHfragrant blossoms in few-flowered clusters,
delicate in appearance, and ranging in color from white to deep pink
depending on the cultivar.  'Ville de Bruxelles', `Celsiana', `Mme.
Hardy', 'Mme. Zoetmans', 'Kazanlyk'.

5. (a) Centifolia Roses.
The genetic background of the much-beloved Centifolia roses is also much
debated.  Some have reported wild Centifolias from various sites in
Europe and Asia, others try to piece together mosaics of species to make
the Centifolia a complex hybrid.  They were much featured in the
paintings of the Dutch masters.  Typically, a mature Centifolia will be
4-5 feet high, leafy, and bear lush, fragrant, pink blossoms which not
only nod in themselves, but which also frequently cause the plant's
branches to nod gracefully under their weight.  Colors of various
cultivars range from white to deep rose-red, and there are striped and
spotted ones as well.  `Common Centifolia', `Bullata', `Des Peintres',
`La Noblesse', `Tour de Malakoff', 'Unica'.

(b) Mosses.
These roses, originally a sport of the Centifolia, bear on their
flower-stems and sepals a mutation of the glands making it appear as if a
green or reddish-brown moss were growing there, adding a unique delicacy
to the buds.  In this group can be found some deep crimsons, lacking
among the regular Centifolias; this is possibly due to some hybridization
involving crimson China roses.  `Common Moss', `Gloire des Mousseux',
`William Lobb', `Deuil de Paul Fontaine', `Striped Moss'.

(c) Pompons. There are also several Centifolias which are to a greater or
lesser degree, miniatures or dwarfs, with small, charming blossoms.  `De
Meaux', `Petite de Hollande', `Spong', `Little Gem'.

6. Agathe Roses.
One of the least-known groups, Agathes are seemingly complex hybrids with
a very strong influence from the Damasks and possibly R. francofurtana.
They are characterized by rather compact, leafy bushes, usually bearing
small to medium sized full, tight blossoms.  Due to years of
unfamiliarity, generations of rosarians have listed them among the
Gallicas.  `Fatime', `Marie-Louise', `Majestueuse', `Bouquet Rose de
Venus', `Victorine la Couronnee'.

7. Turbinata Roses.
The Turbinatas result from a cross between R. gallica and R. majalis, a
European species.  The main representative of this group is `Imperatrice
Josephine' with large foliage and big, wavy blossoms of intense pink.
Turbinata roses often have some difficulty in opening their buds.

8. (a) Rubiginosa Roses.
The Rubiginosa or Sweetbriar rose is a tall-growing rose the distinctive
characteristic of which is its foliage which, particularly after a rain,
wafts a green-apple scent.  The blossoms of the original are single and
pink or white, giving rise to coral-red hips, making quite a show in the
Fall.  A number of hybrids were produced in the 1890's by Lord Penzance,
much extending the color-range of the sort, at some expense to the
fragrance of the foliage.  `Clementine', `Hebe's Lip', `Lord Penzance',
`Amy Robsart', `Greenmantle'.

(b) Canina Roses.
The Canina or Dog Rose is closely related to the above, lacking however
the scented foliage.  The hips were considered medicinally effective
against bites from mad dogs, hence the name.  The Austro-Hungarian
breeder Geschwind had a great interest in R. canina due to its hardiness,
and produced several hybrids in the latter part of the 19th century;
others have also made sparing use of it in breeding work.  `Una',
`Creme', `Freya', `Kiese', `Theresia'.

9. Hemispherica Roses.
Will the day of R. hemispherica ever come?  Or is it already past?  Known
since the 1600's, R. hemispherica has much whetted the appetites of
rosarians because of its deep yellow flowers, double in two varieties,
its glaucous foliage, and the difficulty of its culture.  It should be
tried by those in dry, Mediterranean-like climates.  There are only three
Hemisphericas:  `Simplex', `Multiplex', and `Pompon Jaune'--the
lattermost with small double blossoms, reportedly the most difficult of all.

