Hardly, you must have got a mislabeled plant. Armand-Jean du Plessis as I call him when I feel intimate is very dark with never a hint of pink.

Also a once-bloomer would not be blooming in August.

Marianne, do not take liberties with a prince of the Church!

It did look mauve when the bud was closed yesterday. We are close to 100 degrees today. According to the David Austin website, it does it state it starts off that color & then deepens.

I sent Rose Petals Nursery an email.

I agree: if it bloomed in August, then regardless of the color, you have the wrong rose.

Here is the picture of the first bloom.
Look closely at the leaves.
Can you identify?

Do the leaves resemble the Cardinal?
What month does it normally once bloom?

Gallicas and most once-bloomers bloom with the first flush of repeating roses. The Asian yellows are earlier and some ramblers are later, but none this late that I know of.

There really isn't another rose quite like the Cardinal.. I would study yours for repeating properties.. even the leaves look really unlike any gallicas I grow

{{gwi:284966}}

Anyone recognize these pointy leaves?

I will keep this band under observation.

The bud looked like yours when it was closed.
Lovely picture.

@mauvegirl: I don't know what that rose is, but it most definitely is not 'Cardinal de Richelieu'. Your rose reminds me somewhat of 'Therese Bugnet'; a species hybrid of some type. It could in fact be 'Therese'.

I emailed the photo and will receive a new band, Cardinal de Richelieu to be shipped tomorrow, Monday. I appreciate their attentiveness.

Thank you trospero for pointing me in the right direction.
I will research Therese Bugnet (which I have never acquired) on HMF today. Lets see if there are similarities.

I took a half-second look at it and said "Rugosa!" So Therese Bugnet it very well may be. But there are lots of pink Rugosa hybrids. And, I think there's even a double or semi-double cultivar of the species (whose standard colors are pinks and whites).

The AARS test gardens in sweltering Shreveport have some big, healthy Rugosas, so growing that one in Texas may not be an impossibility, even though Rugosas are generally grown in places too cold in winter for most roses. I'd put it where it gets morning sun. Sandy, acidic soils, if I remember correctly, are their preference.

I thought about it some more, and decided the mystery girl looked like a Rugosa - Setigera hybrid. A bit of googling brought up this:
http://elkorose.schopine.com/pics2001/010524therese_5.JPG

Therese Bauer Ludwig, USA, 1963, Hybrid Rugosa/Setigera,

What do you think? Rugosa leaves seem to start out pointy, and round-out with age. Supposedly, Therese is very vigorous and very fragrant. Like she could be anything else, with ancestry like that. And Rosa Setigera is reputed to be one of two roses with resistance to Rose Rosette Disease.

PS: I think you guys are right. I looked at Therese Bugnet, and the pink seems consistent across photos - and a match to that of the Mystery Rose. Bugnet's ancestry, BTW, is complicated and quite exotic.

This post was edited by plan9fromposhmadison on Sun, Aug 11, 13 at 23:31

Thank you for the information and research.
Therese Bugnet is listed on HMF as having been sold by Rose Petals Nursery so, its a possibility. Due to inexperience, I had no clue if I received the correct band until it bloomed unexpectedly. It was my only order and it had the CDR tag.