I have just a little more in my entry for it in *The Master List*: "Velours Noir (Dupont, -1810) G Syn. âÂÂBeau VeloursâÂÂ, âÂÂBeauveloursâÂÂ. Crimson brown to dk. purple." I thought it was extinct. Is the one from San Jose a proposed i.d., or . . . where did their identified 'Velours Noir' come from?

Congratulations on your first OGR's! I hope you know that they are addicting....! 'Belle Amour' was one of the very first old roses I grew, and I have 4 of them. Mine are grafted and grow very upright and TALL; to over 6 feet even here in zone 4. The fragrance is strong and what folks call scented of myrhh. Some people don't care for the myrhh scent but I love it! I think this rose smells delicious. The color is a medium pink mixed with salmon tones and the petals have a lovely transluscent quality in the sunlight. Mine have some dieback after a harsh winter but still retain at least 5 feet of cane, so this is a tall rose. I haven't had any disease issues. My Belle Doria is also grafted, and like my other grafted gallicas has never suckered. My ownroot gallicas, on the other hand, sucker everywhere...to my delight, since I made a bed just for gallicas to go where they please. I love the pretty striping on this rose but to be honest, it is the least vigorous of my gallicas. It blooms ok, but the bush never has that 'lush' appearance that most OGRs have....its a bit sparse. But since its sandwiched in between other gallicas, its skimpy foliage isn't too noticable. For some reason the leaves are a pale green, almost appearing washed out in comparison to the other gallicas. But the blooms are works of art and I am forever fascinated by them. Enjoy your new roses.....I know you will be 'hooked'. Celeste BELLE AMOUR BELLE DORIA

Your roses are beautiful! They were bare root and they've grown that big in one summer? Wow, you must have the magic touch. I got two Fantin Latours (potted) from Heirloom Roses this spring and they've grown about two feet tall, but they're branching out pretty well. I like the way you've put your roses out so that they will be easy to see and smell when they start blooming. You picked roses that should stand up to some tough winters. Even with all the snow, they should be fine (we get two to three feet a year lately) but I have read that in the first year, Gallicas, Albas and most old-fashioned roses could use some winter protection. You might want to check the Heirloom Roses website. They have an e-mail where you can send questions. They've always been good about answering my questions, even before I purchased any of their roses. Good luck with the winter!

Virtually all "purple" roses can vary greatly depending upon all the usual issues...soil/water pH, nutrients, heat, intensity of light, moisture, etc. The only "purple" rose I've yet grown which didn't have been Cardinal Hume and Purple Buttons. All the others have expressed anything from almost white to almost the right color expected from them. Those pigments demand the right range of conditions to express themselvs appropriately. It hasn't mattered whether the rose was an OGR or a modern "purple". Some have behaved better when provided protection from the light and heat intensities. Some have required acidifying the soil, a few times to the extreme. Some have only provided the desired colors in very early springs or late falls during unusually cooler and wetter conditions.