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Empress Josephine

13 years ago

How does this rose do for you?

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Comments (5)

User
13 years ago
Alas, 'Empress Jo' is a bit of a dullard, in my opinion. It has none of the fragrance that many of its peers have to offer, and it can take years to build up appreciable size. The blooms are an ordinary pink and often a bit "undecided" in petal arrangement. It endures because of its name, I suspect, and little more. There are so many other excellent Gallicas to choose from; this is very close to the bottom of the list.

I would try 'James Mason' if I were you. Few roses make such a spectacle of themselves as this glorious thing does. It is pretty much indestructible as well. It gets a full five star rating IMO.
jim_w_ny
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the word on EJ. Paul?? I've been assuming that you are Paul Barden - true or not ?

And then being a Kordes fanatic I may stick with Schlarlachglut, which I have, and from which JM it was bred and looks to be a dead ringer for S. Maybe JM is better but I'll have to wait and see as S is quite new.
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I have a few of the Agathe's though my climate could not be more different. They are not as BS resistant as Gallicas in general and for me not as vigorous. I have lost Agatha francofurtana twice. I also have pockets of clay but the francofurtana was in sandy loam. I fell in love with the one on the cover of Peter Beals "Classic Roses" I met a woman who had it run wild in part of her yard..never was able to get it from her. As far as clay is concerned it looked to me like Sangerhausen was icky gray clay and their Gallicas were doing beautifully-so it goes. patricia
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Well, Hawkeye, the rose in your photo reminds me a lot of a cultivar I grow, called AndrÃ© le NÃ´tre. It's a hybrid tea by Meilland and is marketed as Betty White in the US. The only thing that gives me pause is that you saw this rose in June 2001, presumably well established, and it seems Meilland introduced this variety in France in the same year, 2001. However, it is extremely vigorous in the French climate, so it is possible. Here in SW France it has grown to over 6 feet high in 3 years. The photos on Help Me Find are fairly representative, as the blooms sometimes have a touch of apricot blush in the middle, while more often the petals are of the finest clear pink, fading to cream. The roses on my plant are very large, luminous and, best of all, exude the sweetest, strongest fragrance of any of my roses, at all times! I found a couple of my photos, you be the judge. And good luck with the book, sounds enchanting. MayBee
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ISO Empress Josephine
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Comments (1)
Mrs. Greene, I checked on Helpmefind, and they list Angel Gardens in Florida; you might check with them to see if they have it in stock. There is also a nursery in Spokane, I believe it is called Northland or something like that. Aside from that, quite a few people order from Canada without too much trouble, don't know what their current laws are.
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'Old Blush'
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Comments (22)
How neat to see the progression of photos as Old Blush grew up for you. A wonderful view of how an ogr builds into a lovely plant when it's cared for with patience. I'd have to grow Old Blush, just for it's history alone, but it's very pretty here. Yeah, the individual flowers aren't spectacular, but it's such an exuberant bloomer, & here, at least, such a healthy happy plant. Very happy this spring--this is about 5' tall. And it's offspring, Pink Poodle--its blooms get dark, like mini Old Blush blooms in cool weather; in the heat of summer they're pale pink. Jackie, IIRC, Vintage's catalog commented that cl. Old Blush bloomed a bit less than the bush form. I have it also & it does bloom less, but it's not in as sunny of a position as the bush, so who knows? It has bloomed well this spring, but not like the shrub.
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User
13 years ago
Yes, thats me alright.

I grow 'Scharlacglut' as well, and although I like it a lot, the two are not similar at all, really.'Scharlacglut' is a much larger plant, tending to be rather sprawly and untidy. 'James Mason' is quite the opposite, with more restrained, tidier growth and a more reasonable size for a limited garden. Also, 'Scharlacglut' is a blazing fiery red, while 'James Mason' definitely has some of the crimson tones of the Gallica class, especially evident as the flower ages. To me, it is a richer color. Also, 'Scharlacglut' Blackspots fairly easily here, whereas 'James Mason' doesn't at all. If I had to choose but one, it would be 'James Mason' without a doubt. JMO, of course.
mariannese
13 years ago
Swedish opinions of Empress JosÃÂ©phine, are different. This francofurtana is one of the 20 most common roses in Swedish gardens. To quote Lars-ÃÂke Gustavsson, our national rose guru, "it has attractive growth habit, decorative leaves, beautiful fall colours in yellow, reddish brown and bronze, exquisitely beautiful flowers, large, very double, dark pink with darker veins. Blooms profusely for a month in June and July, Weak scent. Hardy, healthy, shade tolerant. Grows well on poor soils." I don't have an opinion myself, never having grown it.
jim_w_ny
Original Author
13 years ago
Most likely the difference in performance for EJ has everything to do with climate. Paul I think you are somewhere in the Northwest??

I need to look into James Mason further. Then I need to get your opinion about your offspring as to those I should look into. Bearing in mind that I'm in a cold zone with rotten soil or I suppose more charitably "poor" soil.

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