I've just added these 2 pictures on 12 March, we've now had a week of very hot weather, and yesterday afternoon brought disgusting hot winds. These are faces she's showing me just before midday today - a tough rose ..... also the blooms are reminiscent of what my memory tells me I first saw in April 2005, however I'm not sure if the camera has captured the difference that I can see compared to the 2 photos immediately below, that were taken 2 days ago.....
I saw the parent plant in an restored old garden in April 2005, one of two early roses there not yet identified. On first sight, I thought it might be the 'shrub' form of Lorraine Lee, as opposed to the familiar climbing or bush forms. I believe there are a few isolated examples of the shrub form both in Australia & the US.
That thought has gone as I watch my young plant grow, now in the ground for 11 months. Nevertheless it does 'feel' like an AC large shrub rose with gigantea ancestry. Bloom colour & form are similar to many of his roses - such as a strong fairly hard pink it showed last spring.
These photos were taken this week; the first two were taken 2 days after the mid pink bloom photo. These colours are new to me, & show a more significant variability than I was expecting - hopefully a potential identification characteristic.
The overall plant growth & structure at this early stage also remind me of young plants of Mrs Fred Danks & Lady Mann, and the hips are akin to the pear shape of Daydream (& a few others). Very few prickles to be found. Fragrance is light & variable...