10. Foetida Roses.
R. foetida has long attracted the attention of horticulturists and
botanists because of its bright coloring, and at length entered into the
mainstream by the role it played in the production of the Pernetiana
roses, leading directly into the modern Hybrid Tea.  The plant is a
large, arching shrub.  R. foetida itself is bright yellow, `Bicolor' is
coppery orange on the inside and yellow on the outside of the petals,
'Persian Yellow' is a double yellow.  Several hybrids have been produced,
of which the following are notable:  'Le Reve', `Star of Persia',
'Harison's Yellow'.  The Pernetiana group of hybrids is covered in a
separate section.

11. Pimpinellifolia Roses (including Spinosissima).  These roses are
extremely hardy, have attractive foliage with various tints in the Fall,
and bear sprightly single or double blossoms in most all the colors roses
have, white, pink, red, yellow.  Many are very compact, neat-looking
bushes.  `William III', `William IV', `Doorenbos Selection', `Altaica',
`Marmorata', `Sulphurea'.  Three repeat-blooming cultivars were produced,
hybrid with the Damask Perpetual, one of which is still with us:
`Stanwell Perpetual'.

12. Boursault Roses.
The Boursaults are of the scandent or climbing habit, and are
traditionally supposed to derive from a Napoleonic-era cross between one
of the earliest Chinas and R. pendulina, an alpine rose.  The blossoms
are rather large, come in larger or smaller clusters, appear early, are
in shades of pink and red, and sometimes re-appear later in the season.
The foliage in some sorts colors well in the Fall.  `Mme. de Sancy de
Parabere', `Morletii', `Amadis', `Calypso'.

13. Sempervirens Roses.
R. sempervirens is a climbing species from the Mediterranean area which
has glossy, persistent leaves and large clusters of small white flowers.
In the 1820's particularly, several breeders undertook work with it, most
notably A. Jacques, who hybridized it with China or Noisette roses to
come up with a series of climbers in shades of pink to white, climbers
which are still used and appreciated today.  `Felicite et Perpetue',
`Adelaide d'Orleans', `Flore', `Dona Maria'.  (The greatly popular
Noisette 'Aimee Vibert' is also an R. sempervirens cross; it is however
placed among the Noisettes because it reblooms.)

14. Setigera Roses.
R. setigera is a tough, hardy native of the American prairies, and has
been used to produce a number of similarly tough and hardy climbers,
first of all in the mid-19th century by several American nurserymen whose
crosses with Noisettes, Gallicas, and no one knows what else, gave us the
very beautiful varieties 'Baltimore Belle', `Gem of the Prairies', `Eva
Corinne', `Queen of the Prairies', etc.  Later breeders were to add
`Corporal Johann Nagy', `Ovid', `Mrs. F.F. Prentiss', and eventually a
series of modern climbers of which the best known, perhaps, is `Doubloons'.

15.  Wichuraiana Roses.
R. wichuraiana is a wide-spreading cluster-flowered climber/groundcover
rose from Japan and the Orient generally.  The American Mr.
Horvath--responsible for the `Doubloons' just mentioned above--began
hybridizing with it immediately upon its appearance in the West in the
early 1890's, crossing it with Polyanthas and Chinas.  A person connected
with the Barbier nurseries in France happened to visit, became interested
in the results, and got the similar and highly successful Barbier crosses
underway back home (though it is now thought that the closely-related R.
luciae was used by the Barbiers for a number of the crosses).  Many, many
very meritorious ramblers from these and other breeders were introduced
in the following years, some of the greatest popularity:  `Dorothy
Perkins', `Evangeline', `May Queen', `Leontine Gervais', `Aviateur
Bleriot'.

