Here is the "Mrs. Woods Lavender-Pink Noisette" we have. This rose came to us from Sequoia Nursery -- a souvenir of Ralph Moore's last birthday party there. I expect it probably came to Sequoia from Vintage. In our conditions, this rose mildews a bit, and has not been a generous bloomer. I like the blooms it has, just wish there were more of them, and they were surrounded by healthy foliage. But we'll see how she does this year. Jeri

It could be. Sometimes red roses are off-color with their first blooms until they get established. I have seen it with other varieties like Veteran's Honor and LD Braithwaite. My La Belle Sultane opens light pink before it ages to its signature magenta-purple color. Check the fragrance. If it smells like its parent Chrysler Imperial, a spicy damask rose smell, then you may have Mister Lincoln. Check its growth habit as it grows during the season. Mister Lincoln is prone to getting tall and growing fairly straight up. Its parent, Chrysler Imperial and its seed siblings Oklahoma and Papa Meilland are all shorter and bushy.

jasminerose, what a lovely thing to say. I think those of us who grow roses, and perhaps especially those who are passionate about old roses, understand and foster each others' need to find out as much as we can about our favorite plants. I also have another great interest, which is collecting antique Chinese porcelain, and that group is equally crazy, if not more so, about that, and everything is discussed endlessly, members' new finds are posted, with many pictures from all angles, and determining the age is only a starting point (is it really antique, modern copy, truly 18th century or a reproduction from the 19th century, and so on). It actually makes antique roses look like a walk in the park, but the beauty of the roses is that they're alive, and they grow and change, and often become more beautiful with maturity. I just can't imagine getting tired of having roses in my life, as frustrating and disappointing as they can sometimes be.

My "Mt. Vernon Purple Noisette" is in a large pot, and too big for it really; it needs to go in the ground, and I can't fight the tree roots to dig a hole that large. Blooms are petite, clustering and usually light, lilac pink. In cooler weather it's a slightly darker color. Nicely fragrant to my nose... Fairly thorny, not too bad, but not a rose to plant near a pathway. Mine would probably have more leaves and blooms if it were properly planted out. One day, perhaps, but despite fine new shovels, my husband is strangely reluctant to dig holes in the summer heat, and I have a few other plants that are in more desperate need of his spading abilities... I hope this is somewhat helpful, Virginia ETA: No mildew here, but that's not usually a problem in my conditions. No balling either, that I've noticed. It may prefer hot'n'humid to hot and dry? I hope your experience will contradict that theory...