Two things, its fairly double flowers and its good remontancy, are pretty tantalizing evidence that 'Stanwell Perpetual' would have been the other parent (unless something else also crept in, which is another possibility since 'Suzanne' was an F2 seedling). The idea isn't original to me - I'm simply repeating it and agreeing - but I don't remember if Skinner had recorded it that way at some point as well. The "Turkestan rose" is certainly meant to refer to Rosa laxa in the above sentence. It could be that the author meant to help clarify that it wasn't the Caninae rootstock erroneously called "Rosa laxa" by some in the past (I think the tide has soundly turned on that pattern, and it should be generally accepted that we are talking about the scientifically accepted species when we mention R. laxa today - those who continue to designate the rootstock that way will just have to find a better name). I suppose it could be entered into HelpMeFind, but it isn't really what I would consider to be a common name for the plant, if there's any limitation or rule governing the number or kind of alternate names a rose can have there. It's also possible to label any rose from the Turkestan region that way, so it could be problematic... On a related note, I really wish there would be an option to omit synonym returns when doing advanced searches (I've suggested this to them through the site, but I'm not necessarily holding my breath for it to happen.)

Hi Bart, I grow Lavender Lassie in a spot that gets some sun in early spring, but once the trees leaf out it is in pretty Stygian shade all the rest of the season (May-October). It grows as a big sprawly shrub and blooms beautifully (big flush) in spring. No bloom after, however. I'm trying a baby LL in a sunnier spot, to see if I get re-bloom, though others on this forum have told me LL is basically a once-bloomer even in sun. My only hesitation about LL in your conditions is that the flowers might kind of bleach out in the afternoon sun. One of my MIPs is in a rather shady spot, and does ok - not as well as the ones in sun (smaller plant, fewer flowers, a bit more BS) but ok. I have a recommendation for your spot - how about Carefree Beauty/Katy Road Pink? I have multiple specimens of this rose in various conditions: full sun, shade, partial shade with major root competition from trees, a too-small container, etc etc etc. Nothing seems to bother this rose - they all bloom well (the one in shade is a bit leggier and blooms a bit less than the others, but still) and are healthy and trouble free. If you are ok with once-bloomers, Constance Spry and Himmelsauge are ones that I grow in shade that do quite well, and I bet they wouldn't mind afternoon sun. Anyway, good luck with this problem spot!

Is there any way to see Jon's picture here? I have been curious to see a clone of R. virginiana 'Plena' for some time now, because being well-acquainted with 'Banshee' and with plain R. virginiana, I do not believe that 'Banshee' can be anything less than a hybrid. Perhaps R. virginiana 'Plena' is actually a hybrid, too. I've read once or twice about 'Rose d'Amour' (aka R. virginiana 'Plena') repeating on the West Coast and Beales lists it as recurrent in Classic Roses. He notes that it is a tall rose, too, giving it a height of seven feet. His description of the rose sounds superficially much more like one of my 'Banshee' than the picture looks like it, but no 'Banshee' I've ever met has shown any inclination to repeat. The picture is closer to R. virginiana proper than the 'Banshee' plants I'm familiar with. It's possible that the R. virginiana 'Plena'/'Rose d'Amour' of commerce fits within the range of 'Banshee' clones as Leonie Bell circumscribes the cultivar and its variations (we need a new term for this kind of situation - how about calling it a "multivar"?). He lists 'Rose d'Orsay' as a continuous bloomer and credits it with a shorter stature. What does it all mean? On a side note, I had inquired about 'Rose d'Amour' from a Canadian nursery that claimed its clone repeated, but I did not order it. When my order arrived, one of the roses turned out to be obviously not what I had asked for, but does resemble a version of 'Banshee' that opens its blooms more easily. I've wondered if they could have gotten confused and added 'Rose d'Amour' instead - but it hasn't repeated, at least not yet. I'm always keenly interested in this group of plants. Stefan

Thanks.