16. Multiflora Roses.
Though a few Multiflora climbers had been produced early in the 19th
century by such old masters as Vibert ('De la Girfferaie') and Laffay
('Laure Davoust'), and others appeared now and then for the rest of the
century, the main impetus towards hybridizing with the Oriental R.
multiflora came with the introduction of `Turner's Crimson Rambler' in
1893.  Over the next twenty-five or so years, dozens and dozens of
Multiflora Ramblers--stiffer, more upright than Wichuraiana
Ramblers--were released, some of them the so-called "blue" ramblers.
`Veilchenblau', `Bleu Magenta', `Hiawatha', `Caroubier', `Ghislaine de
Feligonde', `Tausendschon'.

17. Damask Perpetual Roses. This group was the only repeat-blooming one
known to the Europeans until the advent of the China roses.  It had indeed
been known seemingly in at least one variety ('Bifera') since Roman times.
Another cultivar ('Tous-les-Mois') appeared in the 17th century, and
breeding work in earnest began on them in the 1810's.  Vibert and his
successors in his firm had a very great interest in this group, and
introduced by far the greatest number of them, the last one ('Rembrandt')
of their long-pursued line coming out in 1883.  They typically have
stocky, healthy, decorative bushes, with the often exquisitely double,
fragrant blossoms nestling in the leaves.  There are several races of
them:  the Biferas, with tall, arching growth; the Portlands, showing
Gallica influence; the Tous-les-Mois, the typical sort, bushy and compact
with tight blossoms;  and the Trianons, tall, vigorous, Hybrid-Perpetual
like growth with clusters of flowers.  The colors range from white through
all the pinks to deepest red.  'Jacques Cartier', `Yolande d'Aragon',
`Portland Rose', `Rose du Roi', `Joasine Hanet', `Marbree'.

18. China Roses.
Chinas--selectively bred from R. chinensis--had been grown in Chinese
gardens long before the Occident knew anything about them.  The agent of
their first appearance in the West is under some dispute, with claims
being made for Sweden, Britain, and Italy.  A pink form and a red form
entered commerce in the West in the 1790's, and breeding quickly got
underway, particularly in France and, to some degree, Italy.  The reasons
for their quick popularity were primarily their continuous bloom and, at
least initially, the then-current rage for things Oriental.  Their main
difficulty was their lack of cold-hardiness.  Chinas typically make,
bushy, twiggy plants, often quite irregular in outline, and range in
color from deepest red and maroon through pink to white.  Some hybridized
with the Teas show warm tones of yellow, saffron, salmon, and orange.
The China group has long been considered a refuge for "decoratives" as
opposed to exhibition roses; cultivars of Tea parentage which did not
show the blossom-form expected of Teas would be offered as Chinas.
`Cramoisi Superieur', `Parsons' Pink China', `Eugene de Beauharnais',
`Archiduc Charles', `Ducher', `Nemesis', `Mme. Eugene Resal', `Arethusa',
and the green rose `Viridiflora'.

19. Tea Roses.
Teas are so called because many discern in their blossoms the scent of "a
newly-opened sample of the choicest tea".  Their supposed ancestry is R.
chinensis x R. gigantea, the latter being a high-climbing Chinese rose
with large primrose-colored blossoms fading quickly to white.  The
British introduced the first two cultivars to the West in 1810 and 1824;
the French quickly began hybridizing with them.  The spiralling starry
form now usually associated with an unfurling rose bud derives from the
Tea and, to a lesser extent, the China.  Teas are considered by many
aficionadoes to have the most exquisite form and coloration in the world
of the Rose.  The problem confronted by the French, however, was that the
bushes producing these blossoms were frail (at least, in France and
England!), and the blossoms very susceptible to damage from the weather.
Some took to growing them as greenhouse plants; others tried to improve
the plant by cross-breeding.  Several interesting results were produced,
as we shall see in other categories below.  In the history of the Teas,
however, the most important crosses were with the Bourbons.  This began a
new race of Teas, most of which were quite unlike the old ones:  large,
vigorous, thick-limbed shrubs, often with perfectly healthy, beautiful
glossy foliage.  The colors range throughout the rose palette (reds,
pinks, whites, blushes, yellows, oranges), but most special to Teas are
the colors of dawn:  tones of gold, warm pink, and rose shading into each
other, with delicate tints and highlightings.  `Anna Olivier', `Maman
Cochet', `Safrano', `Comtesse de Labarthe', `mme. Antoine Mari',
`Souvenir de Therese Levet', `Catherine Mermet', `Etoile de Lyon',
`Devoniensis', `Lady Hillingdon'.

