Thursday, March 3, 2011

'Jo An's Pink Perpetual"

A few years before I began working with the folks running Denver's historic Fairmount Cemetery in the mid 90s, their then Director of Public Affairs, the very colorful and piquant Jo An Cullen, had located a few plants of this EXTREMELY fragrant, highly remontant Old Rose that laughed at Denver's climate extremes. It rarely set hips there. My best guess to date as to its true identity is 'Champion of the World', which some years ago Fred Boutin felt too was likely. I bought this plant from the folks at High Country Roses to whom I gave the cuttings of it plus those of "Fairmount Red" and "York Street Yellow" and 'Hiawatha' plus quite a few  OGRs I discovered and/or catalogued over 15 years in Denver. They also sell my own hybrid, 'Four Inch Heels' that I bred in Denver from (Great Western X Othello).

This plant is thriving in a 15 gallon Water Wise Container Garden on my driveway, facing north, to spare it Tampa's intense south sun in winter, plus to afford it whatever North winds we get in winter. I plan on using its pollen on 'Duchesse de Brabant' and 'Reve d'Or' just to play with the possibilities.



I so wish I could attach the FRAGRANCE to this post!   Enjoy, John

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