20. Bourbon Roses.
Bourbon Roses are named for the Ile Bourbon, now called Reunion, in the
Indian Ocean, where they traditionally are supposed to have originated
from a natural cross between the China `Parsons' Pink' and the red
`Tous-les-Mois', a Damask Perpetual, two roses which were used as hedge
material on the island.  (This, however, is an area of hot dispute in
almost every particular.)  Seeds of this plant, and cuttings of the
plant, showed up in Paris in 1819 and 1821 respectively.  The way in
which the virtues of its disparate parents were combined made these new
roses popular, and after ten years of largely unsuccessful attempts, good
new Bourbons began to come out of the breeding grounds in the 1830's.  In
the best of them, vigor was combined with floriferousness, and beauty
with fragrance.  A typical Bourbon will have the arching growth harkening
back to its Damask ancestors, with the lush flowers and fragrance from
much the same source; but it will also have a strong tendency to rebloom
from the China ancestor, as well as a certain often subtle influence of
the China flower form.  Bourbons, however, are often not typical at all,
and range from the arching growth just mentioned to the very dwarf,
China-like growth of the cultivar 'Hermosa', indeed one of the oldest
Bourbons still available (it had shown up by 1835).  They range in color
from deep reds through pinks to blush and white.  The easygoing charms of
the Bourbons have returned them to the forefront of popularity among
today's old rose people, though very few were introduced after 1900;
their original heyday was the period 1830-1850.  `Souvenir de la
Malmaison', `Reine Victoria', `Louise Odier', `Gloire des Rosomanes',
`Mme. Isaac Pereire', `Acidalie', `Boule de Neige'.

21. Noisette Roses.
Just after 1800, John Champneys of Charleston, South Carolina, crossed a
pink China (traditionally supposed to be 'Parsons' Pink') with the Musk
Rose R. moschata, and obtained a large-growing shrub with clusters of
lightly fragrant pink blossoms, `Champneys' Pink Cluster'.  A neighbor
there, Philippe Noisette, planted its seeds and grew a plant which was
similar but dwarfer, and which had larger clusters of doubler flowers,
`Blush Noisette'.  Philippe Noisette'sbrother happened to be a major
French nurseryman in Paris, and it was through this latter that the rose
found commercial release around 1815.  The industrious French breeders
soon went to work, and within ten years, there were more than a hundred
Noisettes in the catalogs in colors from white to crimson-purple.  The
new yellow Tea showing up about that time, it was crossed with the
Noisettes, with a result which fundamentlaly changed the Noisette group;
the blossoms became larger, the clusters smaller, and the plants more
Tea-like, with an inclination towards "climbing."  The group reached its
apogee or indeed apotheosis in 1853 with the release of one of the most
beloved roses of all, the climber `Gloire de Dijon'.  Further climbing
Noisettes, mostly in shades of yellow or pinkish yellow, were released
through the turn of the century when newer, hardier climbers of different
background took the fore.  The seemingly final stage of Noisettes,
returning them much to their original concept of multi-flowered shrubs,
was coming with the development of the Hybrid Musks (comprising crosses
between Noisettes and Hybrid Teas, etc.) in the 1910's, 1920's, and
beyond.  `Gloire de Dijon', `Desprez a Fleur Jaune', `Bougainville',
`Chromatella', `Solfatare', `Marechal Niel', `Aimee Vibert', `William
Allen Richardson', `Lily Metschersky'.

22.  Hybrid China, Hybrid Bourbon, Hybrid Noisette Roses. These crosses
between Chinas, Bourbons, Noisettes, and the old European sorts (Gallicas,
etc.) were made initially as an attempt to deal with the lack of hardiness
of these new sorts with R. chinensis background.  The outcome was quite
varied.  The results are not absolutely clear, because offspring close to
the, say, Gallica parent would be sold as a Gallica, and offspring close
to the, say, China parent would find itself sold as a China; thus, many of
these hybrids, produced in the 1820's and 1830's primarily, masquerade as
something they are not genetically.  The important thing, however, is
that, due to the laws of genetics, almost the entirety of these are
once-bloomers--but often blooming that one time a season with the most
extreme profusion and beautiful fragrant flowers.  The plants are most
often climber-like and of the most extreme vigor, frequently heavily
foliated.  Novices and others must be careful to distinguish between
(once-blooming) Hybrid Chinas and (repeat-blooming) China hybrids;
(once-blooming) Hybrid Bourbons and (repeat-blooming) Bourbon hybrids;
(once-blooming) Hybrid Noisettes and (repeat-blooming) Noisette Hybrids.
`George IV', `Belle de Crecy', `Duchesse de Montebello', `Mme. Plantier',
`Triomphe de Laffay', `Comtesse de Lacepede', `Las-Cases', `Malton'.

23. Hybrid Perpetual Roses.
As the breeding work continued in the late 1820's with the Hybrid Chinas,
Hybrid Bourbons, and Hybrid Noisettes, they were crossed with the
hardiest re-blooming roses they had on hand, the Damask Perpetuals.  Thus
was born the race of Hybrid Perpetuals, which soon grew to encompass as
well any re-blooming progeny of the Hybrid Chinas, etc.  A first, very
obscure, reblooming hybrid, `Hybride Remontant a Bois Lisse', peeks at us
from 1829, another eight or so show up over the next decade, and soon the
floodgates opened, thousands being released over the next sixty years.
They were crossed with each other and with the Bourbons and Damask
Perpetuals until a nearly full range of color from blush white to deepest
red and purple was obtained; only purest white and yellow eluded them for
a time, spurring interesting experiments (as we shall see).  Typically, a
Hybrid Perpetual will have big, cabbagey blossoms at the top of a long,
often arching cane.  As HP's were developed simultaneously with the rise
of rose shows and competition, the forms became increasingly refined over
the years from the original muddled or quartered look (now back in
fashion!) to a rather fulsome version of what we might expect in a rose
of today.  Many HP's show a tendency towards fungous diseases, requiring
a careful program of spraying.  The thrill of a garden full of big,
fragrant HP's in full bloom is something not to be forgotten; many will
think of this and be quick to forgive them their often miserly rebloom.
They began to fade from the scene with the advent of the Hybrid Tea.
`Baronne Prevost', `Victor Verdier', `Charles Lefebvre', `Jules
Margottin', `American Beauty', `General Jacqueminot', `Frau Karl
Druschki', `Georg Arends', `Mrs. John Laing', `Souvenir d'Alphonse
Lavalle', `Reine des Violettes', `Tartarus'.

24. Old Hybrid Tea Roses.
Ah, me.  Here one is, a breeder in, say, the late 1860's, trying to breed
a "different" HP among the hundreds coming out every year, one with
shapely blossoms to win at shows, one that blooms more to attract those
looking for garden decoration, maybe one that's white or even yellow!
The obvious answer, and one that occurred to several breeders--but most
notably to Lacharme of France and Bennett of England--was to breed the
Tea into the Hybrid Perpetual; they were willing to risk some loss of
hardiness to gain something "different."  Though the occasional HP x T
cross had been made before and released, the first long-term programs of
such were made by Lacharme and Bennett.  From the mid-1870's on, others
tried their hands at it increasingly; and, by the 1890's, Hybrid Teas
were replacing Hybrid Perpetuals in the gardens of "modern"-thinking
rosarians.  The Hybrid Teas bloomed more, were bushier, had more
beautiful leaves and better-shaped flowers, and the color-range, somewhat
limited in the HP's, was extended into the warm, exotic range of the
Teas; the HP's mainly held ground where their greater hardiness made them
more desirable.  The problems with these new HT's was that they were, as
we just saw, more tender, and they carried with them the problem that
many Teas had of modding on the stem; further, the color range, though
wide, was muted:  milky whites, creamy pinks, pale coral pinks, dull
rose-coloreds, no real full-bodied reds at first; worst, perhaps, they
were no improvement in health.  And yet . . . and yet . . . they are
beautiful, delicate creatures.  (Traditionalists remind me to cite 'La
France' as "the first Hybrid Tea"; it was introduced in 1867, as a
Bourbon hybrid.)  `Captain Christy', `Mme. Lacharme', `Antonine Verdier',
`Jean Sisley', `Julius Finger', `Grace Darling', `Viscountess
Folkestone', `Mme. Caroline Testout', `Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria',
`Antoine Rivoire', `Mme. Wagram, Comtesse de Turenne'.

25. Pernetiana Roses.
Though the new HT's had definite yellow tinges from their Tea
connections, Pernet-Ducher of Lyon, France, wanted to develop a deep
yellow.  Experimentation in the 1890's with the difficult to breed with
R. foetida at length brought a cross between it and an old purple-red HP,
`Antoine Ducher'.  From this came `Soleil d'Or' or 1900, a rather
difficult to grow plant with blossoms of a revolutionary coloration:
gold/pink/saffron/etc., much more pronounced than it had ever been in the
Teas.  This cross, and its nearer descendants, were called "Pernetiana
Roses" in honor of Pernet-Ducher.  They are characterized by growth and
health quirks associated with R. foetida (glossy leaves, die-back, fungal
problems).  To remedy these problems, and to satisfy what would be the
natural urge, breeders began crossing these Pernetianas with the Hybrid
Teas of the time, producing wild colors in oranges, hot pinks, bright
yellows, flame, apricot . . .   By the late 1920's, these two races had
merged to produce the Modern Hybrid Tea of today.  `Soleil d'Or', `Mme.
Edouard Herriot', `Los Angeles', `Souvenir de Claudius Pernet', `Souvenir
de Georges Pernet', `Willowmere', `Autumn', `California', `Arthur R.
Goodwin', `Lyon-Rose'.

26. Mossy Remontants.
While the HP's were getting underway in the 1830's and 1840's, another
new sort of repeat-blooming rose made its appearance:  the Mossy
Remontant.  The first one was a sport of the Damask Perpetual `Bifera' in
1835; but the first one intentionally bred was released by Mauget of
Orleans, France, in 1844.  Over the next forty or so years, a number of
Mossy Remontants were released, some quite charming indeed, though many
are neither very mossy nor very remontant (reblooming).  Many are close
to the Damask Perpetuals in plant habit, having undoubtedly been bred
from them, and make neat little bushes in the garden.  Others seem to
have Hybrid Perpetual relations, and grow in the gawky way of that
tribe.  These do better in warm climates than do the regular Mosses.
Their colors range from white through pink to ddep red.  `Alfred de
Dalmas', `Soupert et Notting', `Cesonie', `Mme. Edouard Ory', `Pompon
Perpetuel', `Salet', `Deuil de Paul Fontaine', `Baron de Wassenaer'.

27. Polyantha Roses.
In 1869, Guillot fils of Lyon, France, sowed seed from R. multiflora
'Polyantha', a large shrub introduced from Japan around 1862, with
clusters of single, white, fragrant blossoms.  From this, he obtained a
large crop of much varied seedlings; "I didn't have so many as two which
resembled their mother!" said he.  Elsewhere in Lyon, the breeder Rambaux
had sown a separate crop, with similar results.  Guillot fils got seeds
from a semi-double in the crop, sowed these, and from this arose the first
Polyantha, `Paquerette', released in 1875.  Alongside the "pure"
Polyanthas, breeders crossed them with Teas to obtain clusters a small
but perfectly-formed buds, as with `Mlle. Cecile Brunner' and `Perle
d'Or'.  Polyanthas normally produce dwarfish, compact bushes ranging from
one foot to three in height, bearing often immense clusters of small
blossoms which can range through the whole spectrum of rose coloration.
Some have a tendency towards leaflessness in the Summer.  New Polyanthas
continue to be bred and released in the present-day world of roses due to
their unique qualities for breeding and display.  They were crossed
beginning in the Teens and 20's with Hybrid Teas to produce the
Floribunda group.  `Mlle. Cecile Brunner', `Perle d'Or', `Rita Sammons',
`Lady Anne Kidwell', `Mignonette', `Clotilde Soupert', `Eblouissant',
`Anne Marie de Montravel', `Mme. Norbert Levavasseur', `Perle des
Rouges', `Merveille des Rouges', `Margo Koster', `Sunshine'.

28. Rugosa Roses.
Rugosa roses are those derived from the thorny Japanese rose R. rugosa,
the two mains forms of which are wine-red and white.  Though a few
crosses had been made earlier, in the 1890's several hybridizers became
interested in working with the species due to its hardiness, health,
vigor, and special beauty.  This lattermost is due to its glossy green
leaves and splendid orange hips as well as its large, beautiful flowers.
Due to the ease with which it crosses, much has been tried with the
Rugosas, and efforts continue today.  Colors range from white through
pink to red and purple, and yellow can be found as well.  There are new
dwarfer cultivars, but normally the specimen will reach five or six feet
in height.  Some old cultivars:  `Roseraie de l'Hay', `Blanc Double de
Coubert', `Fimbriata', `Mme. Alvarez del Campo', `New Century', `Comte
d'Epremesnil', `Grootendorst Supreme', `Rose Apples'.

29. Miscellaneous Roses.
There are many small groups of roses we cannot cover here due to
limitations of space.  We can, however, at least mention a few names from
some of these groups:  Arvensis ('Dundee Rambler', `Ayrshire Queen',
`Mme. Viviand-Morel', `Ruga'), Banksia (`Albo-Plena', `Lutescens',
`Luteo-Plena'), Bracteata ('Alba Odorata', `Maria Leonida', `Mermaid'),
Hugonis (`Albert Maumene', `Dr. E.M. Mills'), Laevigata ('Ramona',
`Anemonen Rose', `Silver Moon'), Musk (`Flore Pleno', `Fraser's Pink
Musk', `Princesse de Nassau'), Roxburghii (`Ma Surprise', `Triomphe de la
Guillotiere', `Domaine de Chapuis', `Chateau de la Juvenie'), Souliana
('Chevy Chase', Kew Rambler'), Pomifera ('Duplex'); Hybrid Musk
('Felicia', `Francesca', `Pax', `Nur Mahal', `Sammy', `Penelope'),
Lambertiana (`Trier', `Gneisenau', `Lessing', `Eva'), Thomasiana (`Bishop
Darlington', `Bloomfield Dainty', `Bloomfield Perfection').

30. Middle Aged Roses.
Increasingly without a home are the very beautiful Hybrid Teas and
Floribundas introduced in the 1920's, 1920's, 1940's, 1950's . . .  Too
young to be "old" roses, too old for many current-day rosarians, these
wonderful cultivars need an interest group of their own.

31. Current Activities in the Field.
An important activity undertaken and enjoyed by many old rosers is to
visit old gardens, cemeteries, churches, town sites, and the like to
find, propagate, and try to identify old roses found growing there.
Debate on the subject of identification is often hot and heart-felt, many
people having sentimental attachments to names long familiar or roses
they have found; those entering into the fray need to have obtained
accurate descriptions from old sources such as catalogs, magazines, or
books published when the cultivars were new.  Those in a position to do
so can check the old bulletins or minutes of their local horticultural
society for data about what old roses were popular in the area in a
particular era; those living in old rose-breeding areas may stumble on a
gold mine of information when they do so.  Those more interested in
growing could put together collections of roses from, for instance, one
breeder, and then write an article comparing, contrasting, extrapolating
results.  A major need is to import into the U.S. cultivars which at
present exist only in Europe; the person attempting to do so needs to be
able to meet the requirements of the USDA quarantine as well as to
negotiate the difficulties of doing business overseas.

32. Organizations.
There are a number of organizations which would be of interest to
devotees of old roses.  We cannot know or list all of them; neither
listing nor failing to list here indicates any opinion of their worth.
Here are some addresses correct as of the time of writing (November 1,
1994); please write for information:

GENERAL ROSE SOCIETIES

American Rose Society
P.O. Box 30,000
Shreveport, LA 71130
USA

Canadian Rose Society
Mrs. Anne Graber, Secr.
10 Fairfax Cr.
Scarborough, Ont  M1L 1Z8
Canada

The Royal National Rose Society
Chiswell Green
St. Albans, Herts.  AL2 3NR
England

La Societe Francaise des Roses
Parc de la Tete d'Or
69459 Lyon
France

Verein Deutscher Rosenfreunde
Mainaustrasse 198A
775A Konstanz
Germany

OLD ROSE SOCIETIES

Dallas Area Historical Rose Society
P.O. Box 38585
Dallas, TX 75238-0585
USA

Heritage Roses Group, North-East
Lily Shohan
RD 1  Box 299
Clinton Corners, NY 12514
USA

Heritage Roses Group, North Central
Henry Najat
6365 Wald Road
Monroe, WI 53566
USA

Heritage Roses Group, North West
Judy Dexter
23665 41st Street South
Kent, WA 98032
USA

Heritage Roses Group, South East
Jan Wilson
1700 S. Lafayette St.
Shelby, NC 28150
USA

Heritage Roses Group, South Central
Karen Walbrun
Rt. 2  Box 6661
Pipe Creek, TX 78063
USA

Heritage Roses Group, South West (Last name A-G)
Betty L. Cooper
925 King Drive
El Cerrito, CA 94530
USA

Heritage Roses Group, South West (Last name H-O)
Marlea Graham
100 Bear Oaks Drive
Martinez, CA 94553
USA

Heritage Roses Group, South West (Last name P-Z)
Frances Grate
472 Gibson Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
USA

Heritage Rose Foundation
1512 Gorman Street
Raleigh, NC 27606
USA

Les Amis de la Roseraie
Roseraie Departemental
Rue Andre Watel
94240 L'Hay-les-Roses
France

33. Nurseries.
We alas cannot list all old rose nurseries, and do not wish to seem to be
recommending any one or group over any other in something involving
commercial interests.  The societies listed above can provide lists of
nurseries, at least one recent book ("Quest for the Rose") lists several
for a number of countries around the world, and there is currently
(November 1, 1994) a thread on this newsgroup discussing rose suppliers
(if it is gone, start another thread asking!).

34. Books.
All books published on this subject should be examined with interest and
discernment.  Here are a few recent ones; we are no doubt forgetting
several equally worthy ones.

"The Graham Stuart Thomas Rose Book", by Graham Stuart Thomas.  Timber
Press, 1994.  (Timber Press phone #: [in USA] 1-800-327-5680; [elsewhere]
(503) 227-2878.)

"The Quest for the Rose", by Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix.  Random
House, 1993.

"The Old Rose Advisor", by Brent C. Dickerson.  Timber Press, 1992.

"Roses", by Peter Beales.  Harvill, 1992.

"Old Roses and English Roses", by David Austin.  Antique Collector's
Club, 1992.

"Rosa Rugosa", by Suzy Verrier.

"Les Roses Anciennes", by Charlotte Testu.  Flammarion, 1984.

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